<a href="https://newspress.com/vna-health-announces-new-foundation-leader/" target="_blank">VNA Health announces new foundation leader</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">Santa Barbara News-Press</font>

VNA Health announces new foundation leader - Santa Barbara News-Press

<a href="https://www.noozhawk.com/article/rebecca_benard_to_lead_vna_health_foundation" target="_blank">Rebecca Benard to Lead VNA Health Foundation</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">Noozhawk</font>

Rebecca Benard to Lead VNA Health Foundation - Noozhawk

Chaplaincy Apprenticeship - Professional Instruction for Ministry

Ventura County Community College

University of California, Los Angeles

Loyola Marymount University

Director, Strategic Business Development at VNA Health

Santa Barbara, California, United States

Maintain and grow successful relationships with healthcare partners that result in improved population health for older adults through patient referrals, provision of home care services, and education.  Develop and implement strategic initiatives that strengthen the agency's core businesses and expand its reach and effectiveness in the Santa Barbara community.KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS•  Key member of a leadership team that grew patient census 33% within two years in a highly competitive market.•  Designed and implemented a culture of exceptional customer service.•  Used technology to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and improve customer experience, which saved tens of thousands of dollars and built trust within the medical community and staff.

VNA Health

Director, Strategic Business Development

In support of an annual goal of $2 million:•  Develop and execute a comprehensive annual Fund Development Plan (to include grants, events, appeals, programs, major gifts, planned giving, and capital) in support of the annual budget fund goal. •  Develop and cultivate strategic initiatives, alliances, and partnerships with foundation, corporate, and major donors to advance and grow the agency’s reach and effectiveness.  •  Provide guidance and support to the Board of Directors, Development Committee, and executive leadership team – particularly around their role in fundraising, strategic business development, and agency positioning.•  Manage donors and prospects with effective gift processing, cultivation, and stewardship activities. •  Supervise Development team and volunteers. •  Create and manage the Development Department expense budget as well as policies and processes. •  Collaborate with Marketing/PR, Volunteers, Finance, and Programs in support of fundraising activities. •  Represent the organization articulately and effectively to stakeholders, to collaborating organizations in business and the nonprofit sector, and to the community at large.KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS•  Increased three-year average of overall giving by 40% (from $1.2M to $1.7M);•  Designed a theme of “personal touch” to inform all fundraising and relationship-building activities;•  Facilitated strategic planning, governance, and fundraising activities for the Board of Directors;•  Created strategic and operational frameworks to lead the agency and fundraising efforts;•  Re-designed fundraising events, resulting in 55% increase in funds raised over three years while reducing expenses and increasing major donor involvement;•  Researched and wrote key grants, resulting in 57% increase in awards over three years;•  Strengthened the agency’s brand and marketing efforts, including development of agency magazine, style guide, web content, and social media campaigns.

Director, Development

At SBSS, developed and led long-range strategic and operational fundraising on all matters related to development, friend-raising, community visibility, and support from individuals, foundations, and corporate giving programs.  KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS•	Facilitated an operational turnaround resulting in profitable operations for three years (stemming a six-year $500,000 annual operating loss cycle)•	Tripled historical fundraising averages and raised over $3 million in a tough economic climate (2008-2012)•	Secured nine new foundation funders ($440,500) when foundations were seldom considering new grantees;•	Secured corporate giving of $130,000, where previously little giving had been received;•	Increased individual giving by 130%;•	Secured capital funding ($108,000) for necessary infrastructure upgrades;•	Led evaluation of critical new business initiative resulting in the development of a $1 million, two-year financing campaign;•	Managed other department responsibilities, such as organizational budget and scenario planning development, facilities management, staff planning, and loan refinance (negotiated a mortgage loan refinance from an interest rate of 10.75% to 6.75%, and secured a $400,000 line of credit).

St. Barnabas Senior Services

Vice President, Development & Strategic Initiatives

- Developed and executed the overall fundraising vision and strategy for the organization;• Led the identification, cultivation and personal solicitation of top-level gifts, and supported the President/CEO, Board, staff and volunteers in these efforts;•  Provided stewardship of major gift donors;•  Applied for grants;•  Organized fundraising events;•  Oversaw tracking and record keeping systems for donors and donor prospects. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS•  Midway through 2009, not only met annual $240,000 fundraising goal six months early, but also exceeded it by $100,000;•  Managed and executed a very successful major fundraising event in New York City, which Tom Brokaw hosted, and from which major donors were identified and cultivated.

1% for the Planet

Director, Outreach & Development

Provided management to professional associations, transitioning them from grassroots affiliations to nationally recognized membership chapters, flush with financial resources, and influential reputations.  In my personal service and volunteer roles, I have contributed significantly to my home community:  •  Developed the grant guidelines and process for the Ojai Women’s Fund in 2016 – a giving circle of women to nonprofits serving residents of the Ojai Valley;•  Developed and led a successful campaign for a permanent endowment fund in 2015 at my church, resulting in 50% membership and nearly $50,000 after the first year;•  Raised nearly half a million dollars, with $200,000 for capital improvements, over three years as a leader at my church with fiscal, stewardship, and fundraising responsibilities;•  Led (and continue to lead) for almost two decades a team that provides meals at a local homeless shelter meal site;•  Developed a program to transport local farmer’s market produce surplus to the hungry in Downtown Los Angeles, and started a community garden which has been providing fresh produce to Community Assistance Program in Ojai for almost a decade;•  Created vital alternative educational networks for K-12 in the Ojai Valley for over seven years as a founder of the Innovative Homeschoolers Support Group (a collaborative of 100+ families in Ventura and Ojai) by coordinating various learning and experiential activities for children:  participating in immersion language programs; taking educational travel excursions to our state and nation’s capitols and historical places; working at the farmer’s markets; volunteering at the local schools, libraries, homeless shelters, nonprofits; performing musical concerts at senior centers and hospitals; engaging in political hearings and presentations; participating in the Ventura County Homeschooler Science Fair, which I developed and ran.

RSB Services

Owner

As a financial analyst and strategic planner, evaluated technologies to develop and spin off into incubator businesses.