Where Outpost Neighborhood Association Donations Go (and why they matter)
An image of Outpost Estates signs at each entrance to the neighborhood that were designed, purchased, and installed using donor funds.
Thank you to every neighbor and stakeholder who donates to the Outpost Neighborhood Association (ONA). We are a 100% volunteer‑run nonprofit—ONA has no paid staff, and all officers and directors serve without compensation. That means 100% of your donations go directly to supporting ONA’s mission and neighborhood work (see our mission, which links to our Articles of Incorporation here).
A picture of one of the landscaped traffic islands on Outpost Drive maintained by ONA.
How donations are used
Neighborhood beautification and maintenance
Weekly care of the five traffic islands on Outpost Drive (trimming, trash removal, and irrigation checks).
Periodic clean‑ups along key corridors and at neighborhood landmarks, plus seasonal storm prep (clearing street drains) and brush clearance around curbs, historic street lights, and street signs.
Typical costs:
Ongoing gardener/vendor services: ~$300 per month.
Periodic needs such as brush clearance or special projects (recent examples: ~$1,250 for annual brush clearance; ~$1,650 for island maintenance/beautification at El Cerrito & Outpost).
A picture from one of the ONA neighborhood social events.
2. Community events that bring neighbors together
Annual Meeting, Earth Day, summer gatherings, Halloween/Open House, holiday socials, and small block meet‑ups.
Recent examples include reimbursements for Annual Meeting refreshments and event signage.
Typical event spend: ~$600 per event for food, beverage, signage, and supplies.
3. Communications and outreach
Website hosting on Squarespace (~$275/year) and domain registration (~$20 at renewal).
Printed materials for signs, flyers, mailers, and occasional postage.
Picture of the www.OutpostEstates.com website accessible on multiple device types.
ONA carries insurance and expenses for a post office box to receive paper mail.
4. Insurance, compliance, and basic operations
Insurance: Directors & Officers and General Liability (recent annual renewal ~$2,600).
PO Box for official mail (~$375/year).
Required annual filings (IRS, California Franchise Tax Board, California Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts, and Secretary of State). Filing fees vary by form and year (recent examples in the $55–$500 range).
5. Safety and community partnerships
Modest, occasional expenses that support neighborhood relationships and collaboration (for example, thank‑you gestures after coordinated efforts, or sponsoring the National Night Out event).
ONA supports neighborhood relationships in support of Outpost Estates like the Los Angeles Police Department organized National Night Out event.
A picture of the plans for two new landscaped traffic islands that ONA is working to install on Outpost Drive at the La Presa Drive and Chelan Drive intersections.
5. Neighborhood Improvement Projects
Various improvement projects that help improve the beauty or safety of our Outpost Estates neighborhood like the landscaped traffic island installation project or the neighborhood security license plate reader cameras installation project.
A significant portion of our bank balance is earmarked for the landscaped traffic island installation project so work can proceed once approvals are finalized. Recent example of expenses: professional services for pre‑construction permit assistance and a traffic control plan.
Other funding that helps stretch donor dollars:
Grants: As a non-profit, ONA applied for various matching donor grants or grants given for a specific purpose like the $25,000 received from the LA County Parks Foundation and the $7,500 NBC Universal matching donor grant for the landscaped traffic island installation project.
Bank interest: We keep operating funds in savings and transfer to checking as needed. With higher balances, interest income has been about $20 per month recently, which helps offset routine costs.
Recent donation history (to give a sense of scale)
2024: $50,112
2023: $21,106
2022: $12,000
2021: $6,000
Governance and transparency
ONA is governed by a volunteer board. We approve expenses, follow nonprofit best practices, and publish regular financial updates at each Board meeting that is open to the public and posted on each meeting calendar invite located here: outpostestates.com/events.
Our mission is described on the Join page and in the Articles of Incorporation linked there: www.outpostestates.com/join.
Thank you
Your donations directly maintain our shared spaces, strengthen neighbor‑to‑neighbor connection, and keep ONA compliant and insured—all without any paid staff. To contribute or learn more, please click here.
