Help not wanted? Filoli's volunteer corps is dwindling in size and responsibility

Filoli was once the" Gentle" place for me. Today I'm one of the many unhappy volunteers and realize that a dissenting voice is not allowed. I too will withdraw my bequest!

Hello to all who loved their time volunteering on the Filoli estate. Learning about the families that lived on and loved that property.. history that went back thousands of years, participating in many months of Nature EducationTraining, having the fun of hiking through the miles of trails on that estate guiding school groups and adult visitors and watching them also come to love that property. I will treasure the years of memories. So many dedicated men and women worked together learning about the estate and caring for it. Volunteers are important.

Thank you, Barbara Wood, for a very detailed and interesting article on Filoli. I have not visited there for some time, but do not plan to go there now, because the new management has made Filoli into a place where, in Ms. Legollet's words, "Some of what Filoli has represented in peace and serenity and escapism is not going to be there." What a shame that is now true of Filoli. But I, and many others who would like to visit Filoli, really need that peace and serenity. And we need to escape for a while from the rush-rush-rush and the superficiality and all the electronic gadgets of the 21st century. The essence of Filoli is that peace and serenity that we all need, whether we are aware of that or not.

I am worried that the new emphasis on corporate events, which doubtless will help make money for Filoli, will change the ambiance of this beautiful place, and may give it a somewhat cold and shallow and superficial feeling. I very much hope I am completely wrong about this, and I look forward to reading positive reports from visitors.

From what I have read in this and other Almanac articles about Filoli, the new executive director, Kara Newport, does not seem to have much human warmth or compassion, qualities which all really good leaders need in order for people to want to work for them and to supportthem. Instead, Ms. Legollet describes Kara Newport by saying, "Kara's a very strong leader" she said. "She's extremely competent. She's the boss".

Another volunteer, Ms. George, is quoted as saying she "admires Ms. Newport. "I think she's very brilliant. I think she understands things very quickly".

But none of the good qualities that these women have praised Ms. Newport for are qualities that, at least the way I see it, would lead people to want to work for her and to enjoy working for her. And that is sad, and seems to already be a big problem for Filoli.

I learned long ago that an organization takes on the character of its leader. Because of that, I am quite concerned that Filoli will not thrive under this new leader. As I read future articles about Filoli, I very much hope to be proven wrong about this. It is such a beautiful and historic place, and such a real treasure that it deserve the very best people to run and staff it, whether they are paid employees or volunteers.

Has the camaraderie the volunteers shared at Filoli gone away completely? If so, that is very sad. It is camaraderie like that that is essential to having a successful volunteer program. If that has been lost, that is very sad, and will make Filoli's future success much harder to achieve.

I wish Filoli all the best, and I very much hope the current management will see the wisdom of restoring peace and serenity to Filoli, and will do their best to restore and encourage camaraderie among their volunteers. After all, the volunteers have to love and enjoy what they are doing, or they will leave. And "love" was one of the three essentials to the Roth family, and is one of the reasons they named their beautiful estate "Filoli": "FIdelity, LOve, LIfe".

For those interested in gardens or getting involved in exhibits at a volunteer-friendly place, stop by The Museum of American Heritage at 351 Homer Ave. in Palo Alto. They maintain a beautiful garden from the turn-of-the-century, along with many interesting exhibits throughout the year. Their current main exhibit is "In the Groove: A History of Record Players". They have many other rooms filled with artifacts and inventions that shaped the way we live today.

This organization appreciates volunteers of all backgrounds and interests, with time flexible to fit your schedule. Visit them on weekends, or call 650 321-1004 to find out how much fun volunteering can be. Open Friday - Sunday, free admission.

To paraphrase a friend who was a Filoli volunteer, “Filoli Executive Director Kara Newport’s gift to the community is the exodus of many valuable, intelligent, skilled, giving volunteers finding new places worth of their time.”

Thank you, Ken, for posting another opportunity that welcomes and values volunteers.

VOLUNTEER HELP WANTED BY THE ALLIED ARTS GUILD AUXILIARY

Allied Arts Guild's reputation as a beautiful and historic California showplace is equaled by its philanthropic purpose: the car of critically ill children at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.

The Allied Arts Guild Auxiliary welcomes new members who are interested in helping with our mission. Opportunities in retail, special event planning, data processing, and gardening are some of the volunteer opportunities available.

For more information please contact our Membership Chairman:
Sally Knorp-spknorp@comcast.net

Thanks for this informative article. I'm still left wondering, though, about some basic questions: what is the reason for this change in policy? Who benefits?

My assumption is that the volunteers are no longer financing the bulk of the operations, as they did before 1987, so that the organization no longer feels the need to acknowledge their efforts.

