Give Big Kern Mascot Billy the Give Big Goat is one of the finalists in the Mascot Category for Best of Kern 2019! Entering its 26th year, The Bakersfield Californian’s “Best Of” Reader’s Choice Poll showcases the people, places and things that make Kern County truly unique.
Billy celebrates Kern County’s renowned giving spirit by encouraging everyone to “Give B-i-i-i-g!”
Vote for Billy! Just follow this link, choose the “Best Mascot” category, find his name, and vote. The deadline for casting your vote is midnight, Feb. 17. But don’t wait. Vote now! Vote B-i-i-i-g!
Register early to participate in the Fourth Annual Give Big Kern:
“One day to celebrate the giving spirit of Kern County!” Coming up May 7, 2019.
More than a one-day online fundraiser, Give Big Kern is a Nonprofit Strengthening Initiative. Starting in January, participating nonprofits are afforded many opportunities to increase their Visibility, Capacity and Sustainability through a series of mandatory and optional Give Big Kern training webinars, workshops, online videos and other training aids, special outreach events, media opportunities and more.
The theme for this year’s Give Big Kern is “Dream B-i-i-i-g!” as our Mascot, Billy the Give Big Goat, might say. The mission of Kern Community Foundation is “Growing Community. Growing Philanthropy.” By getting the entire community to rally around our local charities, Give Big Kern helps us do both.
Let’s come together as a community to make wonderful dreams come true for Kern’s hard-working nonprofits!
How to Participate
It all begins with:
a) Give Big Kern registration (Opens at 1 p.m. on Jan. 8), and
b) Attendance at two mandatory training events: a Webinar* and an In-Person Workshop early in the New Year. Other mandatory and optional events will be announced at the January In-Person Workshop, so you must register from the start.
The button below will take you to the portal for “January Training Registration for Give Big Kern 2019.” You will be able to register for the Webinar* and one of the available In-Person Workshops at a time and location that is convenient for you (See “Important Dates” below).
Register Now! *Please note that registering for the Webinar is a two-step process: 1) You need to tell us on the registration form using the appropriate radio button whether you will be participating in the Webinar in real time or watching a recording, and 2) If you choose the option for participating in real time, you need to use the hyperlink to register for the Webinar; a Webinar registration form will open up in a new tab. Register for the Webinar, close that tab, and you can then go back to the January Registration Form to choose an In-Person Workshop that works for you. Your registration to both the Webinar and the In-Person Workshop of your choice will be confirmed in separate e-mails.
Important dates:
1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8: Nonprofit Registration opens on GIVEBIGKERN.org. Give Big Kern is FREE to any nonprofit organization registered with Kern Community Foundation that can demonstrate it has been granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS and has achieved a Silver or higher rating on GuideStart.org. Click here for more information.
1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9: “Getting Started” Webinar by technology partner GiveGab. We strongly recommend that you participate in the webinar live, but if you can’t, a recording of it will be posted online within 24 hours.
Jan. 11 or 16 or 17 – Four In-Person Workshops will be held in Bakersfield, Ridgecrest and Kernville at different times for nonprofits to choose from. You need only attend one. Times and locations will be shown on the registration form.
Important Prerequisites: In order to be able to participate in Give Big Kern, organizations must: a) Have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the IRS, or a Fiscal Sponsor that has 501(c)(3) nonprofit status; b) Be registered with Kern Community Foundation; and c) Have a Silver or higher Transparency rating on GuideStar.org (Go to www.kernfoundation.org/grants for details).
Click on this link to access the slide presentation that accompanied the November 2018 Kern Alliance of Nonprofits workshop on “Donor Stewardship and Cultivation,” presented by Toni Dougherty, Vice President of Philanthropy for Friends of Mercy Foundation.
