News Stories

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STATE OF THE RANCHO SANTA FE FOUNDATION - January 20, 2010

1. In January 2009, Dan Pittard began his second term as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board consisted of 28 members, total assets, liabilities were $20,955,312, and there were 221 active funds. Of these, 79 were donor advised, 93 were various designated funds (7 of which benefit the operations of the Foundation), 26 were un-restricted endowments including the General Endowment, 3 were fiscal sponsorships, 18 were investment funds and 2 were charitable remainder trusts

2. Phil White was the only new member of the Board in January. Ron McMahon and Bob Vanosky joined the Board in March 2009. Rich Cusac and Walter Green stepped down from the Board mid-year. Emily Bagnall was honored for eight years of service to the Foundation. Greg Hillgren and Jim Simpson were honored after nine years of service on the Board

3. The Operating Expenses for 2009 were $369,419, a 9% decrease from the previous year

4. Operating Revenues for 2009 were $350,500

5. New assets to the Foundation totaled $5,387,912 million. We received 740 individual gifts

6. Several legacy gifts realized in 2009 contributed nearly $873,000 to the permanent endowment

7. Grantmaking totaled $4,885,228, which is comprised of 544 separate grants. This represents 23% of total assets

8. Despite challenging economic times, Rich Carlson and the Investment Committee were diligent in their work to regain the investment losses of 2008. In fact, the appreciation on our portfolio was 23.7%. Since December 2007, RSFF is down only 2.8% as compared to the S&P 500, whose total return is down 18% for the same period. We have a fantastic Investment Committee!

9. The Armed Forces Interest Group (AFIG) continued its work throughout the year and granted nearly $80,000. We continued building community partnerships including holding a lunch in August with a group that is developing a platform to educate active duty military about fiscal responsibility, we co-sponsored a program with San Diego Grantmakers at NTC Promenade in August which brought high ranking representatives from the Navy, Marine Corps, Balboa Hospital and the USO together. In addition, AFIG began work with the local colleges and universities and their Student Veterans Organizations and the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club Military Affairs Committee

10. The 2008 Audit went smoothly with CBIZ Mayer Hoffman McCann. Once again we received an un-qualified opinion

11. Debbie Anderson continued as Programs Manager and Dan Beals as Finance Manager of the Foundation. In August, Nancy Hashim joined the staff as Program Administrator of the RSF Women’s Fund. Certainly, one of the greatest reasons for our continued stability this year was due to Debbie, Dan and Nancy’s commitment to our organization

12. We continue to hold our Board Meetings, and many other functions, at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. We are so appreciative of Kerman Beriker and the staff of the hotel for the many courtesies shown to us.

13. Connie Matsui was the Foundation’s honoree for the North County Philanthropy Council Volunteer of the Year. Connie’s work with the Strategic Planning Committee and her personal commitment to the growth of the Foundation made her deserving of this honor. She joins the ranks of Arloe Paul, Holly and Tony Wilson, Gordy Bartow, Elsie Weston, John Seiber, Bob Goldsmith, Neil Ash, Gayle Gillies Mize, Blaine and LaVerne Briggs and Bob Baker who are all former honorees

14. The Rancho Santa Fe Women’s Fund grew rapidly as well. By year end there were nearly 140 members and this, their 5th year, they surpassed $1 million in grants. This year’s grantees included Cancer Angels of San Diego, Child Abuse Prevention Foundation, Interfaith Community Services, Just in Time for Foster Youth, Monarch School Project, S.D. Armed Services YMCA, TERI, Inc. and Voices for Children

15. We again wish to express our gratitude to Union Bank for the donation of office space. We have been on a rent-free basis since 1998

In looking forward to 2010:

• Chuck Yash assumes the Chairmanship of the Foundation Board of Directors
• We welcome new Directors Kate Williams, Craig Dado and Doug Forsythe
• The Foundation endowment is currently at $24,964,136 million

 

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2009 BAGNALL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PHILANTHROPY
PRESENTED TO JOAN SCOTT AND FRIENDS OF SAN PASQUAL ACADEMY

Joan Scott and Emily Bagnall

The inspiration and energy behind "Friends" is Joan Scott, who was honored as the 2009 recipient of the Bagnall Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. When she and her family and friends learned of the need at San Pasqual Academy (SPA) and the 100 plus foster youth who were students at SPA, they went into action and they haven't stopped since. More than $2 million in support for the students has been generated through Friends - things like personal computers, athletic shoes, clothes, and birthday parties and cakes … not to mention the 24/7 un-conditional emotional support of Friends.

