It was a scheduling miracle: Last fall, 14 mothers were able to leave their families behind in Greensboro for a weekend at the beach.
Most of them live in the Westerwood, Sunset Hills and Lindley Park neighborhoods. They became friends because their children attend Lindley Elementary School.
Their time together finally extended beyond short conversations in the carpool line or over play dates at the local park. That weekend, the women laughed, drank wine, shared stories about their lives and talked about their hopes and dreams.
Sometime over that weekend, Mary Herbenick talked about something her mother became involved with in Dayton, Ohio — a Giving Circle, a way of shared giving and social investment networking.
Giving Circles are a growing trend in philanthropy because they allow individual donors to leverage their resources with others, enhancing the impact of their giving.
A $100 contribution to a local organization may seem insignificant, but multiply that by 100 and it’s significant.
As of 2006, there were about 400 documented circles in 44 states, according togivingcircles.org.
Throughout the weekend, Herbenick said, their conversations often returned to their desire to do more for their community. When the weekend passed, and everyone had returned to their families, Herbenick continued to think about it.
The mother of two daughters was taking a work sabbatical at the time. A communications consultant, she wanted time for reflection and to pursue things that would help others. She carefully crafted an email to the women, pitching the idea of starting their own Giving Circle.
“I was so afraid to send this email,” she said.
Their response and support were immediate.
The group, now called Women Impacting Greensboro, scrambled in January to organize a February event.
Their mission was to invite 100 women and encourage them to donate $100 at that event. The lump sum raised would go to an organization selected by the women there.
Their first gathering drew about 60 women at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. After the women socialized, member Kim Richey gave a 15-minute presentation on three local organizations that benefit women and children.
WIG members wanted these events to be quick, easy and democratic. Participants voted on the organization to receive that evening’s donation.
Women were selected to count the votes. Within 20 minutes, votes had been cast, counted and the winner announced.
They raised more than $5,500 for BackPack Beginnings, which provides food and other necessities to 1,100 students in 21 schools each weekend.
Parker White, BackPack Beginnings’ executive director, said they don’t often get such sizable, unexpected donations.
“It’s nice to have something totally unexpected that will make a big impact on the community we serve,” White said. “It shows there’s strength in numbers, and we feel honored to be their first recipients.”
It costs BackPack Beginnings about $150 to feed a child each weekend of the school year.
The WIG grant will benefit Rankin Elementary, where 125 children receive assistance from BackPack Beginnings. The money will cover those children for the rest of this school year and the beginning of next year.
Although WIG’s first event didn’t attract 100 women, half of those attending agreed to a quarterly commitment of $100. Some women wanted to donate more than $100. Others also wanted to contribute to the other organizations.
But the support and interest didn’t end that evening.
WIG members say women who attended the event talked about it with others. Some women wanted to organize their own events to add to what they raised that night.
WIG’s Facebook likes have hit 450 since its February launch.
WIG members credit Herbenick for following through on what could have been a passing idea.
“Being a mother changes you,” Herbenick says. “It makes you need to make the place where you live a better place to live.”
Tina Firesheets is a community columnist and freelance writer living in Jamestown. Contact her at tinafiresheets@yahoo.com.
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