Philanthropy 831 Blog

Grantseekers Find Improvements Using New Foundation Directory Online!

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 21:40:56 GMT

Good news for grantseekers!

In September, the Foundation Center revamped the way you use their database Foundation Directory Online. FDO is the Center’s online search tool for nonprofits and other grantseekers looking for funding.

FDO now uses a natural language interface that responds to your normal everyday phrases versus making you enter technical keywords. Simply put, it makes your searching for grants easier.

Go to the FDO homepage and using your own words type in what kind of project you want funded. To get you started helpful examples appear in the search box, such as “food pantry in Dallas.” You can even use your mission statement (if not too long). Or, words that describe who you’re serving, where they're located and what you’re doing to help them.

FDO then goes to work. It searches its database of 140,000+ foundations, corporations and federal agencies, and return results that best match what you're looking for. It’s a faster, smarter way to research funding than in the past when many of you felt perplexed by the varied ways to frame a search.

Use the new FDO for free in our resource library at the Community Foundation.

You can also learn about the new FDO enhancements and tools to accelerate your prospect research in a free webinar on Monday, December 11, 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Register now!

Kim White (née East) is a communications associate at the Community Foundation. In addition to help with print and social media, she is the supervisor of the resource library, part of the Funding Information Network of the Foundation Center. Kim is a runner (she completed a Boston Marathon) and serves on the board of Wharf to Wharf.

My Travel Diary to Foundation Center New York

Fri, 14 Oct 2016 19:36:49 GMT

I just returned from New York City.

I went for Network Days 2016, a two-day conference of the Funding Information Network. The network (or FINs as we like to call ourselves) is more than 450 libraries, community foundations and other centers across the globe providing Foundation Center resources and training for local grantseekers.

This year, I was invited to be a speaker on one of the panels and had my boyfriend Chris tag along.

We arrived in NYC around 9 a.m., on Wednesday morning. The weather was gorgeous. We got early check-in at our hotel in Lower Manhattan and had time for a quick nap before I spent time preparing for the conference.

That evening, we went for a jog through Battery Park and paid our respects at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza. We weaved our way through the financial district, taking in landmarks like Federal Hall, Trinity Church and the New York Stock Exchange.

We also caught the do-or-die National League Wildcard Game between our San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets at Finnerty’s in the East Village, a sports bar devoted to Bay Area and West Coast sports.

The Giants won 3-0! We were surrounded by reveling SF fans in the heart of New York City. How cool is that?!

The conference began on Thursday, themed All Together Now: Collaborating for Good. You can click on the image below to get my YouTube video from the event.

My favorite session was on helping nonprofits cultivate relationships with funders. The Foundation Center's Jen Bokoff, director of knowledge services, and Zoe Singer, development manager, had us create personas to better understand a grantmaker (like us) as real people, with values, passions and points of view.

My takeaway tip: Funders are more than institutions. They’re made up of people. The more you know (or are willing to learn) about the person you're talking with, the better chance you have to make a positive connection. Whether it's through an initial phone call, an impromptu meeting at a community event or a formal sit-down, you're talking to another human being. It's a major key when making your pitch.

On Friday morning, we toasted with fauxmosas the outstanding FINs for 2015.

It was an honor to accept three certificates on behalf of our Community Foundation: One for length of service as a partner (10 years); a second for earning the highest achievement score for the Western region; and, a third for the highest achievement score in the state of California.

Scores were determined from reports and evaluation on access, training, promotion and networking on how we serve Santa Cruz County and the social sector. High achievers even got special swag—a FIN-branded zip up hoodie . . . Score!

Later, on my panel with fellow FIN supervisors, we shared stories about successful (and not-so successful) collaborations, along with recommendations for how best to collaborate with other organizations. One of the examples I shared was our recent and successful partnerships that led to the launch of Monterey Bay Internships, something that will benefit local nonprofits, students, colleges and businesses.

I loved Network Days and am grateful for another year of learning and connecting with my peers. Like last year, I got ideas from everyone there on ways to better help you through our resource center.

After our Friday conference good-byes, my beau and I saw Kinky Boots, six-time Tony award winning Broadway musical. Especially exciting because a friend, Aaron C. Finley, is cast in the lead role of Charlie Price. What a show! And a real treat to see him perform!

