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Women’s Fund Transitions to Independent Operations
What a year it has been for the Women’s Fund…
Let’s recap:
- We celebrated 15 years as a collective giving organization, surpassing $7.2 million in grants to local nonprofits and benefiting nearly 100,000 local women, children and families.
- We attracted our 1,000th member, after beginning with 68 members in 2004.
- We introduced new educational opportunities called Grants in Action, providing a new series of issue forums and grantee site visits.
- We expanded our all-volunteer leadership team, attracting more smart, capable women in research, finance, membership, communications and more.
- And, significantly, we became an independent tax-exempt nonprofit organization after operating as a Field of Interest Fund of the Santa Barbara Foundation for 15 years.
In May, Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara received its tax-exempt status. Working together with the Santa Barbara Foundation, we have begun our transition to operating independently, expected to be complete by January 1, 2020.
Remind me again why we’re doing this?
Operating independently provides us with the opportunity for greater impact in the community and more flexibility in managing our growth.
What is changing as we become an independent nonprofit?
More will change behind the scenes than for our members. The Santa Barbara Foundation has provided specific services (primarily payment processing, donor tax acknowledgements and inclusion in their IRS 990 tax filings) for which we have paid a 3% fee on all membership and underwriting income. We are transitioning now to contractors who will perform our bookkeeping and accounting services. In addition, a Board of Directors, comprised of volunteer Women’s Fund members, has replaced the Steering Committee, providing the oversight and support required of an independent nonprofit.
What changes for me as a member?
- All checks should be made payable to the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara.
- We have a new mailing address for correspondence and checks:
133 East De La Guerra, #15, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
- We have a new phone number: 805-303-1205.
- We have our own Federal Tax ID 82-5169678.
- Donor tax letters are now signed by Women’s Fund leaders and no longer co-signed by the Santa Barbara Foundation.
- For planned gifts, the Women’s Fund should be the named beneficiary, not the Santa Barbara Foundation
- Tax letters will increasingly be sent via email versus snail mail.
- We will engage a CPA firm to handle our new financial reporting and tax compliance matters, including our IRS Form 990 tax returns, which will be available to the public.
Is there a change in how I join or renew my membership?
Joining and renewing on our website remain the same. womensfundsb.org remains the centerpiece of information about the Women’s Fund.
- Paying by credit card via our secure website is the fastest way to join or renew.
- If you prefer to join or renew with a personal check or a check from your donor advised fund, family foundation or IRA or through a stock transfer, we hope you will tell us first by going to the “Join/Renew Membership” tab on our website and, under “Payment Options,” click on “I will pay by: check, donor advised fund, stock transfer or IRA distribution.” Then click on “Confirm Contribution” and follow the instructions on the website. We will be on the lookout for your payment so we can immediately credit your membership.
- Checks should be payable to Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara and sent to our new mailing address. Please specify your group name, if applicable, on your check.
Please CLICK HERE for details on payment options.
What doesn’t change?
Women’s Fund volunteers continue to manage the day-to-day operations, conduct our own rigorous research and due diligence of our grantees, provide several annual educational opportunities for our members, manage our membership database and voting process, and communicate with all members.
Most importantly, we remain steadfast in our commitment to our 15-year-old mission of collective grantmaking and donor education:
- Combining our charitable dollars to provide significant grants addressing critical needs of women, children and families in our local area.
- Building a large community of educated, strategic givers inspired to make lasting change.
We also continue to focus on our long-held value of minimizing expenses to maximize the grants we make in the community. That’s why on January 1 we took steps to increase the voting threshold for membership donations and are launching an effort to obtain sponsorships and underwriting from companies and foundations. (See next story.)
If you have questions or wish more information, please email info@womensfundsb.org
A core principal of the Women’s Fund has been to minimize and offset expenses so that we can maximize our annual grants pool. Still, increased costs are a reality for a 1,000-member organization. While we remain volunteer-led and managed, a growing membership requires larger venues for our education programs and upgrades to our technology, to name just two examples.
As an independent nonprofit, we plan to approach local foundations to request support for operating expenses such as administrative support and technology.
Generous businesses have helped us over the years by covering costs associated with our education programs. We are now launching a more organized approach to local businesses, seeking their support for our education programs and operations. Click here to view our business sponsor benefit matrix, which explains how we are now approaching our business friends.
So why are we telling you this? Because a number of you have generously offset costs over the years with in-kind donations for everything from food and beverage to printing and graphic design and with cash underwriting. We appreciate that greatly, so we don’t want to leave you out of this new opportunity for sponsorship, if you are so inclined. Or perhaps you have a connection to a business or foundation that we could approach with an introduction from you.
