Click here to download our 2016 Annual Report
Dear Friends,
Sonoma Valley Fund is now in its 10th year! We celebrate and thank all of the Fund’s founders – a dedicated group of Valley residents who had the vision, and who understood the need for championing philanthropy to strengthen our Sonoma Valley community.
Since its inception, Sonoma Valley Fund, with an all-volunteer advisory board, has been an affiliate of Community Foundation Sonoma County. As an affiliate, the board continues to assist the Foundation by promoting philanthropy – both current and legacy giving – in Sonoma Valley, acting as the Foundation’s eyes and ears to help it understand and address the needs and challenges facing our community, and addressing those needs and challenges through grantmaking, convenings, thought leadership, and the dissemination of information helpful to donors, nonprofits, and the greater community.
Sonoma Valley Fund recognizes that donor/nonprofit collaboration is a significant driver of improvements for all Valley residents. The Fund works with donors, nonprofits and the Valley community in several ways. The Fund:
1. Hosts an annual “Star” celebration which serves as a venue for our partner nonprofits to both honor their volunteers and promote volunteerism in the community.
2. Champions the importance for donors of creating a legacy plan, and for nonprofits of establishing and maintaining a legacy program. We consult with individuals and families, advising them about community professional resources and the Foundation’s services. We provide a model program to nonprofits that they can mold to their own needs, resources, timeline, and donor base.
3. Oversees important grantmaking in Sonoma Valley. The recent Sonoma Valley Fund multi-year capacity building cohort grant program is one example, highlighted further in this Annual Report.
4. Works with the Foundation as a Valley leader and convener. Donors are afforded opportunities to learn the value of philanthropy, nonprofits can apply for grants, and both, along with the larger community, periodically receive information about the social, cultural, and economic state of Sonoma Valley. These efforts help donors as they decide their giving priorities, and nonprofits as they review their goals and programs to successfully deliver on their missions.
While we herald the work the Fund has done in the last ten years, we are mindful of the challenges of the next ten. We believe current and long term philanthropy is a critical component of a successful, thriving community – a community that respects its diversity, values the talents of its citizens, and invites the participation of all. Please join us in this work.
Sincerely,
Peg Van Camp
Sonoma Valley Fund Board Co-President, 2016
