The Charitable Giving Department provides a broad range of services to professional advisors, potential donors, and current donors to assist them in achieving their philanthropic goals. It also serves as a comprehensive technical resource for specific planned giving strategies.

Contact us at any time at (619) 235-2300 or GivingTeam@sdfoundation.org.

Charitable Giving Team

Adrienne Vargas
Vice President, Charitable Giving
As Vice President, Charitable Giving, Adrienne is responsible for developing programs and services to support the growth of The Foundation’s asset base and identity within the San Diego region. She works closely with charitably-minded individuals and estate planning professionals to establish endowments, Legacy funds and planned gifts at The Foundation. Since joining The Foundation in 1997, Adrienne has worked in a variety of capacities. Most recently, she served as the Associate Vice President, Fund Services, ensuring that donors and fund advisors receive the highest quality service in developing and meeting their philanthropic goals. She has also worked in the areas of board and volunteer relations, human resources, grantmaking and marketing & communications. Prior to joining The Foundation, Adrienne worked for six years as a development officer for Grossmont Hospital Foundation. She also served as a staff assistant for the Harvard College Fund and as an eighth grade teacher at a parochial school in the Bronx. Adrienne graduated from Fordham University in New York City with a BA in Political Science.

Simona Valanciute
Director, Charitable Giving
Simona has been a Charitable Giving Advisor at The San Diego Foundation for nine years. Currently, as Director of Charitable Giving, Simona is responsible for developing programs and services to support broad-based philanthropy in the San Diego region. She works closely with charitably-minded individuals and their professional advisors – estate planning attorneys, real estate attorneys, CPAs, private fiduciaries, private bankers, and wealth managers - to establish foundations, donor advised funds, endowments, legacy funds, and planned gifts.

Since joining The Foundation, Simona has worked in a variety of capacities, including as founding director of the San Diego Social Venture Partners and the San Diego Women's Foundation; director of The San Diego Foundation’s board and volunteer relations, director of the Fund Services department, director of the Balboa Park Trust, and other assignments.

Originally from Lithuania, Simona has a diverse cultural and educational background. She is fluent in Lithuanian, Russian, and English. In her spare time, Simona enjoys theatre, dancing, singing, playing piano and kankles. She is founder of the B. Brazdzionis Lithuanian Saturday School in San Diego.

Building upon her degrees in literature and business administration, Simona is currently pursuing her executive MBA.

Amy Walling
Director, Endowment Operations, Gift Planning & Research
As Director of Endowment Operations and Research, Amy is responsible for planned giving support providing Crescendo illustrations to non-profits and professional advisors. She tracks and reports the Endow San Diego Initiative, and researches and tracks philanthropic information and trends. Amy has 17 years of experience including research positions at San Diego State University, Sharp Healthcare's Foundation, University of California San Diego, University of Florida, and Children's Hospital San Diego. Amy holds a B.A., M.A. and has completed post graduate work in information science. She is the 2007 Service Award recipient and member of the California Advancement Research Association (CARA). She is also a member of National Council on Planned giving (NCPG) and Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA).

Judy Ross
Coordinator, Charitable Giving

Adam Smalley
Planned Giving Consultant
As Planned Giving Consultant, Adam works with potential donors and their advisors, educating them about The San Diego Foundation. Prior to coming to The Foundation in January 1993, Adam was Director, Planned Giving at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation for nine years. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), a past-president and board member of the Planned Giving Roundtable of San Diego as well as a former board member of the San Diego Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. Adam was the Planned Giving Professional of the Year in 1996 and, with San Diego attorney Ralph Gano Miller, is co-author of the Charitable Planning Primer CCH, Incorporated, 1998.