CONGRATULATIONS! to the 12 agencies selected to participate in Kern Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Speaker Series, Philanthropy on Tap 2019. This link will take you to a downloadable schedule so you can plan to come and Grow Community and Grow Philanthropy with us at these FREE networking events throughout the coming year. Philanthropy on Tap is hosted at two of Bakersfield’s favorite watering holes, Imbibe Wine & Spirits Merchant and Temblor Brewing Company. This event series allows for-profit and nonprofit sector representatives to make powerful connections that can lead to volunteering, board service and monetary or in-kind charitable giving benefiting Kern’s hard-working nonprofits. Come and have a drink and hors d’oeuvres on us at an informal setting–where some of the best business deals to help our community can take place. Philanthropy on Tap is a partnership between Kern Community Foundation and the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.
All 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Kern County that meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply for this Strength is Visibility grant opportunity to be featured on the local KGET morning news:
Must be registered with Kern Community Foundation
Must have achieved a Silver or higher level of transparency on GuideStar.org.
For details, visit kernfoundation.org/grants, or contact the Foundation’s Manager of Community Impact and KAN Communications Committee Chair Louis Medina at Louis@kernfoundation.org or 661.616.2603.
United Way of Kern County, The Income Property Association of Kern, and The Housing Authority of the County of Kern, in association with the California Apartment Association (CAA), present the first annual California Landlords’ Summit on Homelessness. This FREE event will feature expert panels and speakers including CAA Senior Vice President Greg Terzakis.
The Landlords’ Summit is designed as an opportunity to bring awareness and information to landlords, property managers, government officials, and members of the public on various housing and social service programs that are available to help families, individuals, and veterans who are homeless. Participating landlords will share their first-hand involvement in providing housing units to previously homeless tenants. A number of community service providers and agencies will offer information on landlord opportunities, collaborative support, social services, Section 8 and VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) payments for lease rent and deposits, management and maintenance of housing units, and other housing-related issues.
While this is a free event, you must register to enter by calling Jami 661-633-0340 or via www.eventrbite.com. Seating is limited and you MUST have a ticket to attend. For more information or if you would like to be a vendor please e-mail directors@ipaknet.org.
The 2020 Census will be upon us before we know it. Make Kern Count: Local Census workers are needed because to count Kern, you have to know Kern!
Tell your friends and networks about a U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census Recruiting Event that is happening in Bakersfield on Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m till Noon at IBEW Local 428, 3921 Sillect Ave. Click here to view flyer.
If you miss(ed) the recruiting event above, no worries. For local Census jobs, visit census.gov/fieldjobs for manager-level employment, and 2020census.gov/jobs for office support and field positions.
The American Red Cross of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Kern Counties are looking for qualified applicants to join the California Disaster Team AmeriCorps and be part of LISTOS, a free program that teaches emergency preparedness to elementary schools in Latino and indigenous communities. Written and oral fluency in Spanish is required. Click here to view and download an English-Spanish bilingual flier.
Some highlights about this position:
30-hour-per-week workload, from Oct. 2018 through Aug. 2019.
Child care supplementary scholarship is available if applicable.
The position comes with an educational grant of $4,144 can be applied toward student loans or future school fees.
Please refer to contact details and application information on the flyer for additional details.
The 2018-19 Women’s and Girls’ Fund Grant Application Cycle Opened Monday, Sept. 10, with a request for Letters of Intent (LOI) to apply for funding for projects that benefit women and girls in Kern County. The LOI submission deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9. Organizations interested in applying should have their 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation or a fiscal sponsor meeting that criteria. They also should have a presence in Kern County. After the LOI’s are reviewed, a number of applicants will be invited to submit full applications by Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. Access our “Grantmaking” page to obtain information about WGF’s grantmaking policy, including funding criteria and applicant qualifications, and a link to Kern Community Foundation’s Online Grants Platform, where the application can be found. Up to $50,000 in grant allocations will be awarded, with the maximum individual award amount being $25,000.
Attention Kern County Nonprofits!
CONGRATULATIONS! to the 12 agencies selected to participate in Kern Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Speaker Series, Philanthropy on Tap 2019. 
The 2020 Census will be upon us before we know it. Make Kern Count: Local Census workers are needed because to count Kern, you have to know Kern!
You must be logged in to post a comment.