As an all-volunteer organization, we take our recharge time seriously. After a busy first quarter of learning and grant review, we're stepping back for six weeks. We'll be back in mid-August, and we can't wait to see you then! If anything comes up during the break, email us and we will respond—we just might be a little slower than usual.
The difference between Member Updates and ninety-nine news
We issue two different publications: Member Updates and ninety-nine news. The first is for members only and comes out every other week except when we are on break. The latter is for Girlfriends AND the broader community and comes out three or four times a year with important announcements. Both have value, so please be sure to check them out when they hit your inbox.
Get more out of our website!
Take a brief tour of the important information on our website:
ABOUT is great for sharing and recruiting
GRANTS explains who we fund and how
JOIN tells how to become a part of our community
MEMBERS gives info about our Fellows and events, and has a link to the directory
NEWS tab is where you can read our public announcements
EDUCATION is where you learn all about our educational arm and access archives
DONATE tab is where to make an even greater impact
Follow us on social media
Are you following ninety-nine girlfriends on social media? If not, you’re missing some fun posts. This month we’re highlighting famous Asian and Pacific Islander women in Oregon’s history, to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. You’ll learn about brave Chinese pilots Hazel Ying Lee and Leah Hing, architect Edith Yang, writer Takami Fukuda, dancer Sahomi Tachibana, and Miyo Iwakoshi, the first female Japanese immigrant in Oregon, just to name a few. Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!
Making retirement contributions: a smart strategy for giving and tax savings
Did you know you could designate part of your retirement funds directly to ninety-nine girlfriends?
Individuals who are 73 or older must withdraw required minimum distributions (RMDs) from traditional IRAs and certain retirement accounts. These withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income, which can increase your tax bill and push you into a higher bracket. However, you can turn this obligation into an advantage by donating your RMDs directly to a nonprofit through a qualified charitable distribution.
A qualified charitable distribution transfers directly from your IRA to an eligible nonprofit like ninety-nine girlfriends. When done correctly, this transfer counts toward your RMD but is not included in your taxable income, helps you support causes you care about, and may prevent impacts to your Medicare premiums. If you intend to use this strategy, speak with a financial advisor or tax professional to ensure it’s executed properly and fits your broader retirement plan.
How to volunteer with your Girlfriends
Interested in sharing your skills or learning new ones through volunteering? Be sure your profile in the member directory lists your interests so we know to reach out to you. Look for opportunities in the Member Updates where we ask for help. Or email us and we will schedule a call or a chat over coffee to learn more about your skills and interests. Volunteering with ninety-nine girlfriends is joyful and rewarding. You’re already making a difference with your membership contribution. Double the impact by bringing your skills to the circle!
Trust-based philanthropy: It's how we roll
We practice trust-based philanthropy in our grantmaking. That means we center the needs of nonprofits and the communities they serve, and we intentionally reduce the paperwork, reporting, and bureaucracy that often come with grants. Rather than closely monitoring our grantees, we focus on being supportive partners. This means we do not require detailed plans for exactly how funds will be used, and we keep both the application and reporting process as simple as possible.
We’ll be sharing more about trust-based philanthropy and how it guides our work throughout the year. To learn more, here’s a short three-minute video, along with an additional resource.
Be in the know with calendar updates
Bookmark this page on our website, and check back frequently to see what we’ve added. All the important dates for grantmaking are available now, and membership and member education dates are coming soon. We will also add them to the Member Updates as the dates near.
Why do we have Meet the Finalists watch parties?
Once upon a time, we held an annual in-person Meet the Finalists event. The finalists did live pitches onstage, sharing why they should receive an Impact Award. Many Girlfriends loved this event, until the finalists told us it made them feel like they were performing and it wasn’t equitable. Gulp. We took this learning and changed how we did things. We began paying for finalists to make pitch videos so they could use those videos for our event and other purposes. Once again, we didn’t have it quite right. We had chosen an amazing professional to work with them, but it wasn’t necessarily how they wanted to work or when it worked for them. Once again, we adjusted based on what we’d learned.
Fast forward to now: We ask finalists to create videos that follow certain guidelines (amount of time, a few prompts they can consider) and submit it to us by the deadline. Then we take these videos and put them together in a watch list. Girlfriends volunteer to host you in their homes to watch the videos together. This is Meet the Finalists 2025.
FAQs about the event:
Q: Can I just watch the videos on my own?
A: Absolutely. The watch parties enable you to connect with your Girlfriends but the videos are the same whether you watch them alone or together.
Q: How do I get the link?
A: The link will be emailed and texted to everyone a few days before the watch parties.
Q: Do I have to watch the videos to know how to vote?
