Friends,

Earlier this month, 2010 Census forms were distributed to every residence in the U.S. Please encourage everyone served by your organization to complete and return the Census form by April 1. This is particularly important within “hard to count” populations, such as immigrant communities which may have greater anxiety about participating in the Census. Please make sure your clients understand that the Census is completely confidential, and that there is no collection of data about their documentation status or other information which they may feel uncomfortable providing.

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The February and March 2010 issues of Coast Magazine spotlighted young local leaders as well as a restaurateur with a charitable vision who have partnered with the Orange County Community Foundation to make a difference in our community.

This month’s edition includes interviews with three members of OCCF’s Next Generation Philanthropy Group, a select group of business and community leaders who participate in working sessions and share strategic and analytic tools, resources, networking and leadership skills to lay the groundwork for philanthropic impact now and in the future. In “The Next Generation” article, Ethan Morgan, Emily Horowitz and founding member of the Next Generation Philanthropy Group Bill Lyon share how they became involved in philanthropy, their personal philanthropic passions, and how modern philanthropists differ from their predecessors. To read the article, click here.

 “The Extra Yard,” Coast’s February feature on philanthropy, took a look at Yard House Restaurants’ Round It Up America™ program and the thoughtful CEO who conceived the idea, Harald Herrman. The program encourages Yard House patrons to round their check to the nearest dollar and directs the sum of all change donated to charities doing important work in the communities where their restaurants are located. OCCF administers the program through the Round It Up America™ fund. Click here to view the article.

There are now 160,000 people in Orange County who are jobless, bumping the unemployment rate to a record 10.1% in our county, according to an updated report released last week by the Employment Development Department of California. This comes after 110,200 jobs were cut in Orange County in 2009, nearly double the 64,792 that were projected to be lost. These staggering numbers grow even larger when you add those who want to work but have given up on their search for employment.

For the individuals represented by these statistics, the loss of jobs has devastated their ability to provide basic necessities such as food and shelter for their families. In many cases, it has also eliminated access to healthcare for themselves and their children. And it has, of course, brought overwhelming stress to daily life. Meanwhile, the nonprofits providing critical aid and job training have been hit just as severely by the ailing economy.

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Over a year and a half after the country’s economic downturn hit, thousands of our friends and neighbors here in Orange County continue to struggle. Amid this sustained economic crisis, the safety net of local nonprofits is being stretched farther than it ever has before.

The Orange County Community Foundation invites you to join with us in our 2010 community-wide response: ReachOut OC: Our Continuing Commitment to Neighbors in Need. The goal of this community-wide initiative is to provide aid to the most vulnerable individuals in our county through grants to local nonprofits providing food, shelter, back-to-work assistance, and access to health care and mental health services.

OCCF will match every $1 contributed to ReachOut OC between March 5 and April 30, 2010 up to $250,000. Our goal is to infuse at least $500,000 into our community to meet its most pressing needs. OCCF is underwriting all expenses for the program so that 100 percent of your contribution will be put to work directly to support nonprofits that are effectively responding to these needs.

For more information about the response effort, visit the ReachOut OC page on OCCF’s web site. You can make an online contribution or send a check by mail (payable to OCCF) to:

Orange County Community Foundation
30 Corporate Park, Suite 410
Irvine, CA 92606

We look forward to partnering together with you to reach out to our neighbors in need.

A recent economic impact survey conducted by the Orange County Funders Roundtable asked local nonprofit leaders about their experiences to date and expectations for the coming year in relation to their organizations’ budgets, operations, fundraising, and service delivery. Survey findings revealed:

- 66.7% of nonprofits experienced a greater demand for services in 2009 than in 2008
- Over 50% of nonprofits lost anticipated funding in 2009
- Over 50% took budget declines of 20% or more
- 47% of nonprofits reduced staff during 2009

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