Wendy Hill, Alyssa Stewart, Catia Skinner, and Rosalea Terry have come together to launch 100 Women Peterborough.
Inspired by similar groups in other communities, the four women are encouraging other local women to join the group to make a collective philanthropic impact in the Peterborough community.
The concept is simple: four times a year, 100 Peterborough-area women will gather to hear presentations from three selected non-profits or charities in the region about projects for which they are seeking funds.
After listening to the presentations, each woman will place a blank $100 cheque into a box representing one of the three organizations. The organization that receives the most votes will receive a total donation of $10,000.
“It is often difficult to know if a smaller, individual donation can make a difference,” says Catia Skinner. “However, when multiple people donate at the same time it can impact an organization significantly.”
The collective philanthropy concept was first launched in November 2006 when Karen Dunigan of Jackson, Michigan formed the “100 Women who Care” group. After their first meeting, the women raised over $10,000 for the purchase of 300 new baby cribs for a local organization.
Since then, the movement has grown to include at least 83 chapters of 100 Women in North America, including around a dozen in Canada. Men have also been inspired to create similar groups, with more than a dozen 100 Men groups in Canada, including the 100 Men Peterborough group that formed in 2017.
To become part of the group, members must commit to donate $100 at each of the four events hosted throughout the year, for a total of $400 per year.
The group aims to help women learn about the multitude of different causes in the community, help people in need, and join other like-minded women to empower and multiply the impact of their contributions.
“Many people hope to make large-scale donations to individual causes, however sometimes that can be beyond an individual’s means,” Skinner says. “This organized group means that individuals can come together to create a larger impact.”
One hundred per cent of the funds raised by the membership will be donated to four non-profit organizations, as determined by the membership throughout the year.
The first 100 Women Peterborough event is set to take place early this year.
Women who are interested in joining the group should visit www.100womenptbo.ca, which will be launched shortly. In the interim, interested women can contact Catia Skinner at 705-243-6989 or catia@megaexperience.ca or Rosalea Terry at 705-875-2161 or rosapearlterry@gmail.com.
