Friends joining friends, joining friends ... that's how our Women's Fund has grown from 47 women donating $140,000 to two nonprofit agencies in 2004 to over 400 members, who over the past six years, have collectively donated more than $2.5 million to 33 nonprofit agencies in Santa Barbara. These funds have helped educate, house, heal and support better lives for people in our community.

We're reaching out to you now to continue your support of the Women's Fund and renew your commitment! If you pay or pledge by April 30, you'll be able to vote for the areas of community need you'd like to see researched in 2010. See the "Areas of Community Need" list on the reverse of the pledge card in your mailing. Or you can play or pledge via our website. 

If you have not received your renewal information or if you know prospective members who may be interested, please contact us.

We welcome you back for another exciting year ... and please tell a friend about the Women's Fund because the good we do together is greater than the good we can do alone

Women's Fund Membership Mailing Chairs Carol Hicks and Carol Palladini send out a huge THANK YOU to the 32 women who volunteered to help during mailing week. Nearly 1,000 membership letter packets were sent to renewing members and prospective ones. Every letter had at least one hand-written note and many new names of friends were added. This is a big job, but sharing it with many wonderful volunteer helpers made it made it fun and efficient. The Women's Fund is indeed fortunate to have so many who write their checks...and then want to do more!

This month we're celebrating the success of one of the Women's Fund's past grantees. With a leadership gift of $150,000 to Storyteller Children's Center in 2007, the Women's Fund became an instrumental part of Storyteller's recent announcement that they had reached their goal of raising $3.2 million for their Campaign for the Future, Storyteller Children's Center provides tuition-free early childhood education and comprehensive support services for Santa Barbara's homeless and at-risk families. The funds raised allow the organization to open a second preschool and expand services to 70 children and their families from 42.

The Women's Fund is proud of the fact that we keep our expenses to 3% per year. One of the main reasons we're able to do this is thanks to generous members who underwrite costs for us. If you are interested in helping the Women's Fund continue to keep our overhead low, please consider underwriting any of these items from our Women's Fund "Wish List" below, and know that you are allowing the money we raise to go directly towards the critical programs and projects we fund.

Wish List for Underwriting

2010 Membership Mailing Costs ($1,342), including:

Paper $ 52
Printing of letters and return cards $242
Envelopes $438
Postage $610