March 1999

Honorable Mayor and Council Members,

We would like to take this opportunity in our first quarter report to update you on the progress of our efforts on behalf of the preservation of the Flanders Mansion and the formation of the Flanders Foundation.

Currently our documents are in the Secretary of State's office and we expect a response any day. We anticipate that by May or June 1999 to have our 501 (c) 3 through both the state and federal processes. At that point we will be able to call in our pledges and receive monies toward restoration of the property.

Our board has been expanding as well as our advisory board. Two original board members have moved onto the advisory board due to personal commitments, and we have added five new board members. As a result of the neighborhood meeting March 1, we are looking forward to a potential new board member joining us from the Hatton Road area.

On February 18, we devoted our board meeting to the issue of fund raising. Our board was pleased to meet with and listen to Judy Dudley, a truly outstanding fundraising consultant. She has worked with Stanford University, the San Jose Symphony and the Woodside School on their capital campaigns. Her advice and observations were extremely helpful. Two points of particular interest to us and to the council were: 1. that she did not see our fundraising efforts as conflicting with Sunset Center (Mr. Carter also has stated this twice); and 2. that to raise one million dollars is very doable even in a short period. She carefully explained how she would advise us to proceed. We have been busy putting into practice her suggestions since then. We have set up our data base for fundraising and have found 2 excellent computer programs to work with in this regard.

In February three of our board members and one advisory board member attended a conference for non-profits in Salinas, which they found both helpful and informative. Later this month two board members will attend a second instructional conference in Santa Cruz.

The foundation's chairman and attorney met with the Executive Director of the Community Foundation regarding a possible technical assistance grant. The chairman then met with the Community Foundation's Technical Assistance Advisor, Judy Sulsona who provided the names of available consultants to do a feasibility study on long term uses. She also provided extensive information to assist us on obtaining grants fitting our particular needs. We have begun to organize our approach and contact the list of consultants. Judy Sulsona was also very informative in the area of organizing capital campaigns, corroborating much of Judy Dudley's advice.

On Monday evening, March 1, a meeting with the neighbors was held at Flanders. Invitations were hand delivered to the neighborhood. The chairman updated the guests regarding the Flanders Foundation mission and vision statements and its progress to date in fulfilling them. Cooperation with the neighbors was stressed. Neighbors were invited once again to join the Foundation and become part of its planning process. A spirit of cooperation and communication was stressed even though the Foundation Board and the neighbors may not view the future of Flanders in the same way. Since the Foundation's purpose for the meeting was not only to explain its goals but to really listen to the concerns and ideas of the neighborhood, the majority of the meeting consisted of an excellent question and answer session. The meeting lasted from 7:30 to 10 p.m. and the Foundation board felt that it was very positive and constructive although there were differences of opinion.

June 1999

Honorable Mayor and City Council,

This is our semi-annual report to you on the progress of our efforts to preserve and restore the Flanders property for public benefit. As per the council's direction we have been diligently pursuing our incorporation process and non-profit status. We are proud to report that we are now a California non-profit corporation; that we have filed our necessary papers with the Internal Revenue Service; and that we have our E.I.N. number so that we can begin our fundraising.

The foundation's subcommittee on technical assistance grants is hard at work to obtain funds for the development of operations and fund raising plans. Several funding sources and consultants are being approached.

We have also applied to two trusts for restoration funds. Applications to additional organizations will be mailed by the time you receive this report. We have received several substantial pledges to date, even though we have not yet begun our formal fund raising effort. Beginning in June and throughout the summer, there will be garden parties to inform friends and neighbors about the history of Flanders as well as our plans for restoration. These events naturally will be the basis for one of several types of fund raising efforts.

The foundation has developed an excellent computer data base which will greatly assist us in our capital campaign, in particular, our Flanders 500 program. Consistent with the advice of fund raising consultants, we have developed a list of major donor prospects. We will continue our education process throughout the summer by giving a series of luncheons to inform people as to the importance of Flanders and of historical preservation to our community.

Flanders goes on the "web!" One of our board members is in the process of establishing Flanders own web site similar to those for other historical properties, such as Filoli. We are very enthusiastic about this. A copy is enclosed for your review.

Our board of directors has listened very carefully to the concerns of the county residents and is also sensitive to the tremendous efforts being put forth on behalf of the Sunset Center project. Thus, we have come up with an approach we think is consistent and supportive on both counts.

Firstly, we are now working on the establishment of an endowment fund. The thrust of the endowment effort would be to remove the issues of uses and operation and maintenance funding of Flanders from the City's concern. With an established source of revenue, rentals and revenue generating activities would no longer be a central issue to the long term viability of Flanders, thus satisfying the neighbors concerns.

