Yes, the rumors are true. We are, in fact, planning our first in-person gathering since March of 2020! Save these dates and stay tuned to your Member Updates for more information. What we can tell you right now is that you’re welcome whether you are a new or returning member and we will have limited space for the in-person event due to the pandemic and our desire to do our part to keep everyone safe.
The Grants Steering Committee is in full swing!
The Grants Steering Committee is a big deal in ninety-nine girlfriends. It’s one of our largest committees, made up of many teams (Outreach, Intake, Grant Review, Financial Review, Voting, and Impact/Liaisons), and it provides numerous volunteer opportunities while doing really important grantmaking work. Here is just a taste of what is going on with this awesome committee of Girlfriends.
Volunteer Spotlight
KATHLEEN PORCELLO
What brought you to ninety-nine girlfriends?
I was volunteering as a grant writer for NAMI Clackamas when I first discovered ninety-nine girlfriends and the annual Impact Awards program. Months later, I saw a LinkedIn post about the young adult Fellows program, and I immediately applied for an interview! I was drawn to the opportunity to learn firsthand about trust-based philanthropy, grantmaking, and the diverse nonprofits doing incredible work in our region. Plus, I wanted to get to know the many amazing members of ninety-nine girlfriends!
Renew Now!
With more than 230 members for 2022 already, we are feeling positive about the coming year. AND with 24 days until our April 23 deadline to join or renew, we have 250 members who haven’t renewed yet. That’s over half of our 2021 members! Please renew today if you haven’t already so we can continue to support our impact partners and communities (and give our hard-working membership committee some peace of mind).
Fellows News
Over the last two weeks, the Fellows Program hosted a terrific professional development event with Alice Tang about lifelong money and financial health (thanks again to member Agnes Zach) and invited SIX new Fellows to join us for the 2022-2023 year. Stay tuned to meet these remarkable young women(*) early next month. Also, we're looking forward to celebrating Mikayla Posey's graduation in April. Mikayla has completed her three-year Fellowship, during which time she's made remarkable contributions to the girlfriends' grantmaking, events, and more! Mikayla manages NW Portland’s Hostel Cafe, so if you find yourself in the neighborhood please drop in and say hello to wonderful Girlfriend and Fellow Mikayla Posey.
Grantee Partner Highlight
“The funds received from ninety-nine girlfriends helped pay the salary of a full-time, bilingual, registered Nurse Manager. The addition of this new position was critical for ensuring we were able to adapt from a walk-in to an appointment-based model. This appointment-based model allowed us to pre-screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms, have fewer patients in the clinic at one time, and better protect patients, volunteer providers and staff from potential exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses. The Nurse Manager is an integral part of the medical team, who oversees the day-to-day operations of patient services. This includes providing direct patient care and supervising medical assistants and volunteers. This position was also vital for implementing the new electronic medical record system and developing policies and procedures around its use.” – Free Clinic
Volunteer Spotlight
JEAN MALARKEY
What brought you to ninety-nine girlfriends?
In the first or second year of ninety-nine girlfriends’ existence, my cousin-in-law, Jinx Faulkner, invited me to an educational event on philanthropy, and I was immediately intrigued by the group and all the great women I met there. I missed the window to join the next year, but was excited to do so in 2018.
Help Us Rebuild Our Events Team
Our intention (and hope) is to begin offering in-person events after membership closes on April 23, when safe for members and appropriate for our organization. To do this, we will need volunteers so that we can put an Events Team/Committee back in place. Kind of like getting the band back together.
Do you like to seek out venues, manage hospitality, and find fun decor while collaborating with the committee responsible for the content of the event? If so, then this volunteer opportunity may be right up your alley.
Please email us if you’re interested in learning more about this fun opportunity. It doesn't involve a lot of your time but is a great way to meet other girlfriends and contribute to our collective.
Host Your Own Mini Cafe
Nothing is more engaging than your personal touch. If you have girlfriends who’d like to learn about ninety-nine girlfriends we have a fun idea for you! Host your own mini-cafe utilizing these timely videos.
Invite your friends to check out The Magic of ninety-nine girlfriends and Pip and Tammy’s fireside chat and then join you to learn more. Let us know when your event is and we’ll try to provide a Girlfriend to answer questions or just use the handy FAQ link. If you need additional materials, please contact Kaye. And if you host a mini-café, please let us know how it goes.
