About Our Chapter

NCL, Inc., Orchard Valley Chapter is a group of mothers and daughters who have come together in a commitment to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.
Members shall reside in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara or Cupertino area. Like all NCL, Inc. Chapters, Orchard Valley aims to foster the mother-daughter relationship by serving its communities together.

 

ABOUT NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE

National Charity League, Inc. is a non-profit national organization of mothers and daughters dedicated to serving their local communities.

Orchard Valley Chapter members reside in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, Mountain View, Sunnyvale or Santa Clara. Our chapter motto is Fun, Friendly and Flexible.

 

OUR MISSION

To foster the mother-daughter relationship in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development, and cultural experiences.

NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE – ORCHARD VALLEY CHAPTER

P.O. Box 3693

Los Altos, CA  94024

Join Our Chapter

Interested in joining our chapter? Membership opportunities are dependent on chapter openings.

Please complete the Membership Inquiry Form so we can contact you directly. If you know a current chapter member, feel free to reach out to them as well to learn about getting started.

Membership Inquiry Form

For any questions regarding Membership, requests for transfers or assistance with connecting as a Sustainer, email us.

Click here to apply for 2026-2027!

 

 

Thank you for your interest in the Orchard Valley Chapter of NCL. Here are some things to keep in mind about the membership process:

– Timeline:  Applications for membership are accepted during the Annual Membership Drive from October – February each year for daughters in grades 6th – 8th at the time of the Membership Drive.

– Residence:  A Prospective Member shall reside or attend school in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, or Cupertino.

– Open House:  We encourage you and your daughter to attend our Open House in February 2026. Please fill out the Membership Inquiry Form to receive an invitation.

– Application:  2026 Membership Drive – Prospective Member Information Meeting – Feb 1st, 2-4pm;  Prospective Member Applications Due on March 1

The NCL experience is designed to take place over six grade level years.  Because it a small group program, class size is a critical factor to ensure success.  Openings in all classes above 7th grade are at the discretion of the Chapter Board and are based on a predetermined class size range.

If you know someone in NCL, talk to her about her Chapter’s boundaries, membership obligations and membership drive timeline. If you do not know someone in NCL, Inc. we invite you to submit our Membership Inquiry Form.

Community Service

We understand and serve communities in partnership with local and national nonprofits. Each NCL, Inc. chapter promotes social awareness by considering the local community’s needs and selecting appropriate non-profit organizations to support through different volunteer activities.

We work with the following philanthropies:

• Alexandra Chiles Foundation
• Alzheimer’s Association
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• Animal Assisted Happiness
• BAWSI
• Canine Companions
• Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
• Disaster Response
• FabMo
• Grassroots Ecology
• Holiday Philanthropy Fun
• Hope’s Corner
• Kindness Campaign
• LifeMoves: Commercial Center & Meals
• LifeMoves: Maple Street
• LifeMoves: Mountain View
• LifeMoves: Opportunity Shelter & Breaking Bread
• Los Altos Community Foundation
• Los Altos Library
• Lytton Gardens
• Mountain View Library
• Operation Gratitude
• Palo Alto Veterans Administration
• Princess Project
• Ronald McDonald House
• Salvation Army of Silicon Valley
• Second Harvest Food Bank
• Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange
• Silicon Valley Down Syndrome Network
• Special Olympics of Northern California
• Sunday Friends

  

Leadership Development

We build capable, courageous leaders through opportunities to learn, reflect and develop. Our leaders become successful in their education, career and communities by learning the necessary skills during their NCL experience.

Examples of skills developed include:

• Confidence
• Consensus building
• Team building
• Conflict resolution
• Event planning
• Parliamentary procedure

Our Chapter Board of Directors:

OUR PROGRAMS

The NCL Experience inspires and empowers women to succeed as confident, well-rounded and socially aware contributors in their communities.

Each Chapter develops its own six-year plan, which includes a variety of age appropriate and meaningful programming opportunities for daughters, called Ticktockers, as well as for mothers, called Patronesses.

Each Ticktocker grade level is organized by elected Ticktocker officers and coached by a Patroness acting as a Grade Level Advisor. The activities designated on the six-year plan are organized for Personal Development (life skills), Leadership Development (professional skills) and Cultural Competency (social skills). In addition to working closely with daughters and supporting their local communities, all Patronesses hold a Chapter job each year and actively participate as leaders in the operational success of the Chapter.

Cultural Experiences

We preserve National Charity League traditions and core values, while appreciating the growth that comes from connecting with different communities and cultures. We continually strive to build stronger ties with our communities and the individuals within them. It is through this understanding that we grow and develop broader worldviews that will shape and support our lives.

• Traditions – We celebrate the richness of our history through traditions that honor the past while serving the future.
• Values – We embrace values that make us strong as an organization of mother-daughter leaders.
• Community Connections – We build connections through experiences that impact our communities.
• Etiquette – We encourage and mentor kind, respectful and gracious social conduct.

As future leaders, we continually strive to build stronger ties with our communities and the individuals within them. It is through this understanding that we grow and develop broader worldviews that will shape and support our lives. We celebrate our history through traditions that honor the past while serving the future.

Our cultural events have varied throughout the years and have included visits to the Japanese tea garden and San Francisco Sand Art Festival; a self-defense class and a safety class with the local police department; pottery and painting classes; several concerts and theatrical events.

One of our most cherished traditions is the Chapter Tea held in May. We come together and celebrate our members’ philanthropic efforts throughout the year, as well as milestones achieved by individuals and her impact in the communities we serve. Our incoming provisional class of Patronesses and Ticktockers are introduced and welcomed into the chapter.

Chapter History

Back in March of 2009, six mothers met in downtown Los Altos to discuss establishing a chapter in the area. Five of the six decided to proceed to seek approval from National Charity League, Inc. for a second chapter in the area, which was approved in May. A formation meeting was held in June to gauge interest in starting a new chapter. Orchard Valley Chapter was started that year with 26 mothers and 26 daughters in 4 classes. We became a chartered chapter in April 2011.

We serve over 20 philanthropies in our local community.