Since Community Vision’s founding in 1987, we have provided an avenue for people to align their financial decisions with their commitments to social justice. Nearly a quarter of our loan capital is made up of investments from individuals—people in the community dedicated to putting their money to work for social good. With their support, we are able to provide flexible financing that advances community ownership of community assets across California.
This Investor Spotlight features some of our long-time investors, Bill and Victoria Bruckner, who have been supporting Community Vision’s work for more than 30 years.
Bill and Victoria began their investing journey with Community Vision in the early ‘90s. After receiving a modest inheritance from Bill’s mother, the couple searched for opportunities to place the funds in socially responsible investments. Upon the recommendation of a financial advisor, they discovered the Northern California Community Loan Fund (NCCLF), now Community Vision, and decided to invest.
“We weren’t wealthy people at all,” Bill reflected. “It wasn’t a lot of money, and it still isn’t a lot of money, but it’s what we could afford. From what we had heard about NCCLF, now Community Vision, we were really impressed with what you were doing, partly because of our backgrounds.”
Both Bill and Victoria have extensive experience in social work, education, disability rights, and community organizing, including running their own disability education training business for 25 years. This long-standing commitment to social issues, along with their professional experiences, provided them firsthand insights into the necessity of financing community-serving organizations.
“Because I was a social worker in San Francisco for 10 years, and I worked a lot with people throughout the community, I was thrilled to see that you supported organizations like Mission Neighborhood Center and Bayview Hunters Point Foundation,” said Bill.
Throughout Bill’s and Victoria’s time as social workers, they became familiar with many different organizations that provided services for populations in need. Several of these nonprofits had also been clients of Community Vision, demonstrating alignment between Bill and Victoria’s investing and their support for organizations delivering services for seniors, providing mental health support, and supplying affordable housing.
“I visited lots of people in very difficult housing situations. I was involved in some groups like BRIDGE Housing Incorporation, and we definitely talked about affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities. Since those were the populations I was working with, I was impressed when I found out that you had worked with Mercy Housing and other services I was familiar with as a social worker helping people find affordable housing,” said Bill.
For Bill and Victoria, investing is not just about the financial return—it is an opportunity to contribute positively to societal change, ensuring that every dollar invested helps to build and support thriving communities.
“It’s important we put our money where our mouth is,” said Bill. “If you believe in supporting organizations that have difficulty getting traditional financing, Community Vision is a great organization to support.”
