Newsletter
November, 2024
Letter from Our Board Chair
Ladies,
As we approach Fall and the Season of Thanksgiving, we have so much for which to be grateful and the state of American philanthropy in 2024 crystalizes how important our mission to support of local non-profits has become — This year’s Giving USA Report on Philanthropy confirms that giving by individuals is down 2.6 percent at a time when all non-profits are confronted with growing inflation and soaring costs. Locally, our potential grantees are dependent on new funding sources as is evidenced by the over 6.2 million dollar ask from over 124 LOI Applicants.
Our grants alleviate the financial pressure on the service providers so they can focus on giving the highest quality programming to those in need. Please invite friends and neighbors to our November General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, November 13th from 11:30-1:30. Once they meet our members and see our mission in action they will be more likely to join.
Annual membership contributions are now past due so if you have not already made your donation, please remit your dues promptly so that you can continue to join us at WF events.
The Grant Committees are spending a large amount of time and energy vetting LOI’s and will soon be announcing the applicants they will invite to submit a full proposal for funding. They have been very impressed with the quality of the organizations and the meaningful nature of their programs. We are going to have a hard time choosing who to fund so, if you are able to participate in the Above & Beyond Campaign, we would be so grateful for the capacity to help as many of them as possible.
In response to our Membership survey where you overwhelmingly asked for more small group and social events, our Programs Co-Chairs Muffy Walker and Kirstjen Nielsen have added several small group socials and speaker events as well as some shopping opportunities which provide both social time and donations to our Grant Fund. A full listing can be found below. Furthermore, Kelly Stroud, Social Chair, set up our RSFWF Whats App Group which allows our members to connect easily and provides an avenue to arrange small group meet-ups, group tables at events or volunteer activities. See below for instructions on how to join our group.
I am thankful for each and every member, and your commitment to make our community a better place, it is an honor to serve as your Chair.
Gratefully,
Nikki
New Members
We had six new members join us recently! In addition, we had two previous members renew their commitment! Please join us in welcoming them to our wonderful organization.
Fatima Arrieta — Member since September 13th
Nancy Cetel Weiss — Member since September 30th
Candace Humber — Returning Member
Lisa Miller — Member since September 26th
Susie Nancarrow-Glenn — Member since September 26th
Nikki Ostrem — Member since August 10th
Jennifer Steber — Member since October 6th
Lakshmi Sundblad — Returning Member
New Member Orientation
Calling all New Members! Come meet some of your fellow RSFWF Members and learn more about this wonderful organization.
If you have any questions about this or about the RSF Women’s Fund in general, please contact our Membership Co-Chairs, Cheryl Salmens and Marilyn Tedesco at Admin@rsfwomensfund.org
Summer Social Event
Over 20 RSF Women’s Fund members attended our Summer Social. Thanks to RSFWF Members Marilyn Tedesco, Dina Lieber, and Robin Fantin for organizing this casual, fun get together. There were a couple of hotly-contested pickleball matches, as well as laughter around the table while playing Blank Slates.
Spotlight on a Recent Grantee
Voices for Children
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program for Teen Girls and Young Women
$35,000
The CASA program matches girls in foster care, ages 12-31, with volunteers who advocate on their behalf in court, at school, and throughout the community. These CASAs help mitigate any feelings of isolation and poor self-esteem the girls may be experiencing. In addition, they ensure that the young women have access to the right schools or educational settings, any necessary healthcare or other resources, and the extracurricular activities they need to thrive. Moreover, CASAs develop trusting, non-judgmental relationships with the girls and provide them with the guidance, moral support, and a stable and reliable adult presence in their lives.
Our grant is being used to support 14 CASAs as they assist these young ladies.
Kick-off Meeting Recap
On September 18th, thanks to RSFWF Member Ann Brizolis and Jennifer Janzen, we gathered at a beautiful RSF home for our Annual Kick-off to the 2024-25 Grant Season. Members and their guests enjoyed scrumptious lite bites and beverages, and cherished social time after the long summer months. We also experienced two very compelling guest speakers.
