In an effort to help our Nonprofit Partners keep online fundraising top of mind year round, today Give Big Kern Mascot Billy the Give Big Goat has launched a quarterly e-newsletter titled Billy’s Give B-i-i-i-g! Gazette, which will share tips and insights to help everyone stay on their fundraising A game, and plan for an even better Give Big Kern from year to year.
Highlights from the first issue include:
New trends in online fundraising since the COVID-19 crisis began, shared by GiveGab CEO & Co-Founder Charlie Mulligan; and
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County is seeking a Development Director to work with the agency’s Executive Director and Board to plan and execute resource development strategies and monitor progress against goals. This position supports the Executive Director in positioning the Board to cultivate and solicit major gifts and sponsorships from individuals, corporations, foundations, government agencies, and others.
Skills and Knowledge Required:
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university preferred.
A minimum of five years of work experience in nonprofit agency operations, specifically in the field(s) of fundraising, sales/marketing or equivalent experience.
Considerable knowledge of fundraising techniques, and sources of funding for nonprofit agencies and organizations.
In response to the urgent needs expressed by Kern’s nonprofit community in a recent survey conducted by Kern Community Foundation, we are launching a Nonprofit Strengthening Webinar Training Series called “Growing Resiliency” to help sustain our nonprofit partners through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
The first in the series will take place from 11 a.m. till Noon on Wednesday, September 2, and feature a tour of grants.ca.gov, a brand-new website that is a convenient information hub on state grants and loans. Our presenter will be Shivani Bose-Varela, Project Manager for the CA Grants Portal with the California State Library. The California Grants Portal is a tremendous one-stop-shop destination for finding all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by state agencies to qualifying applicants.
As an added bonus, Ms. Bose-Varela will also provide a tour of the State Library’s website, library.ca.gov, a great resource for many types of research.
This webinar is FREE, but you must RSVP by close of business Monday, August 31, by writing to Louis Medina, Director of Community Impact, at Louis@kernfoundation.org. Be sure to provide your name, title, and the name of your agency. A Zoom link will be sent to your e-mail address prior to the webinar.
Stay Tuned for more “Growing Resiliency” Training Announcements in the Coming Weeks and Months! Kern Community Foundation will continue to provide as many training resources as possible to meet our nonprofit partners’ resiliency and long-term sustainability needs during these trying times and beyond.
At the upcoming August 18 meeting of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, Kern Community Foundation will present our Program-to-Date Jumpstart Report to the Community, highlighting the tremendous success of Year One of this Fundraising Technical Assistance Grant (representing a TENFOLD increase in the Supervisors’ investment in local nonprofits–$11,000 turned into $118,978 of new nonprofit impact dollars from individual donors for participating agencies!) and the Progress of Year Two, which is well underway.
As our County Supervisors are Funding Partners in this Public-Private Partnership, together with the Foundation and Network for Good (NFG), they deserve to know that Kern County’s dollars are making a big difference in the fundraising health of Jumpstart participants.
There are plenty of data about Year One Cohort accomplishments as well as testimonials from them and Year Two Cohort participants in the report, as well as invaluable insights from our NFG partners.
Click on the graphic at left or here to read the full report, which is also included as part of the agenda for next week’s Board of Supervisors Meeting.
The Wonderful Company, through its Wonderful Community Grants Program, is aiming to support Central Valley organizations that have been impacted by the Coronavirus. One million dollars in grants ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 for one-year grants, and up to $100,000 for a maximum of four two-year grants, will be awarded to nonprofits serving half a dozen rural communities. In Kern County, those communities are Shafter, Wasco and Delano.
Details and a link to the online application (which is due August 31) may be found here.
As “shelter in place” directives went into effect in mid-March, we have only been able to host one Philanthropy on Tap event this year, in February, featuring Junior League of Bakersfield.
The remaining events, featuring the following agencies, have been pushed back till 2021:
Southern Sierra Council Boy Scouts of America
Covenant Community Services
PathPoint
Helping Animals Live Tomorrow (H.A.L.T.) Rescue
Strength of Shadow (S.O.S.) Dog Rescue
Bakersfield Pregnancy Center
Be Finally Free
Due to the postponement of most 2020 Philanthropy on Tap events till 2021, the Foundation will not be accepting Philanthropy on Tap Visibility Grant applications this year. The application period usually lasts through the entire month of August.
