Hidden Villa Duveneck Dinner Postponement Palo Alto Issues, posted by Hidden Villa Supporter, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2006 at 8:17 am
After reading the most recent story in the Palo Alto Weekly about Hidden Villa, I am very concerned about Hidden Villa's fundraising picture. Why is fundraising lagging? Most nonprofits struggle with fundraising and balancing their budgets, this is true. But Hidden Villa's sudden cancellation of a 60-year popular summer camp program, amid deep divison and turmoil on its board, seems unusual and in need of closer analysis. Meanwhile, I just received a postcard and newsletter from Hidden Villa announcing postponement of its annual Duveneck Humanitarin Awards Dinner. This event is hugely popular and the largest single community money-raiser for Hidden Villa, held annually in September. Now it's being postponed until April 2007. Why delay the opportunity to raise in the neigborhood of $100,000, as the dinner typically does each year? Something about this just doesn't add up.
Posted by Anna, a resident of the South of Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 15, 2006 at 11:20 pm
The Hidden Villa board is risk averse, period. In addition to that, too many of its members are out of touch with new and more effective ways to leverage Hidden Villa's natural assets, and raise revenue. Unless the HV board gets refreshed with new members, Hidden Villa is toast in the long run.
What's staggering about this is how such a marvelous natural asset has been squandered because of long term incompetence and a pure lack of vision.
If that seems harsh, it's meant to be. HV, and HV's mission is bigger than its board, whcih has failed to insure sustainablility for this rare regional asset. It's time to clean house.
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