Jenna Novotny, Chief Development Officer for Mama’s Kitchen, gave an update on the nutritional needs in San Diego and the postive impact our recent grant has had on their operations.
Our keynote speaker, RSFWF Member Dr. Athena Tsmikas, VP Scripps Whittier Diabetes Clinic, shared some interesting insights into diabetic research and developing treatments during her talk entitled “The ‘Skinny’ on Ozempic/GLP-1 Medicines and the Latest Developments in Diabetes Research.
November General Membership Meeting
Registration is now open for our November General Membership Meeting. Please invite your friends and neighbors so they can learn about our organization.
The event at the RSF Golf Club, will feature Guest Speaker Bob Simonds, Chairman of STX Entertainment. His topic will be “The Evolution of Filmmaking.”
In addition, Sarah Benson, Director of Philanthropy for ElderHelp, will provide an update on our recent grant which allows seniors who are experiencing declining health, poverty, and isolation to remain independent in their homes.
To register for this event, CLICK HERE.
Save the Date
Grab your friends and neighbors and join us at this fun event for some early holiday wardrobe and gift shopping while enjoying a little social time with fellow RSF Women’s Fund members.
Featuring 18 vendors, there is sure to be something to please everyone on your list and 15% of all sales will be donated to the 2024-25 Grant Fund!
Where in the World (on Our Website) Can I Find…
Did you know there is so much information on our website, if you just know where to look for it? Here are a few “insider tricks”:
How can I see if I have already registered for an event?
- Login to the Members’ Only portion of the website.
- In the upper right-hand corner, click on your name. This will bring you to your Profile Page.
- Click on the My Event Registration tab under the Edit Profile button, and you will see all the events you have registered for.
How can I view the current grant cycle Letters of Intent (LOIs) and Proposals (RFPs) submissions?
- Login to the Members’ Only portion of the website.
- Click on the Grant Information tab.
- On the right-hand side of the page, click on the 2024-25 LOIs link.
- This will direct you to a page that has links to all of the Letter of Intent submissions for this year. The Proposals will be uploaded in this area as well, upon submission later this year.
Finally, if you click on the Past Grantees Descriptions link, you will be able to see a brief description of every grant we have given over our 20-year history.
What’s App
We have a new and easy way to stay connected — through the RSF Women’s Fund Group on What’s App! This app is free of charge and can be downloaded onto your phone.
Within our private group, you can join and receive notifications from a range of diverse RSF Women’s Fund interest sub-groups.
If you have any questions, please contact our Social Chair, Kelly Stroud at Admin@rsfwomensfund.org
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, October 23rd
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Pumpkin Succulent Workshop
Thursday, November 7th
12:30 – 1:30 PM
New Member Orientation
Wednesday, November 13th
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
November General Membership Meeting
Thursday, November 21st
1:00 – 4:00 PM
Holiday Pop-up Shopping Event
Wednesday, January 29th
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Annual Membership Bubbles Event
2024-25 Executive Board
President and Board Chair — Nikki Carmody Ream
Incoming President/Secretary — Mary Consalvi
Treasurer — Diane Solomon
Incoming Secretary — Cathy Burch
Grant Co-Chair — Maritia Walper
Grant Co-Chair — Sara Bennett
Sr. Membership Chair — Cheryl Salmen
Nominations and Governance Chair — Susan Hoehn
Member-at-Large — Sandra Coufal, MD
Member-at-Large/Social Chair — Kelly Stroud
Member-at-Large/Technology Chair — Mara Buchholz
2024-25 Governing Board
Audit & Finance Committee Co-Chair — Cynthia Hudson
Investment Committee Chair — Candise Holmlund
Jr. Membership Chair — Marilyn Tedesco
Past Grant Committee Co-Chair — Kathy Sage
Programs Co-Chair — Kirstjen Nielsen
Programs Co-Chair — Muffy Walker
Publicity Chair — Elia Surran
Social Media Chair — Kathryn Brown
Volunteer Co-Chair — Amy Hobert
Volunteer Co-Chair — Ellie Cunningham
Member-at-Large — Donna Vance
Member-at-Large — Vivian Hardage
All Executive Board Members listed