Did you know that less than 2% of all charitable giving in the US goes to women’s and girls’ organizations?
It’s true.
And, that’s why 16 women founded the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC) 20 years ago. A fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County, the WGC is building a community of philanthropists to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. As WGC ends its 20th Anniversary Year, here is a snapshot of efforts in 2022, and the last 20 years:
Our background
- WGC is a giving circle – a collective giving effort where we are pooling our dollars for greater impact
- We are focusing on women and girls because programs that focus on us are traditionally underfunded
- We are proud to be among the thousands of giving circles across the country that have given millions of dollars in our local communities
Our history
We have:
- Been part of the Howard County community for 20 years and are one of the longer tenured giving circles in the country
- Brought women together to pool our dollars so we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone
- Elevated the voices and stories of women philanthropists in Howard County as we’ve helped build a community of givers
- Invested over $1,000,000 to our nonprofit partners through over 250 grants
- Built over a $1,300,000 endowment from over 1,600 donors that will ensure that there are funds to support women and girls in our community in perpetuity
Our impact
- WGC’s 20 Years, 20 Stories Series
- WGC’s 20 Years of Impact – By the Numbers
- WGC’s 2022 Year in Review & 2023 Opportunities for Growth
Our 2022 highlights
- WGC’s $200,000 in grants to our nonprofit partners, including through WGC’s Emergency Response Network
- WGC’s 22 events, including our Virtual Coffee Chat on the State of Women and Girls in Howard County, our Mother’s Day Happy Hour at Bra-La-La, our co-Sponsorship of the County’s Women’s Equality Day Lunch, our Sunset Happy Hour at The Community Ecology Institute/Freetown Farm, and our WGC End-of-Year Advisory Board Meeting and Celebration
- WGC Awarded the MLK “Living the Dream” Award by the Howard County Office of Human Rights & Equity
- WGC’s 20th Anniversary Annual Celebration: “Gaps and Growth in Philanthropic Support for Women and Girls”
- WGC’s State of Women and Girls in Howard County
- WGC’s Pink Party in the Park 20th Anniversary Celebration
- WGC’s Black Philanthropy Month Our Giving, Our Stories & Happy Hour at The 3rd
- WGC’s 20 Years, 20 Stories
- WGC’s Inaugural Big Give Launched
- WGC’s Year-Long Feminine Hygiene Product Drive
Our 4 distinct ways to give
We will do all of this because of your philanthropic investments through our 4 distinct giving opportunities:
- WGC Community Member – how women have been giving to the WGC for years – through our Emergency Response Network, Annual and Special Appeals, “In Honor” of someone including our new Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund!
- WGC Sponsor Member – we are currently offering numerous sponsorship opportunities for 2023 and we hope you will consider joining us. Thank you to our 2022 Sponsors! And, to all 2023 Sponsors to date.
- WGC Legacy Member – this is a gift to our endowment or through planned giving
- WGC Big Give Member – we launched this roll-up-your-sleeves collective giving opportunity this year and 27 women gave $20,000 to 3 nonprofit partners
Our opportunities for involvement
There are numerous ways to get involved – here’s a few upcoming opportunities:
- Attend our upcoming WGC Membership Monday via Zoom on January 23, 2023, from 8:30 am – 9:00 am to learn more about the WGC
- Sponsor or purchase tickets to WGC’s Annual Celebration and Pink Party at Howard Community College on March 8, 2023 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.
- Give products or a donation to WGC’s Feminine Hygiene Product Drive
Our future
- We look forward to engaging our members in new and creative ways
- Advancing our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts
- Building upon WGC’s State of Women and Girls in Howard County to inform our grantmaking
- Strengthening our core support to sustain and grow our circle for the next 20 years and beyond
Our gratitude
- We’ve grown the last 20 years as a giving circle because of all of you
- We have relied upon and appreciated our leaders, members, nonprofit partners, funding partners, and our community the last 20 years
- Thank you for giving together through the WGC so we can have a greater impact on women and girls in our community, together!
This holiday season of gratitude and giving, and WGC leadership is deeply grateful to our donors/members, nonprofit partners, founders, sponsors, Advisory Board members, and all those who collectively support women and girls in Howard County.
