The goal: increase your impact.
The process: a meeting once every three months for less than an hour.
The name: 100 Women Who Care.
It’s a new initiative in Williams Lake, aimed at bringing women together to help with deserving charities or not for profit organizations.
“It’s a quarterly meeting for busy people to get together and donate money,” says organizer Tammy Watson.
The format goes like this.
Women arrive on the designated day at the designated location. They register, if they haven’t already, and then three non-profit organizations will be invited to speak for five minutes about themselves. Then, the group votes on their favourite of the three. People can socialize, and when the votes are counted and the winner announced, everyone there will fill out a cheque (or bring $50) to give to the organization. There are no administrative fees, the cheque goes directly to the charity, so there is no middle man, and then people can head back on their way.
It maximizes donations to make a big difference.
“I thought individually we all donate to different causes and I thought, wouldn’t it be great to do something bigger. Time being an issue in people’s lives to organize a fundraiser takes a lot of time and energy,” says Watson.
“The best thing about it is it is short and sweet.”
Charities are nominated by members and then drawn out of a hat to see who will be invited.
The goal is to make it relevant to the members, she says, so they can focus on groups they care about. She also hopes that the presentations might present a pathway for women looking for a place to volunteer to learn about different groups.
“I think after the summer we had, I think everyone sees the impact these non-profit organizations have had on people.”
The idea comes from the original 100 Women Who Care group, based out of Jackson, Michigan. Since then, the idea has spread across the world, enfolding women, “100 Men Who Give a Damn,” and even “100 Kids Who Care” groups.
“Individually, I could donate $50 to a cause, but as a group of women we are greater and can have a huge impact on our communities,” says Watson.
The first event is set to take place Thursday, March 1 at CJs Southwestern Grill at 6 p.m.
The three groups in attendance will be the Starfish Pack Program, the Williams Lake SPCA and the Boys and Girls Club.
For more information, search 100 Women Who Care Williams Lake on Facebook, or visit www.wl100womenwhocare.com.