About – Support Newport Mesa

SUPPORT NEWPORT MESA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization Tax ID# 85-2316941 operated by an all-volunteer team and no paid staff.

SUPPORT NEWPORT MESA is a donation platform that makes it easy for you to donate funds to our local schools, teams and other youth programs. 100% of your donation goes to your selected program because the costs of providing this service, including administration, website management, credit card transaction fees, bank processing charges and other expenses are paid for by generous add-on donations by users of this site, our ongoing business supporters and our primary underwriting sponsor, the community loyalty program SHOP NEWPORT MESA.

SUPPORT NEWPORT MESA was created to do our part to strengthen our community by encouraging and facilitating local philanthropy for youth-orientated programs. We advocate for individuals and businesses to giveback while providing this convenient donation platform. Collaborative relationships and working together are key to our mutual success and relentless improvement. Please read our post – The Case for Athletics and Co-curricular Activities.

For perspective, the Newport Mesa Unified School District has over 21,000 students at four high schools and 22 elementary schools with nearly 140 causes – teams, clubs and other programs – each seeking to raise funds from the community. Parent volunteers often help with fundraising but typically move on after a year or two as their children progress through school. This turnover of volunteers is challenging for everyone – parents, coaches, teams and both individual and business donors.

The SUPPORT NEWPORT MESA platform provides multiple benefits toward helping our local youth program fundraising. First, by making donating easy and consistent across causes and programs, new volunteers can adapt quickly to fundraising activities. Both individuals and businesses also find it reassuring to know their donations are through a proper nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The platform also enables coaches, program directors, parent volunteers and others to lighten their administration fundraising tasks and focus more of their time and energy on serving the needs of program participants. Lastly, this platform helps all stakeholders of our many programs by reducing ‘donor fatigue’ and ‘fundraising fatigue’ (see FAQs).

Fundraising is necessary to support our local youth activities. Selling popcorn, candy, car washes, [fill-in-the-blank]-a-thons, bake sales, talent shows, home tours, drawing/raffle tickets, restaurant/store special sales sharing days, parent gala events, team program ads, banners and much more are all be important fundraising activities and this donation portal is meant to complement those efforts.

Our Team:
We live here. We shop here. We work here. We send our kids to school here.

Our Advisors:
Our advisors are volunteers curated for their extensive experience as volunteers supporting Newport Mesa causes.

Our Advocates:
Our Advocates are the ones leading the fundraising for their schools, teams and other youth groups and may include teachers, coaches, school officials, parent volunteers and others actively involved in our local youth-orientated activities.

Our Legal Documents:
IRS Tax Exempt Status Letter
CA Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation

President: Jim Palmer, Owner/Founder, Community Commerce Group

JIM PALMER attended Newport Heights, Ensign and graduated from NHHS (’76) along with his eight siblings (1969, ’70, ’71, ’73, ’78, ’80, ’83 and ’88 – for real, he is #5 of 9). For the nearly 20 years following high school and graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Jim traveled extensively pursuing a successful international corporate career only to return to the Newport Mesa area in 1995. Jim and his wife Eva settled in Costa Mesa and their two children attended Mariners, Ensign and graduated from NHHS (2014, 2017). Several nieces and nephews also graduated from Estancia, Costa Mesa and NHHS. Prior to founding a management and marketing agency in 2010, Jim’s career progressed through senior executive positions in the hospitality, retail, technology and event/media/publishing industries. Over the years Jim has been a consistent volunteer and took on leadership roles as President of NH Boys Soccer and an Executive Board member of Mariners Elementary School Foundation, NH Field Hockey, NH Lacrosse and NB Boy Scout Troop 37. Regardless of the cause, Jim found success leaving situations in better shape than when he arrived. It is in that spirit – leaving things better than how they were found – that formed the ideas behind finding a better way to integrate our generous giveback culture with everyday community activities. Support Newport Mesa was decades in the making and in 2020 opportunities aligned to make the nonprofit a reality by working in tandem with residents, businesses, schools and the Shop Newport Mesa loyalty program to help strengthen the social and economic bonds of our community.

Vice President/Secretary: Marie Case, Owner/Founder Case Communications

MARIE CASE has developed strategic solutions and marketing plans for consumer goods, travel products and publishers for over three decades.

In addition to running her public relations business Case Communications, Marie currently serves on the board and is past Chair of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the first female Skipper of the Chamber’s leadership group the Commodores and has served on the Leadership Tomorrow and American Advertising Federation District 15 Boards. She is past President of the American Advertising Federation Orange County and is a member of the Newport Beach Commodores Club. Marie works and lives in Newport Beach, California.
Case Communications

Treasurer: Eva Palmer, International Logistics & Transportation, Airline Flight Crew

EVA PALMER was born in Venezuela and split her childhood between the big city of Caracas and her family’s native idyllic Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Eva excelled in her chosen career of international aviation transportation and logistics (cargo). Since 1995 Eva has been a Costa Mesa resident with her husband Jim. Following the birth of their second of two children, Eva put her professional career on pause to be a full-time mother and prolific volunteer.

Eva’s two children attended Mariners, Ensign and graduated from Newport Harbor (2014, 2017). Eva has since returned to the aviation industry as a flight crew while continuing to actively volunteer.
Eva Palmer Artist

Advisors:

Please check back

Advisors are friends of Support Newport Mesa, school officials, coaches, parents and past board members. While they do not have the voting rights of current board members, they are key influencers that generously provide their advice and guidance sharing a wide range of specialty talent and knowledge.

Ambassadors/Advocates:

Please check back

Ambassadors may lead membership drives to raise funds for their schools, teams, clubs and other youth development programs and include teachers, coaches, school officials, parents, volunteers and others.