100+ Women Who Care Sunshine Coast

WHY 100+ WOMEN WHO CARE SUNSHINE COAST?

Darnelda Siegers became aware of the 100+ Women Who Care organization via the Vancouver chapter, and in researching the organization and its work in the Vancouver area, she realized there were many parallels to the Sunshine Coast.

Namely that small charitable organizations and non-profits spent far too much time writing grant proposals and making applications for piecemeal funding from local, provincial and federal programs. The time investment was significant, application periods long, and the wait for decisions painfully long.

Sunshine Coast organizations have long been challenged by the burnout factor among volunteers and staff, and this is in large part due to the challenges in securing funding, especially for significant initiatives. Instead of spending their time helping people, more and more time goes to funds-sourcing.

The other side of the initiative is the 100+ Women Who Care members. These women are motivated, passionate, committed, but starved for time. They also realize for every fundraising event in the community, the host organization has a huge logistical challenge, and only a portion of the donations from the event get to the grassroots level after all the costs of the event are covered. 

So why not work with what we have - available funds - and leverage it together to create a significant donation of $10k or more 4 times per year, and see it go to a nominated and selected organization as a lump sum? It's an exciting and transformative process in which to take a meaningful part.

HOW ARE THE THREE PRESENTING ORGANIZATIONS CHOSEN?

Members in good standing nominate eligible organizations on the Sunshine Coast for consideration via a link provided in the pre-meeting email newsletter. 3 organizations are selected at random from the pool and vetted by the founder prior to the meeting.

WHAT ARE THE PRESENTATIONS LIKE? I GET SICK OF SLIDE DECKS.

Perfect. We don't allow any digital presentations or handouts. It's just a speaker representing their organization with a 5 minute lightning talk to talk about what the organization would do if they were chosen to receive the evening's donations. Everything about 100+ Women Who Care is personal - it's not a cattle call or overblown evening of powerpoints and data, just 3 people sharing their organization's story and a group of motivated women listening.

WHAT IF THERE AREN'T 100+ WOMEN?

We're a new chapter of 100+ WWC so it's going to take some time to build momentum. With a population of approximately 30,000 people on the coast and over 1000 businesses, finding 100+ women with a passion for social change and a drive for direct and immediate impact is totally doable. 

Regardless of the number of Members, 100% of all donations collected at each meeting are provided to the selected charity or non-profit. There are NO administrative fees. 

I CAN'T COMMIT TO $400/YEAR. WHAT CAN I DO?

We really want to leverage as much funding as possible through our organization. You get a 100% tax deduction on your donations, and you're only obligated to 4 one hour meetings over a year. Many of our members review their charitable giving and eliminate off-coast giving in order to participate in our 100% local donation program. Or they ask friends to join them socially as Members of 100+ WWC and have one less lunch or dinner get together every few months. 

However, if you just don't have the funds to commit to $400/year, we do have a hybrid membership option that allows sliding scale donations: Join with 1-3 other women to provide an equal portion totalling $100 for each meeting, and ensure (only) one member of your sub-group is always present for the meeting. You must apply by email to the group founder for approval.

WHAT IF I CAN'T ATTEND A MEETING?

Donation meetings are the heart of the 100+ Women Who Care movement. Members agree to make every possible effort to attend the 4 one hour meetings per year. We do expect you to prioritize these 4 meetings as must-attends in your calendar - you're a big part of the magic that happens 4 times per year, after all. 

But hey, life happens, right? Illnesses (please don't share :), emergencies, unforseen circumstances do come up. If you can not make a meeting, you are obligated to: a) Give your regrets by email or telephone to the group founder ahead of the event and b) make arrangements to drop off your cheque prior to the meeting or via another member who will be attending. It's also important to note only members present at the meeting are eligible to vote for one of the 3 presenting organizations.

Failure to do these two things will result in losing your 'member in good standing' status.

IS MY DONATION TAX DEDUCTIBLE?

Yes! 100% of your donation is tax deductible. Isn't that great? And the money stays on the Sunshine Coast. There are no hidden admin fees, and no money goes to the greater 100+ Women Who Care organization. All groups are independent of each other and follow their own established guidelines.

HOW WILL 100+ WWC SUNSHINE COAST COMMUNICATE WITH ME?

Our main communication is via email. You will receive a confirmation of your registration from info@100wwcsunshinecoast.ca within a week of joining. If you have not received it, please contact us. 

We also have a Facebook Private Group, and a LinkedIn profile. You will receive a group email newsletter prior to the meetings to request nominations, provide venue directions, and share updates about our local chapter's work and issues of interest in our community related to charitable and non-profit organizations. Please ensure you receive our communicatin by adding info@100wwcsunshinecoast.ca to your address books and whitelist of senders in your email program. You are responsible for letting us know if your email address changes.

WHAT IF I WISH TO CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP?

Every woman has made a commitment during the registration process to commit to a full year of membership in 100+ WWC Sunshine Coast. However, we realize sometimes life throws us curveballs that mean we have to jettison everything but the most critical aspects of our life. If circumstances prevent you from meeting your commitment, please simply email the founder at info@wwcsunshinecoast.ca indicating your withdrawal. There is no penalty and any reasons you share for your withdrawal will be kept confidential.

DO I HAVE TO DO THE SOCIALIZING PART?

Absolutely not! Many women may not be able to find 3 hours or even 2 on the evening of the event. Others can't handle crowds and light socializing talk. Either way, just be in the room 5-10 minutes before the main meeting at 6pm, and have your cheque ready to fill in with the recipient organization's name and drop it at the door and you're good to go. Social butterflies, wallflowers, driven do-ers, introverts... everyone is welcome exactly as you are.

Meeting night can be a lovely way to get time with a woman or two you can't seem to connect with otherwise due to scheduling, so the other option is to make plans to meet at the event and find a place for a deeper discussion prior to or following the main meeting.