RSF Staff Donates $23,000
The Power of Giving
During the giving season last December, we at RSF, twenty-three in all, were given the opportunity to each recommend $1,000 to charitable organizations of our choice. We were delighted and surprised when we heard the news as this was different from previous years. Made possible by a long-time generous donor and friend, what we received was an exceptional gift.
Kerri Kleven, manager of Philanthropic Services, says, “It’s not everyday that as a staff member one has the opportunity to recommend where money is given away. This gift money provided a chance for all of us to experience the power of giving, and gave each one of us the opportunity to support initiatives most important to us. Overall, I think the intention behind this gift was extraordinarily meaningful.”
Kelley Buhles, also with Philanthropic Services, describes the gift as “a wonderful experience.” At a lunch meeting, convened by Kelley, we talked about how we could maximize our giving. Earnest and lively discussion followed, resulting in a decision to form a giving circle where each of us pooled 20% of our allocation to two organizations collaboratively chosen by the group. The rest we would choose to recommend on our own. Our giving circle chose the Green Oaks Fund, an organization supporting youth education programs at Pie Ranch (shown on photo), and an initiative of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Reclaim the Future.*
We thank our donor for this unforgettable experience!
*As of May 3, 2007, RSF staff had recommended grants to the following charitable organizations:
- 826 Valencia
- Academy of American Poets
- Ancop Foundation U.S.A.–for Gawad Kalinga
- Bay Area Legal Aid
- CANICA de Oaxaca Fund
- CEBC Church
- Ecologic Finance
- Ella Baker Center
- Friends of Deer Creek
- Green Oaks Fund
- Haight Ashbury Food Program
- KALW
- KQED
- Native American Health Center
- Network for Good
- Oberlin College
- Presidio World College–for Drive Neutral
- ProNino
- Rocket Dog Rescue
- RSF Collaboration of Money Project
- RSF New Initiatives Fund
- San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates
- San Francisco Society of the New Jerusalem
- San Francisco Waldorf School
- Save the Children
- U.S. Association for International Migration
- Villa Esperanza Services
- Women for Women International
- Women’s Foundation of California - La Cocina
- World Wildlife Fund
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007