Leonard and Shirley Ely

Once called “the flame that kindled the Community Foundation Silicon Valley,” Leonard Ely has been volunteering for CFSV for more than half its 50-year history.

“I think the key to philanthropy is creating the philanthropic habit,” Leonard says. Numerous Silicon Valley philanthropists credit Leonard with kick-starting their own giving habits. “Leonard told me, ‘You know, Steve, some people in this world want to give money away.’ It became clear to me that people who had the basics of life covered could help people they care about through strategic philanthropy,” says Steve Kirsch, founder of the Steven and Michèle Kirsch Foundation at CFSV.

Leonard has served on more than 30 nonprofit boards. His involvement with Community Foundation Silicon Valley began in 1980, when the foundation had only $700,000 in assets. “It was the best kept secret in the Valley,” he recalls.

He volunteered as the foundation’s first development director, and within three years, raised $3 million. Today, Leonard belongs to the Advisory Council and the John Wilson Heritage Society, the Community Foundation’s legacy society. From donor-advised funds to charitable remainder trusts, Leonard and Shirley have used most of the Community Foundation’s services.

As the Community Foundation celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a campaign to raise funds for the Community Investment Fund endowment, Leonard and Shirley Ely were among the first to sign on. “This challenge grant from Jeff Skoll reminded me of our early days when Bill Hewlett gave us a similar challenge,” he says. “It’s critical that we build a savings account to help the community today and for the next 50 years.”