Having grown up surrounded by and participating in the arts, it is no surprise that Leslie brought her passion for the arts and education with her to Santa Barbara. For more than three decades, she volunteered her time to dozens of Santa Barbara non-profits, serving in numerous leadership roles from board chair to campaign advisor. During this time, Leslie made generous contributions to countless organizations to significantly improve and enhance our community. Leslie was particularly fond of Casa Esperanza, Cottage Hospital, Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Dream Foundation, Girls Incorporated of Greater Santa Barbara, Lobero Theatre, Music Academy of the West, Foundation for Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Santa Barbara Symphony, Santa Barbara Zoo, Visiting Nurses and Hospice, and Westmont College. 

In pursuing her desire to see young people succeed, she established more than 120 scholarships at different educational institutions.

In addition to her philanthropic pursuits, Leslie was a successful businesswoman (CEO and Chairwoman of the Board of Pacific Air Industries) and art connoisseur. When it came to “getting her hands dirty” Leslie never hesitates to get involved. When the media was touring one of the four kitchens in our community that Leslie had funded, the guide commented "Leslie Ridley-Tree comes over frequently. She takes her rings off and goes to work in the kitchen with the other volunteers."

Leslie’s passion for giving back to the community is best expressed in her own words, “Philanthropy is a very important and joyful part of my life. If we don’t share, then we don’t deserve to have. We’re blessed. If there’s a need there, we’ll try to do it.”

Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree passed away on October 3, 2022 at the age of 97.

Join us!

Thursday, November 10, 2022

5-7:30 p.m.

Museum of Ventura County

100 E. Main St. Ventura, CA 93001

Congratulations to our 2022 Honorees!

Philanthropist of the Year – Santa Barbara: The FUND for Santa Barbara 

Philanthropist of the Year – Ventura County: Steve Hearst from the Morgan Hearst Charitable Foundation

Volunteer of the Year – Santa Barbara: Planned Parenthood of CA Central Coast Book Sale Committee 

Volunteer of the Year – Ventura County: Lynda Bowman, Chair, TEACh Scholarship Fund

Professional Fundraiser of the Year – Rich Block, President & CEO, Santa Barbara Zoo

Champions for Social Justice – Diversity Collective of Ventura County

AFP, Santa Barbara Ventura Counties Chapter is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2023 Chamberlain Scholarship. Each year AFP Foundation for Philanthropy offers one registration scholarship to qualified chapters for the Annual AFP International Conference on Fundraising (ICON). This program is designed to help individuals serving nonprofit organizations develop their knowledge and skills in fundraising. The scholarship honors the memory of Ralph E. Chamberlain, CFRE.

AFP ICON, AFP’s flagship “International Conference,” is held each year and brings together nearly 4,000 fundraising professionals to discuss important trends and issues related to fundraising and philanthropy, with a focus on fundraising practice and technique. 

The 2023 AFP ICON will be held April 16-18, 2023 in New Orleans, LA.

One candidate will be chosen by our Chapter Scholarship Committee to receive a scholarship toward registration for the AFP International Fundraising Conference on Philanthropy.  Registration fees, except for a $10 payment to secure registration, are paid by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy.  

Chamberlain Scholarship Eligibility Requirements:

1. Candidate is employed as a fundraising professional or, if candidate is an executive director, a substantial amount of time must be devoted to fundraising.
2. Candidate has never attended an AFP or NSFRE International Conference on Fundraising as a registered participant (unless as a member of the Conference Host Committee) and is enthusiastic to attend the full conference as scheduled.
3. Candidate must agree to complete an online evaluation form about his or her experience at International Conference.
4. Only one individual from any local organization or institution may be selected.
5. Candidate must be willing to share their AFP ICON experience with their chapter after the conference has concluded. This can be accomplished through a report to chapter leadership, a contribution to the chapter newsletter, or an alternate contribution identified by chapter leadership.

Please note, this is not a full scholarship and the winner will be required to cover any and all expenses exceeding the amounts awarded. Chamberlain Scholars are responsible for registering themselves for the conference and for making all travel and lodging arrangements.

Good Times in the Big Easy

New Orleans, famed for jazz and Mardi Gras, will now host the world’s no. 1 fundraising conference on April 16-18, 2023. More than 100 education sessions to choose from, inspiring keynote speakers, and thousands of fellow fundraisers await.

As they say in New Orleans: Laissez les bons temps rouler (Let the good times roll)!

As 2022 beings to wind down, we’d like to invite you to join our effort and help us meet our 2022 goal for Be The Cause campaign. When you make a gift to the Be The Cause camping, you allow the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy to fund local, national, and international programs, including scholarships, leadership development, timely research on the latest issues and trends, and much more. Furthermore, a portion of every donor's donation goes back to our chapter to support local programs.

This year we leveraged our 2021 Be the Cause grant to award 9 scholarships to individuals in our counties to cover the cost of their AFP membership. Our members and friends made that possible – THANK YOU!

Thank you to those who have already given this year. If you like to join this elite group of donors, we invite you to make your gift today. Become our partner in helping develop fundraising professionals who can lead the sector and their respective organizations to increase philanthropic commitments for some of society's most pressing needs. 

President's Club

Pamela A. Perkins-Dwyer

Alpha Society

Jennifer Caldwell

Molly Kemper

Stephanie Wilson, CFRE

Ambassador's Club - Sapphire Level

Stephen C. Baker

Tanya G. Gonzales, CFRE

Karen Kawaguchi

Elena Nicklasson

Micahel Padden-Rubin

Patricia Schwartz, MA

Madeline Serrano Sattler

Eryn Shugart, PhD

Ms. Lisa M Thomas, BA

Friends of the Foundation

Adrienne De Guevara

Nina Dubar

Gerardo Pantoja

Christine Trunick

We are proud to announce that our Chapter Co-President Gerry Pantoja has recently become a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).

He joins more than 7,700 fundraising professionals from 25 countries who currently hold the designation.

The CFRE is the only globally-recognized, accredited credential for fundraising professionals.

To become a CFRE, candidates must meet requirements for time in the profession, funds raised, and participation in education. Then, candidates must pass a 200-question exam that evaluates their knowledge of fundraising best practices.

Becoming a CFRE is a true professional milestone. We applaud Gerry on this incredible achievement!

AFP SBV members receive 20% off the cost of CFRE certification.

Learn more about the CFRE credential at www.cfre.org. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

11:30 am – noon (networking)

12:00 – 1:30 pm (lunch and program)

Harry’s Plaza Café, 3313 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105

$45 for non-members, $35 for members

Click Here to Register

Learn from Ventura College Foundation Executive Director Anne Paul King and Director of Philanthropy Gerry Pantoja as they share the valuable lessons learned when a $12M complex estate gift benefited the Foundation, as well as many other local charities.

AFPSBV Board of Directors would like to thank our new and returning members for the month of September!

New Members

Karen Baltzley

The Marjoie Luke Theatre

Lynnrae Dunn

Dunn School

Jennie Parkinson

Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo

Returning Members

Stephen C. Baker

Westmont College

Stacy A. Cullison

Geoff Green

Santa Barbara City College Foundation

Karen Kawaguchi

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Peter M. Kellogg

The Kellogg Organization Inc.

Andrea L. McFarling

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Madeline Serrano Sattler

Casa Pacifica

Charles Schultz

Crescendo Interactive, Inc.

Lindsay Bryce Soleimani

Planned Parenthood California Central Coast