RONI HOOPER,
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
   hen Roni Hooper was asked what the biggest lesson she learned in life was, she said, “There’s never an end to what you can do for others — you have to be content with what you can do and realize that you’ll always get back more than you give.”
This is true for Hooper not only on the job but also in her personal life.
Before joining the Foundation, Hooper spent a year as a volunteer teacher and fundraising consultant for the Children of the Street Welfare Association (CHISWEA) in Tanzania, East Africa. While in Tanzania, she held regular classes for street children, consulted with CHISWEA’s board of directors on its strategic plan and helped raise money for a newly constructed center that serves about 50 children daily.
She worked previously with Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois as manager of public information, where she produced newsletters, annual reports, news releases and fundraising appeals, and managed a database of 25,000 donors. Her background also includes child care work at Lutherbrook Children’s Center for abused and neglected children and counseling services at Joni and Friends, a ministry for people with disabilities.
“Learning about the experiences of people in different circumstances—whether that is socially, economically or culturally—and then playing what small part I can to make society better for all people, is what I believe gives life meaning.”
A resident of Camarillo, Hooper received a bachelor’s degree in religion from California Lutheran University and a master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California. She is a member of the Communications Network and Women in Philanthropy, affinity groups of the Council on Foundations.
Hooper joined TCWF’s staff as a communications assistant in March 1998 and was later appointed to communications associate in 1999 and to communications officer in 2000. In her present position, Hooper serves as editor and senior writer for the Foundation’s printed communications materials, including a series of lessons-learned documents, and works with the director of communications on media partnerships and public affairs outreach to local elected officials and policymakers. She also contributes to the implementation and evaluation of the Foundation’s overall strategic plan.
Hooper gets a great deal of satisfaction from her work. “Having been a fundraiser, I appreciate the Foundation’s sensitivity to the real needs of nonprofit organizations and feel real good about the grantmaking emphasis on core operating support, “ she said. “I take a great deal of pride in the work that we do.”
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