Wow – what an event! Thank you to the 100+ attendees of our virtual Award Ceremony where we announced our inaugural Willoughby Award recipient, Kyle Ruffin of Impact100 South Jersey, and our Spotlight Award winners Impact100 Metro Denver, Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis and Impact 100 Richmond.

The Spotlight Award is our opportunity to highlight how Philanos affiliates are strengthening the collective giving movement through grantmaking. The Spotlight Awards celebrate women-powered philanthropic efforts, highlighting grants that demonstrate the multiplier effect of impact investing in community nonprofits. We admire and celebrate these impactful grants that represent a slice of the grantmaking being done throughout the country:

	Impact100 Metro Denver for their grant to Fresh Food Connect, which started in one zip code in Denver, to develop an app to be a national force providing access to more healthy foods.
	Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis for their 2018 Change Maker Grant to Trinity Haven to provide safe, affirming housing for LGBTQ youth experiencing housing instability.
	Impact 100 Richmond for their innovative, Trust-Based Philanthropy-focused Neighborhood Catalyst Grant provided to the Fulton neighborhood, for community leaders to decide where the money would be utilized.

The Willoughby Award is in honor of Colleen S. Willoughby, the founder of both the Washington Women's Foundation, and Philanos. This inaugural award is honoring Kyle Ruffin as a visionary leader in philanthropy who, like Colleen, has taken the field into exciting, new directions: 

Impact100 South Jersey: Kyle’s experience has inspired her to be a visionary leader in philanthropy beyond her affiliate and has received a $1,000 prize that she will have donated in her name to the nonprofit of her choice. Kyle’s philanthropic experience with many nonprofit organizations left her “othered and tokenized” as a black woman in the white philanthropy world. Over time however, she found her voice and became empowered to speak up. She recently initiated and led a program to showcase other women and people of color to tell their story about why they are already giving.  Using her background in storytelling, she helps people tell their own stories which helps others recognize the vital role people of color already play in philanthropy and volunteerism. She is a champion of partnership over integration when it comes to increasing the impact giving back can have on a community.

“We gave these awards because it is a meaningful way to elevate the voices, stories, and important work being done in the field by Philanos affiliates and women leaders on behalf of us all in the growing collective giving movement” said Susan Benford, Philanos Chair. “Congratulations to these wonderful women, their giving circles, and their grantee partners for their community impact.”

We were inspired and moved by the wonderful opening words of Sara Lomelin, Executive Director of Philanthropy Together, who helped us celebrate these special award winners live and inspire us on how far forward the movement has gone. Philanthropy Together was created by many giving circles, to diversify and democratize philanthropy and we are proud to partner to strengthen the field.  

Thanks to all those who joined us to honor these amazing women and affiliates among us who are part of our growing network, and are helping to elevate all of our work every day!

Kelly Walsh of Impact 100 Metro Detroit

Impact100 Metro Detroit's mission is to fuel transformation in Metro Detroit by uniting women through collective giving to support local nonprofit heroes and award high impact grants.

We recently spoke to Kelly Walsh, President of Impact100 Metro Detroit and invited her thoughts on their current efforts!

	What’s the most interesting effort your circle is focusing on right now? We're taking a strategic look at our calendar - moving the grant application window earlier to allow for more committee review. Our board is also discussing a shift of membership calendar to be aligned with our "Big Give" award event. (Our membership currently closes Dec. 31st with the award event late May. The shift would consider membership closing in April with the event in May).
	What is something your circle is currently challenged by? Brand building and communication - we're constantly working to find the right communication cadence for both members and prospects. There are 3 Impact groups in our region - which is awesome, but can be a challenge for women to understand the differentiators of each group.
	What Philanos resource has been most helpful to you this year, and why? We're new to Philanos, but have found the online resources and the connection to a large network of like-minded organizations to be wonderful.

Bronwyn Belling and Linda Eggbeer of Anne Arundel Women Giving Together [AAWGT]

AAWGT is working to improve the quality of life for women and families in Anne Arundel County, Maryland

We recently spoke to Bronwyn Belling and Linda Eggbeer - who are both past presidents and who currently help lead their Web/IT and Marketing and Communications efforts - and invited their thoughts on their current work - take a look!