On Saturday, my sister Caitlin, who attends grad school in Boston, made the trip down for the night. We ended the evening eating New York-style pizza.

We left Sunday afternoon, after sleeping in and treating ourselves to Leo’s Bagels. It was a long and successful trip! And, good practice in managing my work-life balance!

Kim East is a communications associate at the Community Foundation. In addition to help with print and social media, she is the supervisor of the resource library, part of the Funding Information Network of the Foundation Center. Kim is a runner (she completed a Boston Marathon) and serves on the board of Wharf to Wharf.

What I Love About My Job

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 19:54:22 GMT

Time to volunteer

I love working at the Community Foundation, where I’m given paid leave to volunteer and contribute to my favorite causes!

How cool is that?

With our new volunteer leave policy, I have up to sixteen hours per calendar year, paid by the Community Foundation, to share my skills with a nonprofit in Santa Cruz County.

Sweet!

I recently used my time to work on the 2016 Wharf to Wharf Race, alongside thousands of other volunteers.

Besides volunteering at the event, I’m a proud board member of Wharf to Wharf, the nonprofit that manages the race.

Since 1973, our community race has brought runners from throughout the world. Amazing, when you consider it’s only a six mile course.

The nonprofit and its race promotes running as a means to health and fitness and contributes to Santa Cruz County youth sports programs and athletes through grants and scholarships.

Gaining skills and connections I can share

Through my day job managing our resource library and helping coordinate our workshops for nonprofits, I’ve gained a basic understanding of board leadership, governance and financial oversight.

I’ve been able to put those skills into practice serving on the board of Wharf to Wharf.

The Community Foundation also provided me with info about fundraising resources I can share as a board member.

During my board term I shared how a nonprofit agency funds at the Community Foundation works and how they can serve as a kind of “charitable savings account,” providing a secure way to plan for the future. This lead to the organization starting such a fund.

No question about it, my job supports me in helping the causes and people I know and care about.

I’m fortunate to have a career that helps me give back to the place I love.

How We Help Nonprofits Beyond Grants

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 20:44:06 GMT

[This post was written for the Foundation Center and CF Insights, where it first appeared.]

The Funding Information Network, of which we're a part, provides local grantseekers free access to professional tools and resources from the Foundation Center.

Every day at our center, people can gain skills to become a successful grantseeker or proposal writer.

Nowhere else in our county can someone get this kind of funding data. Data that’s been verified, coded, and sorted to meet the needs of local nonprofits and individual grantseekers.

Being a network partner has deepened our connections with nonprofits, offering help beyond grants.

We’re trained and able to provide coaching and occasionally a useful reality check.

Being a network partner has given me the opportunity to get to know the people coming to us for help, to demystify and take the scariness out of grantseeking and to broaden our reach.

As the network supervisor, it has opened doors to greater interaction with our grantees and applicants. If we can’t fund you, we can help you.

Feedback from the people we serve are a testament to the value the partnership brings:

“A bright light on what can be a difficult path to find and follow through to a successfully funded grant.”
“What a wonderful resource, available right in our backyard. Thank you!”
“I learned a lot. Made a complicated process easy.”
“Thank you for offering this service. It helped give me a sense of direction.”

How it All Began

In 1997, with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, we joined a small group of other community foundations in devising ways to provide training and support to our nonprofits.

When project funding ended, our board saw the value and made the commitment to continue providing this kind of help.

We use our operating and grant funds to provide year-round nonprofit resources and workshops. In 2006, we took it to the next level and joined the Foundation Center's network.

A Network of Support

Some other great benefits of being a partner are:

Technical assistance and outreach for local grantseekers wanting personalized, fast, professional fundraising guidance from us and Foundation Center staff.
Free access to online data and materials in our resource library, along with over 40 workshops a year in fundraising, board and executive leadership and communications.
Easy connection and peer-learning with 450+ network partners through online groups and national and regional conferences.

The network has been a real win for our community foundation and a most successful partnership. We’re all in it for the right reasons and support each other’s work in advancing the social sector.

Kim East is our communications associate. She also manages our workshops and oversees the Funding Information Network. She helps nonprofits and individual grantseekers get the help they need for success.

