History of SANDAN

The San Diego Association of Nonprofits  (printer friendly version)

By 1996, the Community Congress had been in existence for 25 years and the primary organizer and convener of the San Diego nonprofit sector. The Congress had been funded by the United Way for many years prior to 1995 but the small $30,000 grant ended in 1996 and the Congress was retired and disbanded. During years1995 and 1996, the Congress had been convening a group of executive directors from several human service nonprofits around the question posed by then County CAO, David Janssen, regarding a framework for thinking about how best to organize the health and human service system in San Diego across the public sector, private nonprofits, and private for-profits. Under the leadership of the Congress, a defining paper was developed and presented to the Board of Supervisors in the fall of 1996. There was some organized resistance at the BOS meeting by the SEIU at the time and the issue was effectively sidetracked. Shortly thereafter, David Janssen left the County and Larry Prior came in with a sweeping privatization agenda that paid little attention to the work done by the Congress.

The key nonprofit leadership involved during this time included: John Adam, Community Congress Director; Laura Spiegel, as Home Start Inc. Executive Director; Roger Bailey, then CEO at Meals-On-Wheels; Delia Sables, Catholic Charities; Melissa Donaldson, SDYCS AED;  Laura Mustari, as YMCA Youth and Family Services’ Executive Director; Nancy Sherman, then Harmonium’s Executive Director; Carol Fitzgibbons, Home of Guiding Hands Executive Director; Jonathon Hunter, then AED for Episcopal Community Services; and Larry Johnson, as the United Way’s Director of Community Services.

When the Community Congress’ United Way funding was lost in 1996, the group of folks listed above, among others, felt it was critical to continue to have a focusing point for the nonprofit sector, a group that could represent and communicate the interests of the sector in public system reform dialogues. However, unlike the mission of the Congress which claimed a larger role in neutrally convening community and not representing just the interests and perspectives of nonprofits, the early architects of SANDAN envisioned an entity that worked in partnership with many but spoke clearly as a representative and ambassador for nonprofits. The group continued to meet through 1996 and early 1997 and then Project Heartbeat came on the scene.

Heartbeat was a large, multi-stakeholder process designed to reform San Diego county’s children’s mental health system. The leaders of Heartbeat felt it was important to have a representative of the nonprofit providers at the table and they approached the group in the spring of 1997 that was later to form SANDAN, with a $15,000 grant offer. The group accepted the offer, matched it $7,000 in dues and hired it’s first Executive Director, Leslie Hine-Rabichow, in May 1997. Catholic Charities was the group’s fiscal sponsor. The group decided on the name The San Diego Association of Nonprofits (SANDAN), modeled after the California Association of Nonprofits. It approached the remaining Community Congress board of directors with a proposal to merge under the name of SANDAN, but the Congress board declined. SANDAN incorporated in May 1998 and and received its 501(c)(3) tax exemption in September 1998.

SANDAN was actively involved in Heartbeat from 1997 until it disbanded in 2000. SANDAN’s director helped the County transition from the Heartbeat process and the creation of an advisory board for Children’s Mental Health and was the co-chair of this group for 2000-2001 when the Children’s System of Care Steering Council was created and seated; presently known as Children’s Mental Health System of Care Council. .

The California Association of Nonprofits (CAN) was also establishing its Nonprofit Policy Council in 1995-1996 and Larry Johnson from United Way took part in the early days of the Council. When SANDAN hired Leslie in 1997, she took over for Larry as the local San Diego representative to the CAN NPC.  Leslie was a co-founder and first chair of the CAN Regional Partner Network and adjunct group to the NPC made up of policy advocate groups throughout the state.

During its first 10 years, The San Diego Association of Nonprofits (SANDAN) developed into a highly respected association of San Diego County nonprofit organizations established to represent the role of the nonprofit sector in advancing community well being; based upon the belief that the quality of life of San Diego residents is inextricably linked to the existence of a strong nonprofit sector and in service to this belief, SANDAN existed to, a) provide a forum in which nonprofit organizations can work together to share information and combine resources, b) speak with a common voice on behalf of nonprofits serving the San Diego Region; c) facilitate the development of partnerships that benefit San Diego residents and their communities.

In late 2005, SANDAN’s board of directors began a year long process of strategically redefining SANDAN.

“As the voice of San Diego’s nonprofit sector, SANDAN’s mission is to promote, connect and
lead a vibrant and effective nonprofit sector that advances the well being of the San Diego region.”

The “Strategic Framework for 2006 & Beyond,” our guide to a new and exciting rebirth, is posted on our website at http://sandan.org.

In the Fall of 2006, Leslie Hine-Rabichow decided to say good-bye and the search was on to find her replacement. This takes us to 2007 and a newly energized beginning for the San Diego Association of Nonprofits as we evolve into the “Go-To” Association for nonprofits in the San Diego region.

 To view SANDAN’s Strategic Framework 2006 and Beyond as well as present work plans, click here.