Secondly, we are developing an artist or naturalist-in-residence program. This program would maintain a residential use for the house in keeping with the park and neighborhood, while providing for security and caretaker benefits. The National Trust and the Cultural Council have been most helpful in connecting our foundation with many such successful programs around the state and the country. We are actively contacting and working with these groups. We will evaluate their programs, take their best aspects and develop a program for your review.

Lastly, we are very pleased to report to you that we have two new board members who have joined us and two others who are prospective members.

In closing, we thank you for the opportunity to bring you up to date on our efforts and also for your continued support which we very much appreciate.

September 1999

Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,

This is our third quarterly report. We are pleased to bring you up to date on our various activities and achievements in the past three months consistent with Council's October 1998 direction. On July 19, we received from the Internal Revenue Service our tax exempt (501c3) status. We were so pleased and proud because it came only 2 months from the time we received our State Franchise Tax Board approval. This was definitely a real feat.

We are currently actively preparing our Flanders Operational Plan to present to you in December. We are working with a well known and recognized consultant. Our foundation spent several hundred dollars also to join the "Alliance of Artists’ Communities" which is a national organization whose mission it is to work with prospective and established artists-in-residence programs. This group has been extremely helpful to us. Their "How To" manual has become invaluable to us and our consultant. In addition, one of our sub-committees has contacted directors and administrators of other specific programs across the nation to learn from their experiences. We have also hired a community outreach consultant who has already proven to be enormously effective and valuable.

In our last report we mentioned that we would be doing a series of garden parties to inform and acquaint friends and neighbors about our foundation as well as about the history of Flanders. Our first event was July 24, and it was a wonderful success with sixty people attending. Our president made a presentation and there was time for lots of questions (pro and con) and answers. It was a very lively and productive afternoon. We gained several major contributions and a lot of new supporters. People were invited who knew little or nothing of Flanders or our group. We did this deliberately and felt very good about the overwhelmingly positive response. To keep a little balance there were a couple of people who felt that the property should be sold. Their position was respected but not supported by the remainder of the guests. There will be another gathering September 11, then two more later in September and early October.

On August 11th and 28th we conducted two highly successful "Discover Flanders" walks. We took people from the Rio Road entrance of Mission Trail Nature Preserve up the Flanders Trail to the mansion. Gary Girard and Marge Adams gave a talk on the Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden and the president of the Flanders Foundation spoke about the history of the house, its association with the Mission Trail Nature Preserve and the mission of the Flanders Foundation. Following the talks and questions and answers Gary toured people through the Native Plant Garden. The first walk generated over fifty (50) calls. Twenty some people attended the first hike and 36 attended the second. We missed a few people at the sign-in table on the initial outing, but were much more vigilant in recording names of attendees the second time around. The walks were a great success and garnered lots of recognition for Flanders, the native plant garden and Flanders Foundation. Two professionals offered pro- bono services and one major donor came forward. People are so pleased to see and experience these very special community assets. Some of the seniors have lived here their entire lives and were not familiar with these beautiful properties.

On Sunday, August 15th, the Flanders Foundation hosted a tour and refreshments at the mansion for the Roycroft Foundation of East Aurora, New York. This is a very prestigious historical preservation group dedicated to all aspects of the arts and crafts movement of the early 20th century and the perpetuation of that movement. Their visit to the Monterey Peninsula was in conjunction with the 7th Annual California Arts and Crafts Symposium at Asilomar. As part of the conference program there was a tour in Carmel-by-the- Sea of homes and gardens that reflect the styles and values of the arts and crafts period. The reception at Flanders which followed the tour, allowed the Roycrofters, members of the Flanders Foundation, and the owners of the toured properties to "network" with each other about preservation issues.

We will very shortly commence our capital campaign "kick off". The Flanders Five Hundred will be the major component of our plan. There will also be gifting opportunities at all levels so that everyone who wants to help "SAVE FLANDERS" can feel that there is a role and place for them in our campaign.

As a part of our overall fundraising efforts, we continue to work on grants, however we do not see them as our greatest financial source. As we have learned from the numerous fundraising seminars plus the meeting with a local fundraising consultant, grants account for the smallest percentage of a capital campaign. The community, however that may be defined, is where the real financial support comes from. The California Preservation Foundation, the Monterey County Preservation staff members, and the new president of our regional parks district, etc. have all been of great assistance in recommending granting sources and their contacts. It is of great satisfaction to us that so many local as well as statewide groups are supportive and helpful to our foundation.

In conclusion we thank you for granting us the opportunity to pursue our goals and to present you with this update.

Sincere regards,