Recipe for Success and How We’re Using It to Feed the Hungry

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 05:00:00 GMT

One part positive spirit.
One committed leader.
Mix positive spirit and leader.
Then add a team with a simple, clear goal and cook!

That's our recipe for success!

Or, at least that's what I'm seeing as the winning formula for our participation in this year's Annual Food and Fund Drive for Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County.

Admittedly, our past attempts fell short.

Our good intentions were there (Who doesn't want to feed the hungry?), but our efforts lacked direction, a leader and a goal.

This year, one of our staff members, Jackie Strong, stepped up in a big way to lead us.

Jackie got inspired when she attended Second Harvest’s information luncheon for companies and organizations interested in participating in the food and fund drive.

She learned our local agency distributes more than 8 million pounds of food annually.

Jackie said, "It's even more amazing to me that they have the largest portion of fresh fruit and vegetable distribution of all food banks in the nation!"

And, in case you didn’t know, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, was the first food bank in California and the second oldest in the nation.

Inspired by what she learned, Jackie rallied several staff for an after work planning session at Beer-Thirty.

Together, we set a goal of $3,000 and 100 lbs. of food.

“We came up with some really fun ideas to make the campaign a success,” said fellow staffer Owen David.

Our campaign began November 17, and runs through December 16.

Now, we're working to fill the donation jar and food barrel in our lobby, with cash and non-perishable food and we're inviting you to help us.

Kevin Heuer, Second Harvest’s chief operating and programs officer and a former staffer here, is upping the ante.

Kevin has volunteered to pick up our donations wearing the fruit costume of our team's choosing.

With all votes cast and counted, the grape costume was the clear choice (think Fruit of the Loom) for Kevin.

As a motivator, in lieu of a traditional thermometer, a Grape-o-Meter is on display in our lobby tracking our fund raising goal.

Like Jackie, I’m confident we’ll surpass our fund and food raising goal, because now we’re following the right recipe.

So, if you’re in the neighborhood, drop in and help us feed our hungry neighbors.

Every $1 donated provides four healthy meals to people in need!

Kim East is a communications associate at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. Kim's also on the board of directors of the Wharf to Wharf Race. You can subscribe to her occasional blog posts via Feedburner.

Let's Find Out How Radioactive Is Our Pacific Ocean

Tue, 18 Feb 2014 05:00:00 GMT

If you're an ocean lover and seafood eater like me, are you worried about nuclear fallout from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster?

Well, we can breathe a sigh of relief—for now.

I'll Surf For Now, But . . . Here Are Some Resources You Can Trust

It's still safe to swim, surf and eat fish caught off the West Coast, according to Dr. Ken Buesseler, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and director of its Center for Marine and Environmental Radioactivity.

I learned this from Buesseler during Fukushima West Coast Ocean Radiation Monitoring, a January 29 webinar sponsored by the Council on Foundations and the Environmental Grantmakers Association.

The plume of radioactive contaminants from Fukushima isn't expected to arrive until later this year.

Some models forecast levels won't be of concern for our health or for sea life. But, we can't know for sure.

Despite the attention and growing worries, no U.S. government agency is assigned to monitor the spread of radiation from Fukushima along the West Coast or around the Hawaiian Islands—even though levels are expected to rise over coming years.

Whether you buy the predictions that fallout levels will be too low for us to worry, do you agree radiation levels should still be carefully monitored?

Dr. Buesseler's team thinks so and is asking for our help.

Radiation Monitoring Needs our Support

On January 14, they launched a citizen scientist crowdfunding site, ourradioactiveocean.org.

You can donate to support ongoing analysis, or to fund testing at specific locations along the West Coast and Hawaiian Islands.

The money raised for Santa Cruz is only for the first sample test. The goal is $550. That's not much, thought it will do a lot, by providing a baseline against which future samples could be compared.

Continuous monitoring is recommended to get meaningful data over a period of at least three years.

If monitoring were done every three months, $2,200 would cover a year's monitoring samples. For three years, $6,600 would fund a site.

A small contribution toward the cost of three years of sampling in Santa Cruz seemed like a no-brainer to me.

Kim East is a communications associate at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. She's an ocean lover and runner. Kim's also on the board of directors of the Wharf to Wharf Race. You can subscribe to her occasional blog posts via Feedburner.