"A bridge to knowledge, support and hope" … this has been the mission of Friends of San Pasqual Academy since October 2001.

"The Friends of San Pasqual Academy is a key contributor to the wonderful activities and opportunities afforded the campus youth. The Friends of San Pasqual Academy is a non-profit organization that assists foster teens in their endeavor to become confident, productive, contributing, educated, successful adults. The Friends of San Pasqual Academy are dedicated to providing quality services and programs through resources that improve, empower and enrich the hopeful futures of these very deserving teens."

Friends had its beginning in Rancho Santa Fe, and continues to derive the majority of its membership and financial support from our community. For this work, Joan was selected to receive a $1,000 check from the Bagnall Fund at the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation to be used for the continued work of Friends. Joan would be the first to say that she does not do it alone … there are nearly 100 members of Friends who work throughout the year to provide the extras for the students.

Should you wish to learn more about Friends, please go to www.sanpasqualacademy.org.

 

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KEN BLANCHARD SPEAKS TO RSF FOUNDATION DONORS

Nearly 100 people gathered at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe on February 24th to hear Ken Blanchard, world renown Management Consultant and Organizational Leader, Author and Co Author of 42 books, including “The One Minute Manager”, “Raving Fans”, “The Heart of a Leader”, “The Servant Leader”, “The Generosity Factor”, and many others, having combined sales of more than 18,000,000	Ken Blanchard and Walter Green
copies in more than 25 languages. Ken addressed many issues in his remarks about “How to Lead in Tough Times”, which has become a focus of the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation. Walter Green, a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, and his wife Lola, a charter member of the RSF Women’s Fund, generously provided a copy of Blanchard’s book, “The Generosity Factor” to those in attendance.

 

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STATE OF THE RANCHO SANTA FE FOUNDATION - January 21, 2009

1. In January 2008, Dan Pittard began his first term as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board consisted of 30 members, the endowment was valued at $29,580,804 and there were 250 endowment funds. Of these, 79 were donor advised, 121 were designated endowments (7 of which benefit the operations of the Foundation),  23 were un-restricted endowments including the General Endowment, 5 were fiscal sponsorships, 19 were investment funds and 2 were charitable remainder trusts.

2. New members of the Board included Gigi Fenley, Neil Hokanson, Bill Ruh and Dick Woltman. Russ Penniman stepped down from the board mid-year, although he will continue to serve on the AFIG committee. Chuck Kendall stepped down at the end of the year, but will continue to serve on the CREF Board. Martin Dickinson was honored after nine years of service on the Board.

3. The Operating Expenses for 2008 were projected at $395,719, but in fact we ended up with expenses totaling $405,145.

4. Operating Revenues for 2008 were projected at $451,200 and in fact totaled $446,365.

5. New assets to the Foundation totaled $3,897,154 million. We received 966 new gifts ( 657 for 2007).

6. Grantmaking totaled $5,639,603, which is comprised of 627 separate grants (628 in 2007).

7. In January, the Armed Forces Interest Group was formed and work began on putting together the fundraising plan. By year end, nearly $65,000 had been raised and $27,000 in grants had been made. Bob Baker and Dick Woltman generously under-wrote the cost of the AFIG brochure and Blaine Briggs under-wrote the cost of the Public Service Announcements on the Time Warner and Cox cable channels. We had tremendous speakers, including Dr. Brent Eastman, Col James Seaton, USMC and RADM Len Hering, U.S. Navy.

8. The 2007 Audit went smoothly with CBIZ Mayer Hoffman McCann. There were some “clean up” issues from the prior year that had to be taken care of, but the team guided us through them and we are in very good order going forward.

9. Walter Green introduced the idea of small group meetings, named “Conversations with Giving Minds”. Two were held and they will continue quarterly in 2009.

10. Debbie Anderson continues as Programs Manager and she also serves as the Program Director of the Women’s Fund. Dan Beals serves as the Finance Manager of the Foundation. Certainly, one of the greatest reasons for our stability this year was due to Debbie and Dan’s commitment to our organization.

11. We continue to hold our Board Meetings, and many other functions, at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. We are so appreciative of Kerman Beeriker and the staff of the hotel for the many courtesies shown to us.

