Pamela H. David Executive Director

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Dear Friends and Colleagues:

 

On behalf of the Board and the staff of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund I am pleased to present our on-line 2007 Annual Report.  Throughout the report you will find evidence of the Fund's efforts to leverage our financial and human resources to support and improve all of the communities and arenas in which we work. 

 

In 2007, the Fund engaged in efforts to better understand and evaluate the effects of our work. An important element of that was our work with the Center for Effective Philanthropy, which conducted an anonymous survey of our 2006 grantees. The responses, across all of our program areas, consistently emphasized how much respect there was for our work and our great staff.  In particular, our grantees reported that they valued the knowledge and expertise of each program officer. We are pleased to know that our grantees see the Fund as a resource that supports them not just through direct funding, but also with strategic thinking, innovative ideas, and critical public policy efforts. We are heartened by the positive feedback received from our grantees, and also challenged by efforts to do more while maintaining a very lean infrastructure.

 

The Grantee Performance report was shared with our trustees, and an executive summary is on our web site. Overall, it was wonderful to have our program officers' incredible talent and dedication affirmed. Their work proudly upholds the legacy of Walter and Elise Haas, and all of the family members who have served on the Fund's board of trustees.

 

We thank you for taking the time to review our 2007 Annual Report.  We look forward to continuing to work with all of you to further our mission of helping build a healthy, just, and vibrant society in which people feel connected to and responsible for their community.

 

All the best,

Pamela H. David

Executive Director