Beginning in February 2022, the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of the Valleys completed a five-year strategic planning process which resulted in defined goals and objectives for 2022 through 2027.  Four (4) operational and program goals were identified which also included priority funding goals for the future. The four operational goals included 1) resource development, 2) infrastructure, 3) community visibility and, 4) program and funding priorities.  Review the program initiatives. 

Critical to the Plan’s success and the future of the Community Foundation of the Valleys is the hiring of an Executive Director – part-time, at first with the goal that this position be expanded to full-time no later than July 1, 2023.  It is the intent of the board that the Executive Director focus the majority of his/her staff hours during the first year on fundraising for the CFV, along with strengthening the CFV’s visibility in the community, and building a larger, more diverse board.  Board members have taken ownership of Program Pillars’ work (specifically around the homelessness and mental health/health pillars) and anticipate keeping the Executive Director informed of their activities and coordinating with him/her as needed but will not be expecting staff support for their program work until fiscal year 2023-2024.

As a small community foundation that is locally funded, we have big plans to grow and exponentially expand our grantmaking, branding, program initiatives and paid staff over the next five years. The Community Foundation of the Valleys has been managed by volunteers for the last couple of years, and through this volunteer-powered model, we have completed the following:

• Raised funds and distributed grants to 20 San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valley nonprofits for our 2020 COVID-19 Emergency Relief campaign.
• Organized a well-received regional conference on Homelessness and Housing in December 2021 co-hosted with The Valley Economic Alliance.
• Coordinated a workshop on the tax benefits of charitable giving, attended by financial advisors, accountants, and nonprofit development professionals in January 2022.
• Facilitated a brainstorming and critical thinking process that resulted in the 2022-2027 Community Foundation of the Valleys Strategic Plan, adopted in April 2022.

The following is a summary of the goals and strategies agreed to by the CFV Board of Directors.  The more detailed version of the Plan includes specific dates, quantitative targets and measurements, outcomes, and a timeline for completion of various targets, spread out over the five years of the plan.  View or download Strategic Plan summary.

Resource Development

• Proactively engage professional service providers to promote the tax and community benefits of charitable giving
• Significantly increase donor assets
• Strengthen relationships with potential donors

Infrastructure

• Board development and engagement
• Enhance internal staffing
• Upgrade donor and prospect data base
• Strengthen management practices

Community Visibility

• Become recognized as the expert resource in the San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita Valley for philanthropy and charitable giving.
• Become the active community convener engaged in addressing regional challenges.

Program Initiatives

• Identify four program initiatives
  • Homelessness and Housing
  • Access to Healthcare with Emphasis on Mental Health Services
  • Disaster Relief
  • Education (pre K-12)
• Create workshops for local nonprofit organizations
• Create opportunities to convene funders
• Strengthen relationships with business and community leaders

Download the Strategic Plan summary.