We will most likely (barring a worsening of the current crisis) open up the Application for 2022 Philanthropy on Tap Nonprofit Showcase events in the summer of 2021. We ask for your understanding, knowing that we have taken these measures with the best interest of everyone’s safety and well-being in mind, and look forward to the day when we can once again lift our glasses in a toast to the great work of Kern County’s hard-working nonprofits.
Please continue to monitor announcements about Philanthropy on Tap and all other programs and services available through Kern Community Foundation on our website as well as our Facebook and Twitter feeds @kernfoundation. For more information, feel free to reach out to Louis Medina, Director of Community Impact, at 661.616.2603 or Louis@kernfoundation.org.
Are you a passionate problem solver ready to step up and meet the moment through a year of service?
As part of the #CaliforniansForAll initiative, California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, is recruiting for AmeriCorps VISTA members to strengthen the volunteer infrastructure of partnering organizations, including food banks and other nonprofits.
The State of California has launched a consolidated grant portal, grants.ca.gov, designed for nonprofits and local government agencies seeking grants and loans from state sources. The site was built by the California State Library with input from numerous stakeholders.
This is a new website that is still evolving, but it is definitely a wonderful grant research tool for our nonprofits. Kern Community Foundation encourages our nonprofit partners to check it out, especially the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section for starters.
We have also linked to it from our website: kernfoundation.org > KAN > Nonprofit Resources. Or just click here.
Are there any Kern County charitable organizations out there with grower friends in our county’s large and influential ag community?
Consider reaching out to them with information about Kern Community Foundation’s Crop Gifting Program: a way for farmers to turn their crops into cash for charity – perhaps to benefit your organization!
Especially during our challenging COVID-19 times, when agencies are desperately looking for new funding streams, a Crop Gift could be a game changer. Crop Gifting provides an innovative financial vehicle whereby growers enjoy a considerable tax break while creating long-lasting community impact by helping local charities. It’s a great way for farmers to “grow philanthropy” by doing what they do best: growing crops!
Here’s how Crop Gifting to charity through
Kern Community Foundation works:
You introduce the program to a grower who believes in your organization’s work and mission. You can use the letter template and our downloadable pamphlet which you can access per the links below. And Kern Community Foundation’s Staff will be available to answer any questions you or your benefactor-grower might have.
The grower then identifies an unsold crop with no prior sale commitment and contacts Kern Community Foundation.
They transfer title of the identified crop to the Foundation, which will assume responsibility of their gifted crop through final sale via a broker.
Net proceeds from the sale will be placed into a fund. This can be a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) used to manage the grower’s charitable donations. They get to direct the investment of the fund, receive quarterly statements, and can specify charities where their gift(s) will be donated—and, naturally, with your introduction, we expect they will choose to benefit your agency through their crop gift.
The Foundation will assess a one-time fee of 0.5% per crop gift in addition to its regular fee schedule of 0.5% to 2% annually, depending on the balance and use of the fund.
They achieve significant tax savings by making a pre-sale crop gift (as opposed to selling their crop(s) and then making a cash donation to charity), because gifted crops are not recognized as income, and federal, state and self-employment taxes are not assessed on their value.
You, as a charitable organization, can turn your benefactor-grower’s Crop Gift into scholarships for youth, spay-neuters for dogs and cats, hot-cooked meals for seniors, personal protective equipment to prevent COVID-19 community spread, and so much more!
Reach out to potential benefactor-growers before harvest time.
The 
In response to the urgent needs expressed by Kern’s nonprofit community in a recent survey conducted by 
grants and loans. Our presenter will be Shivani Bose-Varela, Project Manager for the CA Grants Portal with the California State Library. The California Grants Portal is a tremendous one-stop-shop destination for finding all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by state agencies to qualifying applicants.
The Wonderful Company, through its 
Are you a passionate problem solver ready to step up and meet the moment through a year of service?
Are there any Kern County charitable organizations out there with grower friends in our county’s large and influential ag community?
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