Finding Grants Just Got Easier

Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This week I attended a regional meeting of partners of the Foundation Center, at their San Francisco office, where Janet Camarena (pictured to the right of me) is director.

We're Santa Cruz County's Local Funding Information Network Partner

As part of our service to local nonprofits we've been a cooperating collection of the Foundation Center since 2006.

Before that, in 1997, we began providing Santa Cruz County nonprofits with management help and resources through funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. That funding ended a number of years ago, but our board of directors was so committed to this service they've budgeted resources every year to keep making it happen.

This year, the cooperating collections are being rebranded as Funding Information Network Partners.

As our network of community foundations, libraries and other nonprofit resource centers across the county grows to nearly 475 sites, the new name better describes our role of providing you with grantseeking information from the Foundation Center that adds to our own library of nonprofit books and periodicals.

So, here's one bit of exciting news I learned and want to share with you that'll make your grantseeking even easier.

You Can Now Search for Funders At HomE In Your Pajamas!

After entering some basic contact info (i.e., name and email address), FDO Foundation Directory Online Free lets you see basic profiles and IRS Forms 990-PF of nearly 90,000 grantmakers, from any computer or mobile device.

The best way I learned this week to use FDO Free is to do your initial research using Foundation Directory Online and then use the free tool to narrow down your list of prospects.

You can do some basic initial research on it if you know the name of the grantmaker, its EIN or want to search by location.

With info you have for one or more of those basic fields entered FDO Free gives you:

Address and contact info (including any website)
Fields of interest
Program areas
Fiscal information

Help Getting Started

When you're ready to start your research visit our Borina Nonprofit Resource Center to use the top tier (professional level) of FDO for free on six computers or purchase a subscription. But, why buy it? You can use it here everyday of the week for free!

And, with FDO Free you now you have another great tool to look closely at your prospects from work, home or on the move.

So, what are you waiting for?

Visit us. Take a free workshop on learning the database, use the online guides or just jump in and get started!

Kim East is a communications associate at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and manages our resource center library. You can subscribe to her blog posts via Feedburner.

Did You Mean To Do That?

Tue, 22 Oct 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Think Outside the Box When Recruiting New Board Members

That’s the message I heard loud and clear during one session at CommA Days, part of the Council on Foundations September gathering for community foundations in San Diego.

President and CEO Kelly Ryan of Incourage Community Foundation, described what she did to reshape her board as part of a rebranding strategy, in the session led by Jen Perry.

Not only did Ryan throw out the traditional board recruiting matrix, she trimmed the size of the board, from 17 to 4 members.

This was music to my ears.

Both as a board member of a local nonprofit and someone who hears the frustration of grassroots groups struggling to entice the financial or marketing professional onto their board.

Maybe You Really Need a storyteller Not A Certified Public Accountant

Instead of recruiting people for their occupational skills, Incourage decided it more important to find people willing and ready to share stories about the good work of their community foundation.

The board now operates more like a think tank of ambassadors.

They haven't abandoned their legal and fiduciary responsibilities, but the focus of their work has shifted.

Drawing from emerging ideas and recent accomplishments, the board works with staff to be narrators telling stories about the organization and listening to the feedback.

Stories Inspire Action and Create change

Ok, I know changing the way we search for board members and then work with them won't resonate with everyone.

But, doesn't this open the door to re-examining old systems that may not be working as well as we want? And, free us from the pressure of filling a cubbyhole like we would an open staff position?

Storytelling, “This Will Be the #1 Business Skill of the Next 5 Years,” I read in a blog post shared with me and written by Barry Feldman in SocialMedia Today.

So, Are You Ready?

Professional skills are good, but a heartfelt story told by someone who cares is even better.

A good story inspires me to get up and do something.

And isn't that what it's all about?

Kim East is a communications associate at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. She's also on the board of directors of the Wharf to Wharf Race. You can subscribe to her occassional blog posts via Feedburner.

Are You Talking to Me?

Thu, 12 Sep 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Today, I sat in on a webinar, Fundraising & the Female Donor, hosted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

I also watched the conversation stream on Twitter at #WomenDonors.

So, What's It Got to Do With Me?

I asked myself that. I’m not a fundraising professional and certainly no Melinda Gates.