In either case, we could use your help and have a simple way for you to let us know. Just send us an email: info@womensfundsb.org. Thank you for being partners in Changing Lives Together.
Volunteer Corner
“If you want something done, ask a busy person.” Better yet, ask a busy woman! That adage describes Kathy Weber and Tracy Jenkins, two members who live very active lives yet still find time to volunteer in key Women’s Fund positions.
Kathy Weber
Kathy joined the Women’s Fund in 2009. “I liked the idea of being able to contribute to the community without ha ving to plan fundraisers. I also appreciated the fact that other knowledgeable women were evaluating and recommending agencies deserving of support. Since 2009, my original group grew very large. We divided into two groups and each group has continued to grow.”
Last year Kathy was asked to become a member of the Finance Committee as the Fund’s Contributions Manager. She was already comfortable with computers and data systems, given her career as a technical librarian and a bioengineer working in a crash-testing laboratory. “It was a challenge initially,” Kathy says, “but IT Chair Mary Garton and Board Chair Laurie Tumbler were very helpful and supportive in bringing me up to speed.”
All Women’s Fund donations pass through Kathy so the information can be verified, details and identifiers can be added for acknowledgment letters, and Kathy can notify her colleagues in Membership or Finance if any questions arise. “Monthly, I reconcile the records in our database with those of our accounting service to make sure we all agree. Some days my work takes only a few minutes, while at other times processing checks or reconciling accounts can take hours. Still, I enjoy working behind the scenes and find the work both challenging and worthwhile.”
Kathy also serves on the board of the Ensemble Theater Company and the Women’s Board of the SB Museum of Art.
Tracy Jenkins
Tracy and her husband arrived in Santa Barbara in 2010. She joined the Women’s Fund in 2016. “I wanted to participate because I love the concept of high-impact donations using the collective giving of 1,000 women.” Tracy also volunteers with the San Marcos Cross Country and Track teams, and as Board President of Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara.
With a background in wholesale sales, Tracy had great computer skills and was asked to become Women’s Fund Mailings Manager in 2018. “My friend Susan Robeck talked me into this ‘pajama job’ one day while we were playing golf. I had at one point owned a desktop publishing company, so it was a perfect fit.
“The hardest part of the job was learning the CiviCRM database program,” Tracy says, “but Susan had created all the necessary templates and was able to talk me through the weird issues that come up with newsletter formatting and graphics placement. I would say that I spend eight hours a month working on it at home. I love that I have learned new skills.” As Mailings Manager, Tracy serves as liaison to the Membership Committee, is a member of the Information Technology committee and of the Communications Committee, where she keeps tabs on the content she will be delivering.
WHY VOLUNTEER?
Kathy: I think all volunteers should evaluate their own skills and experience, and their willingness to take on a new job. Based on the satisfaction I’ve received from my new role in the Women’s Fund, I recommend members look at whichever aspect of the organization interests them.
Tracy: I would say, jump in! If a woman wants to be more involved, she will love learning new things or putting her well-oiled skills to work. Whether it is an IT function, a membership or communications function, or helping with coordinating events, there is an opportunity for everyone. It’s a great way to meet smart, interesting women. Just say yes!
Interested in joining our team? Click here to contact Jacki Belt, Volunteer Liaison.
Membership Corner
Congratulations! We are almost two-thirds of the way to our goal of attracting 120 new members in 2019! Welcome to our newest members who have joined since mid-July: Kristi Bittner, Ann Bronstein, Marcia Brown, Jessica Buttimer, Lisa Cushman, Jill James, Vicki Layman, Maggie Marks, Romina Mashhoon Banan, Samantha Onnen, Sheridan Still, Lauren Trujillo, Susan Villeneuve, Karine Wegrzynowicz, Arlene Westley and Erika Winston.
Membership Events
On August 22 our new 2019 members, as well as guests interested in learning more about the Women’s Fund, were invited to a welcoming and informative reception at Garden Court, a past Women’s Fund grantee. The reception provided an excellent opportunity for new members to meet each other and for current members to introduce friends to the Women’s Fund.
On September 11 more than 80 Group Captains and Co-captains came together at Girls Inc. in Goleta to hear about the latest Women’s Fund developments, share best practices and provide input on important Group issues for the coming year. The next day, Individual Members gathered in Pat Fulmer's lovely garden for a Women's Fund update and preview of the newly released Research Committee report, Impact of Poverty on Housing and Homelessness. (Click here to read the report.) Members greatly enjoyed these opportunities to gather, engage and expand their Women’s Fund experience.
Also in September, many WF members who live in Hope Ranch were photographed for a cover story that will appear in the October issue of Hope Ranch Living magazine.
Reaching the Women’s Fund with membership or payment questions is still easy: membership@womensfundsb.org
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