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Our Season of Philanthropy


In the June 2021 issue…

 

Make Summer Your Season of Philanthropy

If you make your philanthropic contributions through a donor advised fund (DAF), it pays to begin thinking about your grantmaking early. Many donors wait until December to make their gifts, but with a donor advised fund there is every reason to celebrate the season of giving in June!

  • Early grantmaking means you won’t have to be thinking about all of your donation choices during the busy holiday season.
  • You’ve already done your financial and tax homework–now your grantmaking is simple and can be done throughout the year.
  • You can take advantage of recent gains in your DAF account and distribute them to the causes most important to you.
  • Contributions through a donor advised fund may take time to process, and waiting until December means they may not make it to your charity by December 31.
  • At the Women’s Fund, an early donation means you won’t get any more renewal reminders!
  • An early donation helps charities manage their cashflow more efficiently. For the Women’s Fund, the sooner we can estimate how large our grants pool will be, the sooner we can commit to the number of potential grantees on our ballot.

It’s easy to make your Women’s Fund contribution through your DAF. Just go to the online Join/Renew form and click the payment option I will pay by: check, donor advised fund, IRA or stock transfer.

Want to learn more about donor advised funds? Email finance@womensfundsb.org.

- Contributed by Lynn Karlson and Kathy Dunlap

 

It’s Time to Start the Board Nomination Process

The start of summer marks the start of the board nomination process for the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara.

How do we get started? Our board candidates are selected in many of the same ways as the board members of traditional nonprofits, with one major difference. Many nonprofit boards select candidates based on a matrix of skills needed such as business management, legal, accounting and finance, communications, technology. Although these skills are valuable, the main requirement of Women’s Fund board candidates is proven volunteerism.

We are an unusual nonprofit model—we have no employees, although we do contract for financial and legal services. So, volunteers are very important, and we put a premium on volunteer service when selecting board candidates. An eligible candidate must be a Women’s Fund member and volunteer; she must demonstrate knowledge of and commitment to our organization and its mission.

The chair of the governance committee forms a nominating committee every year at the beginning of summer. Over the next several months, they work to complete a slate of candidates for board review in November. The approved slate is voted on by the board in December and new leaders begin their terms in the new year. Board terms run for two years with the opportunity to renew. A member may join the board at any time during the year which counts as the first year of their term.

How do women get on the list of potential candidates? The nominating committee takes recommendations from other board members and/or committee chairs. The committee also casts a wide net contacting committed volunteers with demonstrated leadership skills. Women who are interested in joining the board also can contact the governance committee directly.

The all-volunteer board sets policy for the organization, tracks that goals are met, and assures the financial stability of the organization. In addition to their governance responsibilities, the board oversees the Operations Management Team (OMT) which manages the day-to-day operations of the Women’s Fund. The OMT includes the chairs of our committees and serves as the organization’s staff. Click here to see our organization chart. You also can read a summary of our current Operating Plan here.

- Contributed by Nancy Harter, Governance Committee Chair
 

 

Did You See It in the News?

Thanks to the efforts of Kerry Parker, Media Relations Manager on the Communications Committee, the Women’s Fund received a lot of attention after the Celebration of Grants. Did you see any of the coverage?

Here are just a few links:

Santa Barbara Independent – print and online editions
“Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara Awards $750,000 to 10 Nonprofits”
“1,100-Member Organization Focused on Greatest Needs in Pandemic Times”

Noozhawk – Good for Santa Barbara – online
“Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara Names 10 Nonprofits to Share Record $750,000 Grants Pool”

EdHat Santa Barbara – online
“Women’s Fund Announces Grants for 10 Local Nonprofits”

News Break – online
“Women’s Fund Announces Grants for 10 Local Nonprofits”

Nonprofit Resource Network (NPRN) – online
“Women’s Fund announces 10 local nonprofits receive largest grants pool in its history”
 

 

Membership Corner: Thanks To Our Early Birds!

We have been asking members to renew your Women’s Fund donations early this year if you can, and we are very thankful for our early birds! Contributions are coming in nicely, and it will help us give the Research Committee a better estimate in October of how large our grants pool will be for next year.

Please welcome our newest Women’s Fund members: Sonia Alexander, Carla Amussen, Kathy Bart, Penny Braniff, Sandra Campbell, Margaret Crocco, Shari Guilfoyle, Barbara Hume, Laura Kuhn, Suzanne McAdams, Beverly McCurdy, Catherine Nietzel, Patricia Reilly Stark, Eileen Schuler, Mary Shepherd, Teresa Sutherland, and Susan Tyler.
 

 
 
 
133 East De La Guerra Street, #15
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

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