But, I am a woman who cares and donates (albeit on a small scale).

And, I work in communications for a community foundation that fundraises like other nonprofits and talks to people who give.

So, my colleague asked at the end, Was there anything in the discussion that resonated with me? Yes.

We Prefer to Connect to People (and Causes)

Being in a group with other like minded women (or men) is just as important to me as the cause.

Learning and talking with others creates energy and pride.

Women (Like Me) Think About Who's Receiving

Men give to who's asking.

It's a broad generalization, but Kathleen Loehr, Beth Mann and Maria Di Mento, the three giving professionals leading the webinar find it's true—and I would agree.

For other women I know it's more about feeling a connection to those being helped and knowing I can make a small difference.

How Do We Harness the Power of Change?

I wondered what would spur me or my family and friends to give more?

It would be something personal and fun that connected us to one another and where I could see results.

It would be the opportunity to give in honor or memory of someone, to make my giving personal and real.

So There Must Be An App?

During the webinar I began to imagine my App, Givagram.

Like it?

Modeled on Instagram, Givagram would let you give a minimum (say $20) to your favorite cause in honor or memory of someone or simply in response to your mood.

You would have the option to upload a photo showing the person or cause or what motivated you to act.

On Givagram, you could personalize it even more with a heartfelt caption or your favorite hashtags.

Others could comment and like your gift posts.

Daily updates featuring photos of your gift in action would stream through your Givagram News Feed.

Okay . . . So, I probably won’t be developing the Givagram App anytime soon.

Can We Get There Without Technology?

Locally ,100+ Women Who Care Santa Cruz comes to mind.

They make it social and charitable and fun.

And for you fundraisers trying to reach out to women like me . . . Dump the hard sell tactics.

Nonprofit development folks, stop talking about your organization's need or quoting statistics and get to the heart of the matter.

Tell me about the power of us giving together to make something good happen.

Kim East is a communications associate at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. She's also on the board of directors of the Wharf to Wharf Race.

On Your Mark, Get Set . . . Give!

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A recent crossing of my personal and professional lives got me thinking how proud I am to be involved with two nonprofits in Santa Cruz County, the place that raised me.

Helping Local Athletes

The Wharf to Wharf Race, whose board I've served on since September, set up a fund for scholarships here at the Community Foundation, where I've worked since 2004.


Winners of the 2012, six mile race between the Capitola and Santa Cruz Wharves.

As a local kid who liked to run, I was a lucky beneficiary of equipment, facilities and mentors provided by a multitude of programs funded by Wharf to Wharf.

Since its inception in 1973, the race has contributed more than $4 million to youth sports. It's provided everything from equipment and donations to building all-weather tracks at a number of area schools.

The race also awards annual scholarships of $36,000 to top Santa Cruz County student athletes.

Giving Back Even More

As a race board member, I'm excited about setting up the Wharf to Wharf Scholarship Fund, because it means more scholarships for local students.

Why more?

Because our fund will be pooled with the Community Foundation's assets (over $50 million).

The advantage is lower investment fees and more importantly, greater growth and income than what we could get with low-earning CDs.

In short, more help for local student athletes to achieve their academic and athletic goals.

"We were seeking returns better than CD rates, and we agreed that the Community Foundation would provide a low-cost investment vehicle that was conservatively managed and provided a broad diversification of funds," said Jim Maxwell, race treasurer.

Everyone Wins

As someone who grew up here, I'm proud that helping local nonprofits plan their financial future is a priority for my employer.


The Santa Cruz Coastal Athletic League gets support from Wharf to Wharf.

By offering nonprofit agency funds, a type of “charitable savings account”, the Community Foundation allows nonprofits like Wharf to Wharf to focus on their mission rather than investment management.

Wharf to Wharf even had the option to place its fund in a long-term portfolio or invest it in a socially-responsible portfolio, which was the path we chose.

I'm proud to be on the teams of both these organizations.

We formed a partnership that is truly a win-win for everyone!

Want to find out how to maximize the value of your local nonprofit's investments?

Email or call Randy Balogh, our philanthropic services director at 831.662.2060. He helped set up this fund and he can help your nonprofit, too.

Kim East is a communications associate at Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. Last year, she achieved one of her dreams by running and finishing the Boston Marathon.