News From CCF-LA | September 17, 2020 |
|
CALL answers
the call
By José de Jesús Legaspi, CALL LA Chapter Leadership President
Archbishop José H. Gomez reached out to our local chapter CALL to help families keep their children in local Catholic schools. With our annual gala canceled, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to redirect the purpose of our gala fundraising to meet this critical need. With a small staff but a big goal (raising $500,000), I knew we needed help.
This CALL initiative is to “save” Catholic schools that have served our local Latino communities since the 1950s and before. Today, these schools are struggling to keep their doors open because families need help to pay tuition. The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially devastating to our families. The money raised through our campaign will be distributed as tuition through the Catholic Education Foundation to schools selected by CALL.
CCF-LA’s staff collectively has decades of experience in Catholic philanthropy and education, so we were able to work together on messaging, providing donation processing, and offering special reports to CALL leadership on incoming gifts.
Together, our organizations know this initiative is an important way to teach and sustain our faith through the Catholic schools that are so important to our local communities. Join us in this effort, we are up for the challenge!
|
|
Practicing our Faith in Times of Trouble
Nearly everything we do during the week, from attending Sunday Mass to praying over a meal, starts with our faith. In these times, saying grace is more than a blessing for the meal but may be the only time we pray together with our families.
We need our faith more than ever, yet we are restricted to 100 people at outdoor Mass, and many are simply too afraid to attend because of their age or perceived risk for exposure to the virus—not to mention missing air-conditioned churches during recent heat waves.
As I look back over the past six months, I think about what was missing: the first communions, the weddings, our priest ordinations, and the many Masses that celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and other special occasions that celebrate our lives through our faith.
Of all the stories that reveal the impact of the pandemic on practicing our faith, perhaps the saddest has been the inability to say goodbye to a loved one dying in the hospital and then postponing large funeral gatherings for the Rite of Christian Burial. We can reschedule a wedding but not a death.
If the only time we can pray together as a family is grace before a meal, let’s make the most of it and say our grace as we do over the Thanksgiving meal—with so much gratitude for our families, friends, and loved ones, the first responders fighting the recent wildfires, our health, our jobs, our homes, and our ability to join together in prayer.
--
Kathy Anderson, President and Executive Director
|
|
Today, oh God, we lift to you all first responders,
all those who rush in at times of tragedy or crisis.
Please protect them. Sustain them.
And grant peace of heart to all who worry about them.
AMEN.
|
|
Investment Results From CCF-LA |
|
This is our fifth operating year, with much to celebrate as our assets under management reached a new milestone at $383 million! We have issued 224 grants so far in 2020 totaling $24 million – with more in process. It is our Board and Committees that drive our strategy and business practices, always in the pursuit of excellence in client services and transparency in financial reporting. This is our business – to manage philanthropic assets so that our clients can have even more impact with their charity.
September is a month heavy with quarterly committee work, leading up to a Board meeting later this month. We have four active committees and are grateful for their work and dedication to the success of CCF-LA:
-
Development and Marketing Committee – focuses on meeting year-end goals for client development and assets under management
-
Investment Committee – analyzes our investment portfolios and results for our clients; considers new investment opportunities.
-
Audit Committee – supports the filing of our tax returns and preparation/ execution of our annual audit.
-
Governing and Nominating Committee - cultivates Board relationships and membership.
|
|
Since the financial market’s stark decline in March and April of this year, markets have bounced back despite continuing uncertainties related to the global pandemic and the upcoming elections. Our Investment Committee is committed to working with fund managers and advisers to deliver the best possible performance and service for our clients. The Committee meets quarterly or more often to address overall performance of our funds as well as the results of managers, the allocation of investment options and financial market conditions.
CCF-LA-managed portfolios are diversified for long-term performance, particularly in the case of our Balanced Pool. Year-to-date through August 31, the BP delivered 5.52 percent net of fee against the 6.98 percent benchmark, but more importantly this fund currently ranks in the top decile among our peer group of foundations and endowment funds, a testament to our investment strategy and objectives. For the month of August, the fund earned 3.89 percent.
Our Intermediate Fund, designed for a medium-term investment strategy, posted positive performance, earning 4.47 percent net of fee for the year against a benchmark of 5.03 percent year-to-date and 5.02 percent for the month, well above the 2.15 percent benchmark.
|
|
CCF-LA can help you plan your philanthropic legacy |
Here at the Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles, we’ve seen a renewed interest in clients looking to establish a philanthropic legacy after they’re gone—and they’re not alone. Many professional financial and estate advisers across the country have noticed an uptick in those wishing to get their affairs in order. There’s no time like the present to think about this important topic, and at CCF-LA we’re here to help answer your questions. Click here to learn more.
|
|
CCF-LA Beneficiary St. Joseph School Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
CCF-LA Development Assistant Bernadette Guerrero wrote about how "inspiring it was to witness the joy and beauty of the Holy Spirit at work that will continue to touch the lives of so many more to come." Read more here.
Our Craving for Connection
We are all looking for connection — with other people and with God. CCF-LA Editor Louise Damberg reflects on our human need for relationship and connection during this time. Read more here.
CCF-LA Beneficiary Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center focused on "walking with God during difficult times"
Center Director Dr. Michael Cunningham, O.F.S., like so many other organizations, had to implement change quickly to ensure the continued ministry in this new, socially distanced situation. Read more here.
Mass on the Cathedral Plaza
Despite the record-breaking heat, CCF-LA Executive Director Kathy Anderson joined the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders for a mass with Archbishop Gomez, enjoying socially distanced fellowship and announcing their new campaign for Catholic schools. Read more here.
|
|
Executive Assistant— provides executive-level administrative support to the President and Executive Director in a one-on-one working relationship within a team environment. See full description.
Senior Client Relationship Manager—This member of the development team will steward and build relationships with high-net-worth clients and prospects. Major gifts and/or financial-services experience preferred. See full description.
|
|
The Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles is committed to the prudent management of charitable investments to support the schools, parishes, and ministries that help our neighborhoods thrive in faith. To join our mission to teach and sustain Catholic philanthropy, please contact our Client Development team at (213) 426-1187 or via email.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
