Last in a series of three special issues

This has been a difficult year for all nonprofits, and many safety net groups have been pushed to the breaking point.

Demand for services is just as high as it was last December, and fundraising is just as difficult, partly because of the broader economic picture, and partly because the local wine industry is suffering so acutely.

But compared to a year ago, there are reasons we are hopeful. Well-managed nonprofits have largely stopped shedding jobs. They have tapped their operating reserves and found innovative ways to handle increased volume.

They have adapted to serving new kinds of clients, like families who have fallen out of the ranks of the middle class because of job losses or home foreclosures, who are accessing government benefits and nonprofit social services for the first time. And they have cared for others without fanfare or respite, even as their own staff members have increasingly approached the point of burnout.

Now is not the time, in our view, to walk away from our nonprofit partners. The needs are too great, and the future is too uncertain.

Today, we are pleased to announce that Napa Valley Community Foundation has set aside resources for a second and third year of Safety Net Grants. This funding will include:

• one year of general support for groups providing short-term assistance to our most vulnerable residents; and



• two years of additional funding for the Napa Valley Foreclosure Collaborative, to help low- and middle-income families preserve assets as the housing market struggles to return to normalcy.

• Make a contribution of any size to our Safety Net Grants program, and we'll pool your gift with others for greater impact. Visit www.napavalleycf.org to learn more and donate online, or call 254.9565 with questions.

• Support safety net charities, and other local charities, by writing a check directly to them for general support. Unrestricted dollars are in critically short supply. What nonprofits need most right now is general support--which they can use to pursue their mission at their discretion. If you have an issue you care about and want our help to find a nonprofit working in this area, please give us a call.

• Consider your IRA. The financial rescue package signed into law last year allows people over 70.5 years of age to make tax-free transfers from IRAs to qualified public charities until December 31, 2009. Even with poor investment returns until recent months, many donors have more than they might ever need in retirement vehicles. Here are the details:



• Donors over 70.5 years can make tax-free transfers from IRAs to qualified public charities before December 31, 2009, up to $100,000; for married couples, each spouse may make a distribution from his or her IRA of up to $100,000 in 2009;


• Such transfers will not create taxable income for donors, nor charitable income tax deductions, but will count toward the donor's required minimum distribution from the IRA in the year the transfer is made;


• Private foundations and donor advised funds are excluded; other funds at the Community Foundation are included; for a template to send to your IRA plan custodian requesting a transfer, please call us.


• Use your checkbook, stretch out payments. Most charities are delighted to receive pledges, or to agree on a payment plan with their donors, especially if the plan is expressed in terms of months, not years.

• Be an advocate. If you are unable to make a financial contribution to your favorite cause, think about spending some of your personal political capital to be an unofficial ambassador for the program in the community. Nothing is more precious to a nonprofit than a passionate advocate that can influence his or her peers.

• Donate time instead of money. There are more than 550 nonprofits in Napa County. Each of them needs volunteer Board members who can think strategically and creatively about a range of different issues. If you'd like our help to find a nonprofit that works in an area of interest to you, please call us at 254.9565.