In the August 2021 issue…

• Grants In Action: Don’t Miss Upcoming Events!
• The Women’s Fund Website Is Getting a New Look
• Membership Corner—Hatching a New Group
• Are You a Match Maker?

Grants In Action: Don’t Miss Upcoming Events

Grants In Action—whether Educational Forums or Site Visits—help us witness firsthand the work the Women’s Fund is supporting.

• The appropriately named Educational Forums help us learn more about the issues and agencies that mean lasting changes in our community.
• Site Visits help keep us informed of our grantees’ progress once they receive a grant.

Here is the tentative schedule for the next few months:

• July featured in-person visits to the United Boys and Girls Clubs Summer Spectacular Camps in Santa Barbara and Carpinteria. If you missed them, we are producing a virtual version of the visit which will premiere on our website in early September.
• August and early September will feature in-person site visits to the brand-new Library-on-the-Go Mobile Van program (the much-anticipated program launch was delayed due to COVID). For anyone who can’t make it in person, the GIA team is preparing an innovative self-guided virtual visit that will premiere on our website in September.

Stay tuned for email invitations with more details and registration information; watch the newsletter to learn when the virtual visits are available on the website.

And that’s not all; additional educational forums are being planned for throughout the year. Offering you educational opportunities is a key part of our mission. By learning more about the ongoing challenges facing our neighbors, we become more sophisticated and strategic grant makers.

The Women’s Fund Website Is Getting a New Look

Last month, we shared that we are creating a new logo to better represent the vibrancy of our organization and more clearly reflect our inclusiveness, collaboration, and purpose. That’s not the only change that’s coming. We're spending the summer developing a new website for the Women's Fund with a fresh look and better functionality.

Why change? Well, for one reason, the platform that our current website is built on is about to become obsolete. Another good reason is that we want our website to more clearly reflect everything that’s going on with the Women’s Fund and the impact that we’re making in the community.

A team has been working behind the scenes to get ready for the big change. Our technology partner, Cividesk, is helping make the transition and has started moving all the great information from our current website in the new environment.

Stay tuned for the exciting reveal in October!

Membership Corner: Hatching a New Group—Hummingbird Lounge

Ever wonder how a new group gets formed? The new “Hummingbird Lounge” group is a great example.

Individual Member Katie Davis tells the story: “It all started with the members of our longtime book club—we have a sprinkling of activists, teachers, and speech therapists. Prior to the COVID pandemic, we ran a bilingual Little Free Library at a Laundromat.

“Some of us were already Women’s Fund members, and others were interested. We hatched the idea on a summer evening on Charla Bregante’s back patio, which was decorated with old hurricane lamps and a Hummingbird Lounge sign.

“Sheila Cullen pointed at the sign, and we had a name. I did the paperwork, and Terri Stelzer volunteered to co-captain. We invited other old friends and surf buddies to my garden deck. When Laura Francis offered up some cool hummingbird patches for members, we quickly became fully subscribed. The Loungers look forward to voting next year and enjoying some fine-feathered camaraderie in the meantime!”

- Contributed by Katie Davis
 

Welcome New Members

Please welcome our 11 newest Women’s Fund members: Conor Adler, Amy Brakeman, Christine Cable, Kimberly Gutierrez, Susan Herting, Rosalyn Kohute, Anne Kratz, Martha Inman Lorch, Lois Mitchell, Diane Powell, and Tammy Shorb.

Introducing our newest Membership Group: Coming Together, Captain Anne Schowe.

Thanks to our three new Group Captains:

• Leisa Cosentino - Riviera
• Dianne Black - Novel Women
• Paulette Posch - Paying Forward

Do You Work for a Match-Maker?

Many companies support nonprofit organizations by matching charitable contributions made by their employees or even their retirees. But did you know that more than 70% of match-eligible donors have no idea whether their company offers a matching gift program?

You can double or even triple the impact of your donation with a matching gift! To find out if you (or your spouse) are eligible, consult your corporate giving or human resources department. And if you're matching a Women's Fund contribution, you can let us know when you use the Join/Renew form online. Questions? Just email us at membership@womensfundsb.org.

Thank you again for all the ways you support the Women's Fund!

- Contributed by Kathy Dunlap, Finance Committee