A local group of women has donated over $24,000 to local charities over the last year, through the 100 Women Who Care, Cochrane chapter.
A local group of women has donated over $24,000 to local charities over the last year, through the 100 Women Who Care, Cochrane chapter.
The fundraising concept started in the United States with the idea to bring together 100 women to donate $100 each and give the monies to a local charity. Meetings are held quarterly, where each member can pitch which charity to donate the monies to, then three charity names are pulled from a hat and members vote on which organization receives the funds. Currently the Cochrane chapter has just over 70 members but is encouraging more women to join.
“It is very minimal commitment but a very efficient way to donate your dollars to four charities, ” explained Colleen Buckley, Co-Founder of the Cochrane Chapter. “The concept just fascinated me because it was just easy donation to a charity - it is empowering when you go to a meeting and you think of the amount of money you donated to the charity in an hour. ”
The first meeting, held last May, raised $10,200 from 50 women for the University of Calgary Host Graft.
The second meeting raised $7,000 for the Wood's Homes, a multi-service, and community-owned and operated children's mental health centre. The third meeting raised $7,100 for the Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area.
“We want to get women talking about this concept and getting them talking about it in their community - it is a really cool thing to be a part of, ” Buckley explained.
To nominate a charity, members must complete a nomination form that can be found on the 100 Women Who Care website. Members must be at the meeting to put the name in the hat, and if the member's charity is chosen, members must be ready that night to give a brief summary of the charity and the monies should be donated to that charity.
“It is basically a format for women in the group to learn about charities they may not have heard about, ” Buckley explained. “Then it is an immediate process (of donation), you've chosen the charity and you get the most bang for your buck. There is no middle man involved - it has worked very effectively for us. ”
Organizers ask for a minimum donation of $100 from each member per meeting but do not discourage donations of a higher amount if the member can afford it. The meetings last for typically an hour and each guest also pays $20 for appetizers at the event. With the organization hoping to grow in the next year, Buckley said the founders will be looking to partner with new venues in Cochrane and area that can accommodate to 100 or more people.
“It is a great way to get to know other women in the community - I think we all want to do our part, ” Buckley said.
The last meeting of the year will be held Feb. 9 at the Bear's Den in Bearspaw at 7:30 p.m. There are no membership fees; all organizers ask is for those interested in joining to complete a membership form.
For more information go to 100womencochrane.com, the organization's Facebook page at 100 Women Who Care Cochrane Chapter, or contact organizers at [email protected]