I am a recent member of Filoli - I joined at the Heritage level. I used to go to Filoli often right after I graduated from college but life's circumstances caused me to forget about all the wonderful things about Filoli. I became reacquainted with Filoli in late 2015 and joined as a member in early 2017. I have truly enjoyed my membership and getting to know the delightful staff, volunteers, and members. I invite my friends to partake in some of the events sponsored by Filoli and they have truly enjoyed themselves. Recently (this week to be exact) I received the beautiful Annual Report describing all that Filoli has done during the Centennial celebration and all that it plans to do in the future. I am puzzled why anyone would believe that Filoli is an "awful" place. While every NFP organization needs to have volunteers, I was struck at the number Filoli used to have - WAY too many. I am saddened to read the comments above. Filoli is no one's private garden. It needs to have paid full time staff to operate the facility so that ALL can enjoy. My mom was a fountain of proverbs and sayings (in two languages nonetheless). One of my favorite was "if you cannot say something nice, don't say anything at all". Everyone deserves their opinion - This is simply mine!

Since Filoli first opened to the public in 1976, it has grown to serve the local community as a place of beauty and historical significance. Presently Filoli serves over 175,000 visitors a year, with over 10,000 members and an operating budget of $7 million. Filoli was given to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to serve as a community treasure, and as more people from our regional community visit the property, we have to focus and prioritize our efforts on the experience of those visitors. I’d like to take an opportunity here to clarify some points in regard to the information contained in this article.

Volunteer resources are greatly valued at Filoli. Like many other non-profit organizations, Filoli evolved to a point where background checks were mandatory for all volunteers working on the property. This was instilled as a way to help protect the organization and in no way was a reflection of how we feel about our volunteers. Filoli’s board of directors covered the cost of the background screening for all current volunteers when the new requirements were implemented. A criminal background check ensures the safety of all volunteers, staff, and visitors, including the thousands of schoolchildren who visit Filoli for field trips and nature walks led by volunteers. Some of the volunteers included in this article stopped actively volunteering because they chose not to complete the background check. Others left Filoli in 2015 and have not been involved with the recent changes. It is important to note that these former volunteers were not happy with Filoli’s previous administrations as well.

The events planned by volunteers over the years were not fundraising events, and required a significant amount of staff time, effort and funding.There were operational deficits, key staff positions left unfilled, and over $1 million in deferred maintenance projects when Kara Newport took the reins as executive director. We are fortunate to have Kara’s experience, knowledge and expertise at the helm. Kara reports to the Board of Directors and we are grateful for their support and direction as we guide Filoli safely into the next 100 years.

There has been only one 501(c)(3) entity known as Filoli Center. The Friends of Filoli was dissolved as a separate auxiliary in 1987; all membership payments have been received by Filoli Center since 1987, and this is still the case today. Filoli is co-stewarded with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and our partnership with this respected national organization is enduring, with our shared values and mission to serve and educate the public.

We hold all who interface with the public -- our staff and volunteers both -- to a high standard of conduct and we are incredibly fortunate to share our mission and values with many skilled, knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers. We welcome new volunteers to join us anytime throughout the year, or through one of our volunteer recruitment events held every six months or so. Last month our recruitment event was well-attended with over 60 interested individuals who come from diverse backgrounds, many of whom speak a second language and are eager to give their time in serving our bay area community.

If you have questions about Filoli or you need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Susan O’Sullivan, Director, Development and External Relations, Filoli

Filoli is certainly not the caring, responsive organization it once was.
Case in point...series ticket patrons for Jazz sent an e-mail inquiry to Filoli on March 27th with questions regarding a notice they received about the new Jazz structure. As of April 9th they have NOT received a response!
They have now decided to discontinue their support.
So many dispirited members & cheerless volunteers!

Well obviously Filoli is run as a dictatorship where employees or volunteers are banquished if they dare challenge the Director or do not give absolute loyalty (Gee where did we hear that from). They can continue to serve as a playground to their corporate masters by renting out the estate to weddings and corporations and leaving the rest of us with crumbs. However by paying staff instead of using volunteers, they just blew up their operations budget (again where did we hear that scenario from). However much money they bring in will be nullified by increased payroll, benefits etc.

If they want to see how it’s done right, they should refer to Huntington Gardens or Gamble House.

The rot starts at the top. I’m laying this all on the feet of the director. She cares more about her image - witness her paid friends commenting on this thread -than actually doing a good job. Again, where did we see this from?

They killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

"They killed the goose that laid the golden egg."

My wife and I visited Filoli recently (2018) for the first time in about 15 years and couldn't believe the changes. I've been searching the internet to understand the reasons for the decline - we thought maybe the endowment fund had been managed by Bernie Madoff. The gardens look quite bedraggled. I hope things get turned around and the organization finds the funds to return the property to it's previous splendor.

The Executive Director does not seem to want to pay gardeners who have at least an undergraduate degree in horticulture so most gardeners have quit, Rick. One gardener has been at Filoli 3 years; the rest a shorter period of time. Yes, I agree the gardens are somewhat bedraggled; weedy, in fact.

Staff has not been trained in volunteer management. That training would go a long way with collaboration and make good a positive working staff/volunteer environment - which in turn would lead to a more positive visitor experience.