OPINION > MAS DE MARIO

The contest was simple; in two sentences or less describe what a community foundation does. "I don't think we ever had a winner," said Peter Hero past CEO and President of Community Foundation Silicon Valley, which in 2007 merged with the Peninsula Community Foundation to form the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. That's because community foundations provide such a broad spectrum of services that it's difficult to adequately describe what they do in a few sentences.

If there is any expert on community foundations, it's Hero. He has a long and impressive resume. Hero was in Morgan Hill to facilitate the annual board retreat for members of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation (MHCF).

The retreat is an opportunity for board members to reflect on past accomplishments and to plan for the upcoming year. Hero shared his experiences in developing new and young community foundations and the challenges and opportunities they face as they grow. He emphasized how important it is to know the region they serve, and its charitable attitudes, behaviors and motivations. He also talked about the need and benefits of hiring staff once a foundation grew to a certain point. This decision, once it is feasible, would be necessary and essential for continued growth. Currently, the MHCF does not have any paid staff.

While the traditional community foundation model is that of fundraising and grant making, many foundations have unique characteristics that are defined by the specific needs within the geographic areas they serve. For the MHCF, this region is the Morgan Hill Unified School District boundary.

"Convene, connect, and endow is the theme that I'd like to build upon as an organization as we move forward", said Dave Reisenauer, president of the MHCF.

Convene - bring people together with a common purpose to draw attention to and address issues that face the community. Examples of this are demonstrated by the two annual events launched by the foundation. They are the Non-profit Plaza at the Taste of Morgan Hill in September where up to 15 non-profit organizations share a "one-stop" tent and visitors can get information on programs and services available to the public and opportunities for volunteers to get involved. The other event is Philanthropy Day in November where local philanthropists are honored and recognized for their contributions.

Connect - match donors and resources with the needs of the community. When it comes to fundraising, philanthropy is a tool to transmit values. Board member Nancy Miller often asks potential donors, "What do you care about?" Is it education, the arts, senior or youth programs, recreational programs, services for the economically disadvantaged or some other focus area? Whatever their passions or areas of interest, the foundation provides donors a wide range of options for their charitable giving.

Endowment - create a permanent fund that grows through the financial contributions of the community and over time provides much needed funding to local nonprofit organizations. This unrestricted fund or savings account is invested, and the earnings from those investments are granted out annually to local nonprofit organizations.

In addition, what makes the MHCF unique is that it offers fiscal sponsorship to nonprofit groups through its alliance program. Early on, board members realized that there were many local groups already doing great work in the community. These groups consisted of people working together to address self-identified community needs. Why not support and provide services to these charitable groups that already share the foundation's mission of enriching and making a positive impact on the lives of those in our community?

The alliance program was created to support these groups and currently the foundation has five members: The South Valley Athletic Foundation, The Morgan Hill Wind Symphony, The San Pedro Ponds Volunteers, Morgan Hill Dog Owners Group, the Teachers' Aid Coalition and, recently, the Morgan Hill Sister Cities Committee.

According to the Foundation Center, the nation's leading authority on philanthropy and nonprofits, nationwide there are 717 grant-making community foundations that in 2007 granted out an estimated $4.1 billion. Forty-two percent of those community foundations reported giving away more than $1 million.

"Since the beginning of the 1990s, community foundation giving has grown more quickly than overall foundation giving in all but two years," said Steven Lawrence, senior director of research at the Foundation Center. "Strong asset growth, new gifts and bequests from donors and exceptional disbursements from donor-advised funds are the primary factors contributing to these gains."

This July the Morgan Hill Community Foundation will mark its sixth year of existence and the upcoming year will bring new opportunities and challenges. Here too, Hero offered some words of encouragement, "It took Community Foundation Silicon Valley 25 years to raise their first million dollars." Thanks to the generosity of individuals, corporations, civic organizations and local businesses, the MHCF is well on its way to reach that milestone in less time.



Mario Ba'uelos has lived in Morgan Hill for 19 years. He has served on the South Valley Dayworker Committee and is a member of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation. He is married and has four children. Reach him at mbanuelos@charter.net.

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Mario Bañuelos

Mario Bañuelos Mario Bañuelos has lived in Morgan Hill for 19 years. He has served on the South Valley Dayworker Committee and is a member of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation. He is married and has four children. Reach him at mbanuelos@charter.net.

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