A: No. Our voter’s guide gives you information from the organizations and grant review teams, and if you prefer that to the videos, you can vote based on the guide. We encourage you to watch the videos to hear directly from the finalists why they think you should choose them..
Q: Can I watch the videos more than once?
A: Definitely. They are available for you to watch as many times as you like.
Q: Can I reach out to the finalists with questions?
A: Please don’t. Use the resources we have shared with you to make your decisions.
We support our volunteers—with free Tech Training
Did you know that volunteering on one of our teams or committees means you gain access to free tech training? It’s true. We use Google Drive, Google Calendar, Zoom, and MembershipWorks in our daily work, but we don’t exclude you from volunteering if you don’t have those skills – we help you learn them!
Contact Tammy to take advantage of this perk of being a Girlfriend.
Get ready to vote!
As a member of ninety-nine girlfriends, you get to vote for our Impact Awards. Your vote matters, and we want to make it easy (and fun) to get informed before you cast your ballot.
Meet the Finalists Together: On Thursday, October 9, Girlfriends across Portland will host Meet the Finalists watch parties. These gatherings are a great chance to connect with Girlfriends while streaming the finalist videos. These parties are always popular, so register early!
Your Voter Toolkit: That same day, you’ll receive an email with two key resources including the Meet the Finalists Playlist. You can watch it on your own if you can’t make a party. Furthermore, you'll receive the Official Voters Guide. The guide is packed with finalist websites, facts, and statements from our grant review teams about why these organizations rose to the top.
Mark Your Calendar: Voting opens the evening of October 9 and closes just before midnight on October 19. Make sure to set aside time to review, reflect, and cast your ballot.
Join us at the price that works for you
One of the ways we embed equity into our operations is to offer a sliding scale to paid events:
Member + Help Another: for people who want to pay it forward and do a bit more
Member (I could use a little help): for those who’d like financial assistance
Member or Fellow: tickets for members and Fellows
"Create inclusion with simple mindfulness that others might have a different reality from your own." — Patti Digh
From vision to action: our structure
Wondering how our all-volunteer giving circle stays organized? This chart shows you all of the committees (pink) and teams (teal) that keep things running smoothly. If you want to reach any of the committee chairs, just reply to this email and we will connect you.
Membership status: what you need to know
Our membership year runs from May 1 through April 30 of the following year. You can renew whenever it works for you, but the membership year remains the same for everyone. Some of you paid for 2025 in November or December, and others of you paid on April 30. You all enjoy the benefits of ninety-nine girlfriends until April 30, 2026.
No contribution is too small (or too big)
You can show up for ninety-nine girlfriends in so many ways, and every one makes a difference. Join a committee, help plan an event, share your perspective in a meeting, or just renew for 2025! Each action adds to the strength of our collective. If you're new, you can find out how you can contribute at our New Member Welcome and Volunteer Info Session.
Get more out of your membership and VOLUNTEER!
Ninety-nine girlfriends is totally volunteer run, thanks to your generosity. You will connect with other Girlfriends and benefit from giving back when you volunteer. Our volunteer needs range from leadership positions to one-time tasks. Whether you have 30 hours or 30 minutes to spare and bring professional experience or want to grow your skills in a new area, your help means we can help more of our community members!
How to sponsor a member
Do you have a friend or family member who would like to join ninety-nine girlfriends but whose funds are a little tight? Would you like to give the gift of membership? It has never been easier to become a member sponsor. Simply go to the Donate or Sponsor page on our website, choose the “Full Sponsored Membership” option, and provide the sponsee’s contact information, selected membership level ($300, $600, $1200, $1800, or $2500), and form of payment. If you have any questions or need some help, contact us.
How your membership contribution makes a difference
Women join ninety-nine girlfriends by making a tax-deductible contribution to our nonprofit by Wednesday, April 30. Did you know that ninety percent of that contribution goes directly to our grant pool and the other 10% fuels our all-volunteer giving circle (insurance, event expenses, accountants, etc.)? We budget wisely and we get stuff done.
Matching funds are a bonus!
We are so grateful to the companies who provide matching funds for their employees and to those of you who direct these to ninety-nine girlfriends. We use these funds to enhance our grantmaking and more. We encourage you to ask your company about their matching policy. Please note that employer matching funds are a wonderful addition to a membership contribution which must first be paid by an individual or a sponsor. You can read more here.
Choose your contribution level and even customize it
$300, $600, $1,200, $1,800, $2,500? When you join us, you can choose a level that feels personally meaningful and aligns with your ability to give. Every contribution grows our collective pool for grants, connects our community, and amplifies our impact. If you wish to contribute an amount between the listed levels, you can make an additional donation at this link. Every dollar strengthens our mission to fund local nonprofits doing transformative work. Renew your membership today.