12. Bob Baker was the Foundation’s honoree for the North County Philanthropy Council Volunteer of the Year. He was very deserving because of his long time commitment to the Foundation and his lifetime dedication to philanthropy. He joins the ranks of Arloe Paul, Holly and Tony Wilson, Gordy Bartow, Elsie Weston, John Seiber, Bob Goldsmith, Neil Ash, Gayle Gillies Mize and Blaine and LaVerne Briggs who were all former honorees.

13. The Rancho Santa Fe Women’s Fund grew rapidly as well. By year end there were nearly 150 members. Since its inception, they have made $790,000 in grants to 25 different organizations. This year’s recipients were: The Angel’s Depot, Camp Pendleton ASYMCA, Canine Companions for Independence, Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, Juvenile Court Book Club, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Scripps Health Foundation-Encinitas. Emily Bagnall has served as the liaison from the Foundation to the Women’s Fund. Gigi Fenley will take her place in 2009.

14. We again wish to express our gratitude to Union Bank of California for the donation of office space. We have been on a rent-free basis since 1998, and during that time they have assisted us with the financing of the office re-model and the lighting retro-fit.

In looking forward to 2009:

• We welcome one new Board Member, Phil White .
• The Foundation endowment is currently at $21.5 million
• Our goal is to keep the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation “top of mind” in the region and to position ourselves to weather the economy in the coming months.

 

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2008 Bagnall Award for Excellence in Philanthropy
Presented to Margaret Carl and RSF Seniors

• Margaret graduated from USC in 1941 Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude
• Subsequently receiving her M.D. in 1945 from USC and doing her residency in psychiatry from Johns Hopkins and N.Y University School of Medicine
• Has been in private practice of psychiatry since 1950


• The Bagnall Award for Excellence in Philanthropy was established in Michael Bagnall’s memory by his family and friends. It is given each year to an individual in the community who has shown creativity, vision and innovation in working to implement new programs to better serve the Rancho Santa Fe community.
• When Margaret was a child her nickname was Bonnie. And when she was ready to do something, she would say “Bonnie’s ready”. Throughout her life she has always been ready for any opportunity … with energy and determination.


• Honoring Margaret for her service to the community today
  • Served on the RSFF board for ten years – 1990 - 1999 
  • On March 13, 1990, she attended her first Board Meeting – the 42nd in the Foundations history (today we had the 135th meeting of the RSFF). That year, RSFF made $21,000 in grants and had assets of $643,000
  • She stepped down from the Board on November 17, 1999, having served as the Chairman of the Grants & Projects Committee for four years. That year, RSFF made $82,000 in grants and had assets of $4.5 million.
• Margaret was the Co-founder of RSF Seniors in 1988 and she continues to serve on the Board of Directors
  • Under her leadership, they moved from the basement of the Library in 1988 to “a home of their own” on La Gracia in 2002
  • Since its inception, the Senior Center has helped hundreds of seniors and their families by providing senior resource information, informational and educational programs and social activities.
  • As a resource and response program, the original purpose remains the same – to provide services which will assist the senior residents of the community live healthy, full and independent lives.
  • Margaret has been a guiding light over the years – her vision and inspiration are the qualities for which we honor her today
  • Margaret is joined today by her daughter and son-in-law Lisa and George Bartlett and her son and daughter-in-law Scott and Dinah Carl.
  • In her honor, we present a check in the amount of $1,000 to RSF Seniors, as 2008 recipient of the Bagnall Community Service Award for Excellence in Philanthropy

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STATE OF THE RANCHO SANTA FE FOUNDATION - January, 2007

Photo courtesy of RSF Review

1. In January 2007, Greg Hillgren began his second term as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board consisted of 29 members, the endowment was valued at $24,411,493 and there were 154 endowment funds. Of these 154 funds, 63 were donor advised, 17 were designated endowments (7 of which benefit the operations of the Foundation), 8 were field of interest funds, 36 were agency endowments, 7 were agency investment funds and 23 were un-restricted endowments including the General Endowment.

2. New members of the Board included Franci Free, Mary Hart, John Major and Rick Sapp. Louise Kasch stepped down after serving eight years. Gayle Gillies Mize, Neil Ash and Don Oliphant were honored after nine years of service on the Board.

3. Operating Revenues exceeded Expenses by $33,329 for 2007 and Administrative Fee revenue was almost 10% over budget.

4. New assets to the Foundation totaled $8,461,338 million. We received 637 new gifts ( 415 for 2006).

5. Grantmaking totaled $4,894,471, which is comprised of 628 separate grants (502 in 2006). This represents a 7.5% decrease in dollars granted this year, but a 25% increase in the number of grants made.

