Committees of the Board
The Los Altos Community Foundation (LACF) conducts its business using a committee structure. Committees have specific legal responsibilities delegated by the Board. Most of the committees, listed below, are open to any member of the community limited only by manageable size and the bylaw requirement that each committee have three members from the Board. It is requested that committee members be LACF Founders.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board members are to be folks who would like to support and participate in governance of the Foundation at a lower level of intensity than serving on the Corporate Board. Members include retired Board members, members of our standing committees who are not currently on the Board, community members with skills they wish to make available to the Foundation, and those who would like to lend the Foundation the credibility of their reputations. The Advisory Board also serves as a vehicle for orienting those who might be willing to serve on the Corporate Board or standing committees to get to know the Foundation and the Foundation to know them.
Audit
The Audit Committee overseas the annual audit, the accounting processes, and the conflict of interest matters of the Foundation. An audit committee is required by law for organizations with income over $2 million annually.
Members of the Audit Committee are:
Steve Shepherd (chair)
Marge Bruno
Jim Thurber
Development
The Committee is responsible for the fiscal health of LACF accomplished through the Founders program, annual giving campaigns, solicitation of major gifts from companies and foundations, planned giving, capital campaigns, and special campaigns. The Committee is responsible for coordinating with the activities of the Marketing, Planned Giving, Major Gifts, and Events Committees.
Members of the Development Committee are:
George Stafford (chair)
Cammie Brodie
Henry Roux
Kuldip Ambastha
Nancy Lippe (ex-off)
Roy Lave (ex-off)
Events
The Events Chair is responsible for arrangements for all events - the Brunch, Valentine Ball, Solstice Party, Gardner Awards. Typically, the Chair will recruit a chair and an events committee for each event and the Events Chair would serve on each of those committees in order to assure conformance to policy and fiscal control. The Chair also negotiates arrangements for the event venues.
Members of the Events Committee are:
Joanne Byrne (ex-off)
Penny Lave
Ginny Lear
Shelly Potvin
Vicki Reeder
Marge Sentous
Executive
The Executive Committee consists of the officers and the past Chair. It is responsible for nominating new Board members. The Committee may also be convened by the Chair to offer advice on issues prior to consideration by the Board and, in rare cases, to act for the Board on urgent matters between Board meetings.
Members of Executive Committee are:
Coeta Chambers, Board Chair
Mary Prochnow, Board Chair Elect
Henry Roux, Corporate Secretary
Dennis Young, Chief Financial Officer
Roy Lave, Executive Director
Finance
The Finance Committee oversees the accounting, auditing, budgeting, and investing functions of the Foundation. It works with the contracted accounting firm to provide reports to the Board and works with the Executive Director on budgeting. Reports are presented monthly on the performance of investments. It should periodically review the check register prepared by the Executive Director.
Members of the Finance Committee are:
Jean Mordo (Chair)
Sherie Dodsworth
Marge Bruno
Roy Lave (ex-off)
Tom Rees
Kevin Thompson
Dennis Young
Grants
The Grants Committee processes requests for monetary contributions to local nonprofit, charitable or community building organizations. The Committee may also initiate grant programs, which they have done in the case of Teacher and Youth Grants. The Committee looks to the Programs Committee for suggestions for new grant programs. Grants are made according to specific, published criteria in response to requests, which contain required information including the requirement to report on the impact of the grant. (A community board administers a grant program made possible by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Members of the Community Grants Program are
Rochelle Bochner
Chet Frankenfield
Ken Girdley
Margi Gould
Annette Graff
Pat Johnson
Sue LaTourrette
Mary Marley
Chris Chang Weeks
Anna Weldon
Major Gifts
The Major Gifts Committee is responsible for funding major capital improvements and building an endowment. This committee will be active in raising the funds to purchase the land on which the Community House sits. The Major Gifts activity is managed by the Development Committee.
Marketing
The Marketing Committee is responsible for informing both the public and those who have committed to LACF or our activities. Specifically, the Committee produces a brochure describing LACF, an Annual Report, press releases on meetings and events, and special reports. The Committee is also responsible for the information programs which take place at LACF events and for representing LACF at events where information is disseminated. Responsibility for enlisting new Founders also rests in this Committee.
Members of Marketing Committee are:
Joanne Byrne (ex-off)
Nancy Lippe (ex-off)
Roy Lave (ex-off)
Clyde Noel
Shelly Potvin
Vicki Reeder
Marge Sentous
Steve Shepherd (Chair)
George Stafford
Planned Giving (Legacy)
The Legacy Committee works with those professional who are involved in helping people plan their estates to encourage charitable and testimonial gifts to the LACF endowment. The Committee consists of members of the appropriate professions.
Members of the Planned Giving (Legacy) Committee are:
Henry Roux (Chair)
Roy Lave (ex-off)
Marge Sentous
Dennis Young
Programs
The purpose of the Community Programs Committee is to identify the community's needs in terms of those assets, programs, projects, events and activities that contribute most to building community. The Committee recommends to the LACF Board actions to meet needs identified. Often, but not always, the high priority needs are suggested by problems or conflicts. The Committee methods include the use of interviews with and surveys of all segments of the community.
Members of the Program Committee are:
Jim Geers (Co-Chair)
Cindy Luedtke (Co-Chair)
Sustaining (Annual Giving)
The Sustaining Committee plans, executes and evaluates a program soliciting annual gifts to cover the operating costs of the Foundation. Currently, this function is performed by the Marketing Committee.
