Your vote counts-don’t miss out…

If you haven’t done so already, act now to join the Women’s Fund or fulfill your 2009 Women’s Fund pledge. The payment deadline of December 1 is fast approaching, and we want to be sure you are eligible to vote in early January for the nonprofit projects you think best fulfill our goal of meeting the needs of women, children and families in South Santa Barbara County.

 It’s easy to pay:

• Just click here to pay by credit card.  
• If paying by check, send to: Women’s Fund c/o Santa Barbara Foundation, 15 E. Carrillo St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. 
• Any questions about whether you have pledged or paid, click here.

So how does this voting process work?

The Women’s Fund voting process is deceptively easy:  members who have donated by December 1 receive a ballot in early January describing agencies and programs proposed for WF awards. You or your group vote by January 15 for the agencies you want to receive the funds we have collected. Votes are tallied, and we all learn the exciting results at our Awards Presentation Luncheon on Monday, February 8, 2010.

What you may not know is that the ballot reflects a year-long, rigorous research process behind the scenes.  In fact, members have told us they’ve lived here for years and have been amazed to learn about new community work – just from the detailed descriptions provided with the ballot.

And for the 18 volunteers on the Research Committee, the learning is even more amazing. Here’s what they’ve been doing on our behalf since February:

• They asked WF members to vote for Areas of Community Need that they wanted the Research Committee to investigate. This year’s research areas are: Human Services, Housing and Shelter, and Education and Personal Development (for school-aged children, youth and adults).

• They selected from a large master list the local nonprofits addressing the critical need areas chosen by our members.

• They each investigated at least two agencies in depth, preparing written reports outlining program goals, audiences served, collaboration and outreach methods, measurements and results.

• They met with agency leaders, reviewed their financial reports and conducted site visits.

• They thoroughly vetted and discussed as a team the researched agencies, deciding which would go on the ballot for member consideration this year.

Which brings us back to the ballot arriving in your hands in early January - for all women who have joined by December 1. 

So please join us in this exciting award process...and in thanking our volunteer Research Committee for all their hard work this year.