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Join a Circle of Philanthropists Supporting Girls and the Women Who Raise Them
November 17, 2009 By Michele Minter

In my role as a former trustee of the Community Foundation, I have had the unique opportunity to serve on the Fund for Women and Girls grants committee, a very small group of people tasked with making decisions that help to change the lives of girls and the women who raise them across Central New Jersey.

I remember reading grant proposals, and puzzling over how to use the dollars most strategically. Aware of the compelling needs of girls and women in our region, I often regretted that we could not fund more of the excellent projects that would have supported their health, education and well-being.

That experience taught me a lot about philanthropy. I had the chance to consider what to look for in a grant and what makes a project sustainable. I learned about local nonprofit organizations that I might never have encountered otherwise. I had to develop a long-term, outcome-oriented perspective. I took those experiences home, and they helped my husband and me to become more self aware and strategic about our philanthropy (and yes, we can all be philanthropists).

Because of that grant-making experience, I am thrilled that the Community Foundation has made a commitment to convert the Fund for Women and Girls into a giving circle, which will allow many more donors to join me as grant-makers.

Giving circles are a structure for collaborative giving that has become increasingly popular over the last decade, and there are wonderful examples all over the country. Usually created around a common interest, giving circles educate donors, train philanthropists, and engage the community in the process of grant-making. The Fund for Women and Girls Giving Circle will be the first in central New Jersey.

The process is simple. Every donor who makes an annual gift of $100 or more becomes a Giving Circle member, with both the privileges and responsibilities of membership. Members have access to events and special communications including site visits, donor training, and educational programs focused on issues of concern to women and girls. All members will have the chance to review grant summaries, and provide informal feedback. There is a special voting member category for donors who give $1,000 a year. Voting members will be responsible for the final decisions on grants, based on the input of the total membership. Everyone will have the chance to meet grantees, help to set priorities, participate in planning programs, and celebrate successes.

I'm deeply excited by this opportunity. The Fund for Women and Girls Giving Circle will draw new attention to the challenges facing women and girls, and I can't wait to have the chance to meet and collaborate with other women - and men - who care about the same issues. I'm confident that the Giving Circle will get us all talking, thinking, and acting together.

For more information about the Fund for Women and Girls Giving Circle, please download the brochure from the Community Foundation's website at www.pacf.org or contact Deborah Aubert Thomas, Director of Grants and Programs at 609-210-1800 ext. 7 or daubert-thomas@pacf.org.

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