August 2008

Long-Time Hill Resident Continues to Educate

By Anthony Myers

At 77 years old, Alan Wendroff, who’s lived on Potrero Hill for almost four decades, continues to give back to his community.   Wendroff serves as Vice-President of Development for the Lowell High School Alumni Association, and teaches fundraising at California State University’s downtown Oakland campus.  At an age when most Americans spend their time relaxing, the former consultant and author is “trying to balance retirement with work.”  

“My family wasn’t wealthy.  My father and his brothers gave to the community.  My Jewish upbringing taught me to give back.”  According to Wendroff, who graduated from Lowell in 1950 and graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in philosophy and religion, Buddhism has also shaped his perspective on life.

Wendroff authored Special Events: Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraising, selling “a book and a half a day [on Amazon.com] without any publicity.”  Over the years he’s offered his fundraising skills to a variety of educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League.  When a budget shortfall threatened Hebrew classes at Lowell four years ago, Wendroff led the school’s efforts to obtain support from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.   “As a result of the state’s 2003 budget shortfall, public funding for several languages, including Hebrew, was eliminated. Alan Wendroff continues to work tirelessly to ensure that foreign languages are taught at Lowell.  The Goldman Fund has been supporting the program ever since,” said Debbie Findling, the Fund’s Deputy Director.  

Wendroff’s advice to nonprofits who want to raise money through fundraising events is simple:  you don’t want people’s reaction to be “Oh no, not another chicken dinner!  Organize and do something unique.”  

A San Francisco native, Wendroff moved to De Haro Street from North Beach in 1967.  “It’s changed and it hasn’t.  The Hill is a calming place to live,” he said.  The fact that increasing numbers of high-income individuals and families are moving to the community doesn’t bother him.   “It makes the City richer,” he said, though the influx of residents over the years has created more competition for parking.  The Hill’s isolated location has made driving a must, according to Wendroff.  “Muni is revising things – hopefully they’ll get it right.  The bus lines are too long and the hills slow the buses down; they should have more hubs so people can transfer.”

While Potrero Hill is Wendroff’s home base he’s also interested in state and national issues, particularly related to education.  “California is in the process of imploding,” he said.  “They should impeach anyone who cuts education spending.”  According to Wendroff, high-quality education is essential to creating the next generation of leaders.  “We need leadership in our government.  [Former State Legislator and San Francisco Mayor] Willie Brown was working the state legislature.  [Mayor Gavin] Newsom has personal problems.  We’re letting all our [post-secondary] schools down.  K-12 is being decimated.  The governors’ people don’t know what’s going on.  They weren’t anticipating the economy collapsing.  I’m sure economists predicted the bubble was going to burst.”

Despite his discomfort with state and local politics, Wendroff revels in living in his native City.  “Enjoy what we have and try to keep it a livable community.  We have the best weather around,” he advised.

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