Giving To The Givers • Can Audio Recordings Solve Court Reporter Shortage?

COMMUNITY NEWS

Giving To The Givers

Santa Cruz Gives, a countywide holiday crowd-funding campaign in its 8th year, is raising funds for 63 local nonprofits until midnight Dec. 31.

The giving platform, which opened Nov. 16, is at SantaCruzGives.org.

Donors may browse individual profile pages to learn about each nonprofit’s mission and “Big Idea” for 2023, a project that will be funded with donations, then use a shopping cart to give. The minimum donation is $5.

Donations topped $1 million for the first time last year, raising $1,100,659.

This year’s participating nonprofits present the most diverse slate of projects yet, from a welcoming network for foreign refugees to support for pregnant women in the post-Roe era.

The organizations come from all parts of the county geographically and represent youth, seniors, animals, the environment, education, health and wellness, food and nutrition, housing and homelessness, the arts, veterans, families, LGBTQIA+, and the disabled.

A committee with diverse nonprofit experience vetted the applications, and potential social media reach was a consideration.

The number of participants is limited so each organization has the potential to raise sufficient funds for the staff time spent on the campaign.

“If any of the local nonprofits tried to create a platform like this for fundraising, it would not be economically feasible,” said Karen Delaney, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. “Only large national organizations have had a tool like this at their disposal. Santa Cruz Gives puts this tool into the hands of local nonprofit community.”

Nonprofits will receive individually donated funds, matching funds provided by sponsors, and are eligible for three awards each worth $1,000: Most Donors, Most Creative Campaign, and Project of the Year.

Participants in Santa Cruz Gives report a majority of donors are new donors and tend to be younger donors.

Presenting sponsors are Good Times and the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. Additional sponsors include Community Foundation Santa Cruz County; two funds at the Community Foundation SCC: The Applewood Fund, The Joe Collins Fund; and Driscoll’s, Inc. Other business sponsors are Santa Cruz County Bank, Wynn Capital Management, The Pajaronian, and Press Banner.

For information or contact Jeanne Howard at 831-601-1691 or Jeanne@santa cruzgives.org.

County Parks Friends Live Like Coco (based in Aptos)

•••

Crowdsourcing To Boost Nonprofits

Santa Cruz Gives was founded in 2015 to meet the need for a local crowdsourcing website for fundraising countywide.

The program demonstrates the potential to significantly increase overall funds raised in the community, with new donors giving to more organizations.

The key to success is the website — SantaCruzGives.org. More people can be reached, donors can learn about many local nonprofits on one site, donate with a few clicks, and track the progress of their favorites on a leaderboard.

Selection of nonprofits each year includes established groups known to be effective, as well as emerging organizations doing promising new work.

Findings: 1. Nonprofits report a majority of new donors, up to 80%. 2. The majority of funds raised come

from donors who gave to an average of four nonprofits. 3. Nonprofits report an increase in younger donors, as well as older. New donors are potential volunteers, future fundraisers, and perhaps leaders and board members. 4. Each year there is significant growth, compared to the prior year, in number of donors, amounts per donor, and total challenge grants. 5. The exposure nonprofits gain through

Santa Cruz Gives is beyond what any could achieve on their own. 6. The campaign has a ripple effect.

Some nonprofits find donors learn about them through SantaCruzGives but give at a different time of year. 7. Nonprofits are raising more funds while sharing ideas and learning from one another. Organizations that had little contact with one another before

Santa Cruz Gives and felt a sense of competition are now collaborating. n

Can Audio Recordings Solve Court Reporter Shortage?

Longtime family law attorney Alphonse Provinziano launched a petition last week on behalf of a subcommittee of the Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA) to advocate the use of audio recordings in family courtrooms amid a shortage of court reporters throughout California.

The problem is not funding, it’s that there are not enough trained court reporters to hire, according to a group of court executive officers, including Alex Calvo of Santa Cruz County, who call the situation a crisis.

The number of candidates who took the court reporter certification in California dropped from 339 in 2018 to 178 in 2021.

The Beverly Hills Bar Association board of governors has asked the Legislature to change the government code to allow recordings in family courtrooms. Provinziano hopes the petition will bring further support.

“Audio recording has been used successfully in civil matters in other states for many years and the shortage of court reporters is forcing the issue,” said Provinziano, who contends audio recordings represent an effective alternative for everyday family law cases.

Due to court reporter shortages, the Los Angeles County Superior Court is shifting its remaining paid staffers to juvenile and criminal courts as of November.

As a result, civil matters in family courtrooms will require private court reporters, which could add thousands of dollars to the cost of a typical contested divorce.

By one estimate, the court reporter fees can range from $800 to $2,000 a day.

“Audio recording should be an option for families who want it, and the legislature needs to remove any barriers to allow it in family courtrooms,” added Provinziano. “We hope through this petition we can show why making this change now is so important.” n •••

The petition to lobby the Legislature to allow audio recordings in family law courtrooms is available online to view and sign at Change.org: https://bit.ly/3D8ajuD