““Yesterday was so enlightening. I loved both the power analysis and the program evaluation component.”
“I loved the salons! They are a very important part of ninety-nine girlfriends as underlined by the number of people who turned out. And having them in personal space adds a special warmth, which we can all use right now.“”
Women Power & Giving Salons attract over 100 members!
Can ninety-nine girlfriends give new members a sense of what we’ve been learning about philanthropy, community and social change in the first years of our collective giving? Well, turns out we can! Over the course of three Sundays, Member Education Co-Chair Deborah Edward led new and returning members on three 90-minute learning journeys.
Helped by Mikayla Posey and Debbie Elliott, the team designed discussions, presentations, quizzes and activities about the learning questions that have guided out past year forums and trainings:
What drives positive social change? We all examined our own personal values and issues, took the Wiser Giving quizzes and talked about the strategies that are in view with our grantee partners.
What is philanthropy and how do we fit in? After acing the test of philanthropy terms, we discussed the hot spots that are facing foundations and major donors here and around the US.
What are bright spots and challenges in our community in our five focus areas? Starting from the community study team reports done by members in 2017 we looked at our region and our nonprofit sector.
How can we leverage our power and resources individually to make change? We talked about the many kinds of power we have and use, and tried out tools to evaluate the impact of nonprofit projects like those we support.
These Salons were hosted by three members – Joanne Fox, Phyllis Leonard and Kathy Masarie, and facilitated by a host of girlfriends ready to lead discussions. Thanks to everyone who participated. Concensus is to have these as an annual refresher course every fall.
Want to check out some of what was learned?
Go to the Wiser Giving website and take the quizzes to see what kind of social change interests you and what kind of giving is up your alley.
Check out how our region compares to others with regard to demographics, education, homelessness and more at the DataUSA website. (Hint: Add a comparison city to the chart.)
Explore the most recent Giving USA report to learn more about current sources and uses of philanthropy dollars.
Read our Community Study Team reports on our website under member education.
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