cfsloco.org<\/a>) were thoughtful about the past, clear-eyed about the present, and inspiring about the future and what members of the 805 community can do to help. For this Giving Back issue, 805 Living extends their conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHave community foundations always worked together?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nCarrera: <\/strong>Community foundations traditionally have been focused on building endowments for the community and guiding philanthropists. But over time it became obvious that we have a wealth of resources beyond dollars. There was social capital built on knowledge and on issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMcPherson:<\/strong> Being CEO of a foundation is a lonely position. We reach out to each other and ask, \u201cHow do you handle that?\u201d Those professional relationships enable us to respond quickly when there\u2019s a disaster. I\u2019m a huge fan of collaboration. It brings an enhancement of skills and uses of institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCarrera:<\/strong> It\u2019s natural to partner across county lines. We have connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBechtel: <\/strong>This is a special time. What moves me is that together we\u2019re much bigger than we are by ourselves. It\u2019s something we\u2019re seeing in philanthropy as a whole. Part of the evolution has been born out of real hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCarrera:<\/strong> The disasters were devastating. The Thomas fire and the mudslide affected the physical infrastructure. People worked in one county and lived in another, and their financial viability was affected. One thing that became clear was how interconnected we are\u2014personally, financially, environmentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBechtel: <\/strong>The 805 UndocuFund started after the Thomas fire and Montecito mudslides. It was a collective effort. About 10,000 families impacted by multiple tragedies were being served. None of us could do it by ourselves. Fundraising, casework\u2014 there\u2019s a division of labor that has allowed us to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThen, the Census became an issue that called for real collaboration? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nBechtel:<\/strong> We were worried about Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, which were in the top 2 percent of risk of being undercounted. It would have had a multigenerational impact on everything from transportation to education. Each community foundation went into their community and worked with governments and other organizations. It was a massive effort. By working together we\u2019re now in the 95th percentile in the nation for an accurate count.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd now we\u2019re also dealing with COVID-19. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nMcPherson:<\/strong> COVID-19 has shined a light on: 1. food insecurity, especially for seniors, who used to be able to go to a senior center; 2.\u00a0farmworkers, migrant workers, and hospitality workers and how important they are, though they are not afforded benefits; and 3.\u00a0the digital divide. We\u2019re all learning something about these things. Needs don\u2019t stop at county borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBechtel: <\/strong>Since COVID-19 hit, at least 100,000 people have been onboarded into the social service sector\u2014people who have been selfsufficient have, for the first time, turned to nonprofits for food and housing. Partnering improves the strength and power of nonprofits. It connects philanthropists to new causes and draws attention to organizations that are grass roots in size but with a profound impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCarrera: <\/strong>Nonprofits are all trying to figure out how to survive. We collaborated by identifying regional business advisors who could provide resources to nonprofits and then businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the issues that the three of you will be talking about and working on going forward?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nCarrera:<\/strong> Economic development for the region. Retooling and re-skilling our work force. Also, a Santa Barbara Veterans Collaborative; there are 22,000 vets in the area. And there\u2019s a huge population of caregivers in the region as a whole. There\u2019s a caregivers\u2019 initiative focusing on education\u2014not just for caregivers but also for therapists, counselors, and everyone else, about their roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMcPherson: <\/strong>There are opportunities for a Central Coast needs assessment of early literacy and homeless issues. For funding and education, data is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCarrera: <\/strong>Homeless issues also tie into Governor Newsom\u2019s Office of Social Innovation, which prioritizes statewide initiatives that incorporate regional information and strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBechtel:<\/strong> I think we\u2019ll continue to help on climate change, homelessness, early childhood education, and broadband access. It\u2019s surprising, but funding for broadband access exists. But how do you organize the response? Community foundations can connect people and resources. I\u2019m excited about technological solutions. Our region is truly innovative. The role that philanthropy can play is advancing technology that\u2019s not yet profitable but that solves a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIs philanthropy itself changing?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nMcPherson:<\/strong> The community foundation space used to be for the very wealthy. Now it\u2019s a resource for multigenerational giving. People are not so wedded to tradition or to what their families have done. There\u2019s been an increase in a younger generation of donors and people who are new to giving and now have the means to support things they care about. More and more, we\u2019re the trusted resource. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSo what can we, as residents of the 805 area, do?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nCarrera: <\/strong>Everyone has something to offer. You may see a problem and want to help but don\u2019t know what to do. Connect with your community foundation, which can identify needs that will partner with your goals. You can be a philanthropist with your energy, time, and ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBechtel: <\/strong>Start a relationship with your community foundation. We have a collective ability to move the needle at the local level. We all have the power to make an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMcPherson: <\/strong>Everyone can be a philanthropist. Everyone can make a difference. You don\u2019t have to be a Rockefeller. Decide how do you want to spend your time and assets to save the world.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Community foundation visionaries from Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties collaborate to speed assistance to residents of the central coast. This article was originally published by 805 Living,…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-posts","category-latest-coverage"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10753"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24621,"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10753\/revisions\/24621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vccf.org\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}