6. In July, we received our designation from the National Standards for Compliance for Community Foundations under the auspices of the Council on Foundations. It was an arduous task, but we can now validate that we are among the top 40% of community foundations across the nation.

7. The Foundation continues to work with the RSF Association on the restoration of open space in our area, most particularly the Osuna House Restoration project.

8. The 2006 Audit went smoothly but the Audit Committee recommended that we change Auditors in 2007. We will be working with Mayer, Hoffman, McCann for the next three years.

9. The October wildfires saw the Foundation take a key leadership role in the community. The Good Samaritan, Disaster Relief, First Responders and Re-Building Lives funds received gifts totaling nearly $250,000 and grants to date of $79,000. We were the "go to" organization in the community as we convened the Fire Recovery Coordinating Committee whose work will continue for as long as necessary.

10. Debbie Anderson continues as the Program Director of the Women's Fund and as Grants Administrator for the Grants & Projects Committee. Dan Beals serves as the Finance Manager of the Foundation .Certainly, one of the greatest reasons for our growth this year was due to Debbie and Dan's commitment to our organization.

11. We continue to hold our Board Meetings, and many other functions, at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. We are so appreciative of Murray Hutchison and the staff of the hotel for the many courtesies shown to us, and for the underwriting of the Annual Board of Directors dinner.

12. Kerman Beriker and The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe were the recipients of the 7th Annual awarding of the Bagnall Award for Excellence in Philanthropy.

13. The fourth annual Financial Advisors Breakfast was held in November, and was a wonderful opportunity to reach out to those in the community who will work with us on charitable giving. We thank Jack Queen and Martin Dickinson for bringing Charles Brandes, who was the keynote speaker.

14. Gayle Gillies Mize was the Foundation's honoree for the North County Philanthropy Council Volunteer of the Year. Gayle was honored for her nine year commitment to the Foundation and for her role as the Founder of the RSF Women's Fund. She joins the ranks of Arloe Paul, Holly and Tony Wilson, Gordy Bartow, Elsie Weston, John Seiber, Bob Goldsmith and Neil Ash and Blaine and LaVerne Briggs who were all former honorees.

15. The Rancho Santa Fe Women's Fund grew rapidly as well. We began the year with 112 members and at year end we had 137. The Women's Fund granted $265,000 to 6 North County organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of S.D., Burn Institute, Fostering Opportunities Dollars for Scholars, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Kids Included Together and Neurosciences Research Foundation. This brings the total of their grants to $495,000 in three years, to 18 different organizations. Emily Bagnall continues to serve as the liaison from the Foundation to the Women's Fund.

16. We again wish to express our gratitude to Union Bank of California for the donation of office space. We have been on a rent-free basis since 1998, and during that time they have assisted us with the financing of the office re-model and the lighting retro-fit.

In looking forward to 2008:

• We welcome four new Board Members: Gigi Fenley, Neil Hokanson, Bill Ruh and Dick Woltman. The Foundation endowment is currently at $29.5 million with 193 funds under management.
• 2008 timeline/annual goals will be presented at meeting

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RSF EVENING AT THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

On Monday evening September 17th, 185 people from our community boarded buses bound for the San Diego Natural History Museum to see The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition. The trip was sponsored by the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, as part of its efforts to increase awareness by our residents of the Natural	Copper Scroll Courtesy of West Semitic Research
History Museum and the other museums and theatres in Balboa Park.

The San Diego Natural History Museum’s exhibition Dead Sea Scrolls was the largest, longest, most comprehensive ever assembled in any country. Spanning two floors and 12,000 square feet, 27 Dead Sea Scrolls—10 exhibited for the first time ever—were on display over the course of the exhibition, which ran through December 2007. The six-month exhibition brought together materials never before exhibited together: Dead Sea Scrolls from Israel and Jordan reunited for the first time in sixty years, never-before-exhibited ancient Hebrew codices from the Russian National Library, medieval manuscripts from the British National Library, and stunning modern interpretations of the texts. Tracing the scrolls and their meaning through time, the exhibition connected the ancient world to the modern.

The Dead Sea Scrolls—objects of great mystery, intrigue and significance—are widely acknowledged to be among the greatest archaeological treasures ever discovered.