Celebrating Rose Haven
Rose Haven, a 2019 $100,000 impact partner, has accomplished their goal of opening a new day shelter in northwest Portland and we couldn’t be more excited for them! Learn more in this KATU news piece featuring Liz Starke, Rose Haven Development Director and Girlfriend.
Fellows Program Draws Wonderful Applicants
The Fellows program has had an exciting start to the year. In January, we kicked off a new professional development series curated by new girlfriend and new governing board member Agnes Zach. Our every-other-month topics include the Enneagram, Lifelong Financial Health, and Bringing Your Whole Self to Work. In February, Agnes's daughter Maggie hosted a virtual social/game night for us where we all pretended to be different kinds of goats, wreaking virtual havoc from Portland's east side up to a party at the Pittock Mansion. Some of us got to celebrate grantee partner Rose Haven's grand reopening on International Women's Day, where Fellow Liz Starke is the development director. And finally, we received a terrific group of applicants for the next cohort of Fellows. Jeanette Swafford, Michelle Hynes, Mikayla Posey, and Kathleen Porcello conducted interviews in early March, and later this month we hope to invite several new women* to join the program. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word or referred a candidate. We look forward to introducing the new Fellows in a future Member Update.
Some New Ways to Share ninety-nine girlfriends
We love getting great ideas from our members! A couple of Girlfriends said they would love to have easy-to-use materials to talk to other women about ninety-nine girlfriends. So we created them. Check out Barbara Hilyer’s video sharing the magic of ninety-nine girlfriends. Pip and Tammy host a fireside chat providing a first glimpse of who we are and what we do for those new to the organization. The next Member Update will provide some links to graphics and an FAQ sheet so check back for that next time. You can use these materials to host a small gathering with prospective members and invite them to join or you can share them by email with an invitation to learn more. Whatever works for you. If you have any feedback or requests for additional materials, please let Kaye know.
World Cafes are Here!
With the arrival of spring comes the beginning of a new series of World Cafes! A World Cafe is a way of gathering to share, listen and learn about each other and about ninety-nine girlfriends and is one of our annual methods of recruiting new members. They are informative, interactive, and give potential members an opportunity to connect with members and other prospective members.
Volunteer Spotlight
GINA GESS TAYLOR
What brought you to ninety-nine girlfriends?
I was invited to attend a World Café by my favorite Yoga instructor, Ryan Crosby. I knew if Ryan was involved, it was worthwhile. As a former non-profit professional, I have always admired the giving circle concept. Most important; the giving priorities of this organization align with my own values. Specifically, the focus on equity, inclusivity and life-long learning.
2022: HOW CAN SYSTEMS CHANGE AND ADVOCACY ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY?
This year, we will take what we learned through our previous learning questions to explore the impact systems change and advocacy can play in advancing racial equity. We will begin the year with Coty Raven Morris presenting Being Human Together in our first quarter. Then, in our second quarter, our Discovery Forum will feature nonprofit representatives from each of our five focus areas, who will share their experiences with systems change and advocacy. We will move on to some small-group collective learning in our third quarter with topics to be announced after member feedback is received through our annual survey.
Impact Partner Highlight
"Because of the 99 Girlfriends grant, we were able to promote one of our Ground Score Coordinators to Operations Manager! Nic is helping us streamline our operations for our programs, including our People's Depot and our GLITTER programs."
Impact Partner Highlight
Bradley Angle
2021 Impact Partner, Bradley Angle, is hosting their first community event and fundraiser! The Albina Scavenger Hunt is a free event that will have participants visit 10 locations of historic Black importance in the Albina neighborhood and complete challenges to earn points for raffle prizes! Taking place March 18 - April 3.
New Governing Board Members Welcomed
We are pleased to welcome the following individuals to our Governing Board!
Improved Language Acknowledges and Welcomes Gender Complexity
Women’s collective giving circles began because women had not historically had a seat at the philanthropy table and felt they could make an impact in their community by pooling their resources and learning together. Since our founding we have been learning about gender and its complexity and are making changes to welcome other individuals who may also not have historically had a seat at the philanthropic table.
Want to Become an Impact Partner Liaison?
Ninety-nine girlfriends provides ongoing support to our impact partners throughout their grant period via our liaison team. Liaisons are a vital link between our membership and our impact partners, playing a critical role as ambassadors, advocates, and allies. We are currently recruiting for members to serve as liaisons for the incoming cohort of impact partners. Are you someone who loves being in conversation with new people, building connections, and gathering and sharing information? This could be a great outlet for you to represent ninety-nine girlfriends and work directly with our impact partners! For more information, contact Van, Impact Team Lead.