SAN MARCOS -- Members of the San Marcos Community Foundation will meet next week to discuss how the newly restructured organization can raise more money and broaden its ability to serve local residents.

The public workshop is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall and will probably last about three hours.

"We're getting new board members up to speed and at same time getting a vision of what we want to accomplish this year and over the next five years," said foundation board President Shelli Douglass.

The foundation's goal by 2011 is to have increased its $1.1 million endowment to $10 million, make it easier for applicants to get money and to be a stronger advocate in the community by acting as a facilitator for service groups and individuals in need.

"Overall, we're trying to learn how to provide better service to the community and how to connect with people who care about San Marcos," said Colleen Lukoff, vice president of the foundation and a professional fundraiser. "That's my personal goal. We have wonderful board members who want to do these things. Now we get down to plans and assignments and start doing it."

She added, "The changes we went through were good, and we're at a good point to take the next step."

After complaints by a former board member and a reprimand by the state attorney general's office, the foundation in March 2005 began embracing a new direction.

It moved its endowment from conservative city-pooled investments into a more aggressive portfolio managed by the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation.

It created monthly mini-grants of $1,500, and it increased the cap on regular quarterly grants from $4,000 to $10,000.

It streamlined the application process by moving to a common application used by many nonprofits in the region through San Diego Grant Makers.

And for the first time, the foundation has established committees and plans to recruit residents from outside the foundation to serve on some of them. The committees are:

- A new grant funding committee will have authority to award the $1,500 mini-grants on its own every month, and make recommendations on quarterly grants to the full board, which approves them by majority vote.

- A fundraising committee, which will likely consist of nonboard members, will focus on partnering with other foundations, raising individual donations, and managing other donor funds, said Lukoff, who will chair the committee.

- A publicity committee will manage press releases and better promote the foundation, which was founded in 1987.

"Now we have a Web site, we have a brochure and business cards," Douglass said. "By the time we meet on the 27th, I think we're ready to hit the ground running and debut what our plans are in a pretty organized fashion," she said.

- And finally, a citizen advisory board still being discussed would provide some kind of vision and oversight for the foundation, Lukoff said.

The foundation plans to go beyond awarding grant applications.

"In Escondido and I think in Carlsbad, those foundations are looking at getting people in the community to give money in what's called donor-advised funds," Lukoff said. "In lieu of setting up their own foundation, they'll put money in the pot and advise the board how to dole the money out. The foundation is the fund holder."

She added, "We'll be looking to do that over next couple of years, and have more funds under management."

The board also has partnered with the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, the Council on Foundations, and the North County Philanthropy Council that can help the foundation work with other groups.

"There are lots of organizations in the county and a lot of needs. We're taking advantage of wisdom out there so we're not reinventing the wheel," Lukoff said.

The board is also considering an idea of creating an area within the San Marcos Library where people can access information and check out texts to find out what services are available in the area and ways to join with other organizations providing similar functions.

Such "capacity building" will help provide people with more services to local citizens, Douglass said.

According to the Community Services Division, the foundation has so far awarded two grants in 2007: a $1,500 grant to North County Life Line and $4,000 to Interfaith Community Services -- San Marcos Project Care.

The foundation will award between 4 percent and 5 percent of its total portfolio each year. According to the Jewish Community Foundation, the foundation endowment earned $102,668 in fiscal year 2006, and has earned $62,352 in the latest quarter.

All grant funding committee and board meetings are open to the public.

On the Web: www.sanmarcoscommunityfoundation.org.

Contact staff writer Ned Randolph at (760) 761-4411 or nrandolph@nctimes.com.