 

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2007 BOARD DINNER

Accolades were passed all around the room as the Foundation held its Annual Board Dinner, on the evening of November 14th, which was hosted by The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. Three Directors were honored for completion of nine years of service on the Board. Gayle Gillies Mize, Neil Ash and Don Oliphant joined the Board in 1999 and have served with distinction ever since. Both Gayle and Don have served a two year

Dan Pittard and Greg Hillgren

term as Chairman of the Board and Neil served as the chairman of the Audit Committee for several years. Four other directors have also been honored in the past for nine years of service. They are Margaret Carl-Swirles, Tony Wilson, Murray Hutchison and John Seiber.

 

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2007 BAGNALL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PHILANTHROPY PRESENTED TO KERMIN BERIKER AND THE INN AT RANCHO SANTA FE

Mike Bagnall was the man behind the idea of honoring people in our community who are the inspiration for the work of local non-profit organizations. For seven years the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation has presented an annual award to someone in the community who demonstrates “excellence in philanthropy.” This $1,000 grant award, from the Michael L. Bagnall Memorial Fund, was established in Mr. Bagnall’s memory by his family and

Kerman Beriker, Kristina Beriker, and Dan Pittard

friends. It acknowledges people in the community who with non-profit partners have shown creativity, vision and innovation in working to implement new programs to better serve the Rancho Santa Fe community.

In order to qualify for the award the following criteria must be met. The organization must conduct its primary activities within the covenant boundaries of Rancho Santa Fe and the organization must be a qualified 50l (c) (3) institution.

On the evening of November 14th, members of the Foundation and the staff of The Inn gathered at the annual board dinner hosted by The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe to honor this year’s recipient, Kerman Beriker and The Inn for their generosity to all of the non-profit organizations in our community. Mr. Beriker selected the Rancho Santa Fe Community Center to be the recipient of the $1,000 award.

 

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FIRE RELIEF EFFORTS: A REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

For most of us in San Diego County, the horrors of the morning of October 22, 2007 are beginning to fade as we resume our lives and prepare for the holiday season. But for more than 1800 families, their reality is how to go about re-building their lives and their homes.

We are proud of the manner in which San Diego County has responded to the wildfire recovery effort, and our community is equally deserving of recognition. First and foremost, our friends and neighbors have opened their hearts as well as their checkbooks and provided the funding that has moved this effort forward. In Rancho Santa Fe alone, we estimate that more than $250,000 has come into the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation’s four funds that were established to assist in this effort (link here to funds). The Village Church has also received more than $100,000. And grants to those who have suffered loss or damage to their homes total more than $100,000. Assistance has primarily been provided in the form of gift cards and limited amounts of cash, with many local families receiving temporary housing, food, holiday decorations, and much, much more.

The Fire Recovery Coordinating Committee has been meeting on a very regular basis to discuss what assistance is being given to those in need and we have collaborated with each other in order to maximize our granting potential. These conversations are confidential and have focused so far on providing short term assistance. It is our intention to hold back some funds until fire victims can better assess what financial assistance they will have from their insurance companies, FEMA and any other regional, state or federal organizations that may be able to help. We understand that this is an on-going situation and one that we are committed to funding for the long term.

But perhaps the most heartwarming story of all is a call that I received Mid-November from the Principal of the Montessori School in Versailles, Kentucky. Mr. Guarliardo told me some of his students had organized a bake sale to raise money for the fire victims in Southern California. And after the bake sale was so successful ($200), they had decided to do a food and clothing drive as well. On December 18th, a UPS truck filled with 21 boxes of gently used clothing and non-perishable food items were delivered to the Foundation offices. The same day, we had picked up 75 wrapped new gifts and a variety of gift cards from Kids Korps USA. All of this was delivered to the fire victims who live in Valley Center … working through the Paradise Community Center. Here is a wonderful case of children helping children.

 

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JANUARY 27TH COMMUNITY EVENT

“Today’s event is about a community coming together to show its appreciation to the First Responders and to each other for support and assistance in the aftermath of the October Wildfires” said Jack Baca, Senior Pastor of the Village Church and the M.C. for the day.

Gathered at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe were more than 100 residents of the various communities that make up the RSF Fire Protection District. Besides the time for personally thanking the First Responders who were in attendance and the time for fellowship with friends and neighbors, the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe was host for light refreshments and the Peter Pupping Quartet provided entertainment.

Photos courtesy of RSF Review

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