	What’s the most interesting effort your circle is focusing on right now? We’re working hard to simplify and improve our entire grants process by carefully considering the many things we’ve learned over the past year. We’re using ideas generated by this year’s grant reviewers and our Racial Equity Study Group as well as thinking through the best practices other giving circles and the philanthropic community are employing. While we’re still in the iterative stage, it is a process that is stretching us. We expect it to yield positive results for our grant recipients and for AAWGT, an organization deeply committed to continuous improvement.
	What is something your circle is currently challenged by? AAWGT’s Racial Equity Study Group, which has met monthly since January 2019, recommended this spring that a DEI Committee be created to conduct a comprehensive examination of the way the organization functions with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Due to COVID and the time and care we took in assembling the diverse group that we did, we finally were able to convene our first in-person meeting last week. The conversation made clear that there are a range of viewpoints about how we should go forward, including what we should focus on first. This is challenging but not surprising as we work to create and implement a plan that will serve our organization well.
	What Philanos resource has been most helpful to you this year, and why? We’ve used a number of resources including Philanos’ excellent webinars that are offered throughout the year, the website (particularly DEI in Action), the Comms Club, and direct connections to other giving circles facilitated through Philanos.

Jennifer Bennett, Impact San Antonio

Impact San Antonio brings women together to provide substantial grants to nonprofit organizations in the Greater San Antonio community through the power of collective philanthropy.

We recently spoke to Jennifer Bennett, President of Impact San Antonio and invited her thoughts on their current efforts!

	What’s the most interesting effort your circle is focusing on right now? One of our goals is to educate our membership on the needs in our community and to do it in partnership with other like-minded local organizations. We recently connected with an organization of women of color and are brainstorming topics. We plan to offer the program to the broader community, not just our membership. We hope to spark more action in tackling problems, while also increasing awareness of our organization and encouraging greater diversity of our membership.
	What is something your circle is currently challenged by? We recently reviewed our conflicts of interest policies relating to agency interactions. Through robust debate on options and their implications, our board found a balance to achieving fairness and objectivity, while avoiding unintended consequences. We recognized that too strict a policy would exclude women from serving on our board who serve in executive roles on local nonprofit boards or who work at those agencies. We want experience like that because it will help us improve how we operate and our decision-making.
	What Philanos resource has been most helpful to you this year, and why? The “We Give Summit” in May was a tremendous resource for great ideas and best practices being used by other women’s giving circles that we could apply to our organization. One terrific aspect of my experience was being a presenter with 2 other wonderful ladies on how to grow membership in a pandemic. Through our collaboration I learned about some of their successful approaches that we plan to implement to enhance our member retention and acquisition results.

Honoring Changemakers Among Us 
The Willoughby and Spotlight Awards
October 14, 2021

We give awards because it’s fun to celebrate the impact of our philanthropy and the women in our network who we know and respect and inspire us. We also give them because it’s a meaningful way to elevate the voices, stories, and important work being done in the field by these women and their affiliates on behalf of us all, and in support of the growing collective giving movement. 

This year we are excited to announce the Willoughby and Spotlight Award winners at a virtual event on October 14 at 9am Pacific/12pm Eastern. Guest Speaker Sara Lomelin, ED of Philanthropy Together, will help us celebrate these special award winners live and inspire us on how far forward the movement has gone. Philanthropy Together was created by many giving circles, to diversify and democratize philanthropy.   

We hope you will join us to honor these amazing women and affiliates among us who are part of our growing network, and are helping to elevate all of our work every day. Register here.

Quotes:

Maureen Romito, Impact Las Vegas

Impact Las Vegas empowers women by giving collectively in a way that positively transforms our community.

We recently spoke to Maureen Romito, Founder and Executive Director of Impact Las Vegas and invited her thoughts on their current efforts!

	What’s the most interesting effort your circle is focusing on right now? As an organization, we have primarily operated with a very limited number of volunteers. As Founder, I have been guilty of doing many administrative and operational tasks myself rather than encouraging volunteers. This is changing, however so I have been documenting processes and cross-training board members, but this shift is causing us to focus more on volunteering than we have ever done in the past.
	What is something your circle is currently challenged by? It has been difficult to communicate the reality of this change and for our Membership to understand exactly what it means. Even the board, despite numerous discussions, strategizing, and planning meetings has been slow to realize that the change is happening. Encouraging a larger group of volunteers than we have ever had to do in the past is currently our biggest challenge.
	What Philanos resource has been most helpful to you this year, and why? Philanos website – our board is learning what an educational resource it is.  Webinars – incredibly valuable! The perspective of multiple collective giving groups and the sharing of best practices has helped us operationally. Member-to-Member Forum (I’ve currently got a question posed there!) Plus past questions are a great resource for information.

As my final news as Philanos chair, I am delighted to share that during our May board meeting, we had an extraordinary event I want to share.

After a discussion about the number of women who have been nominated for The Willoughby Award, a board member, our founder Colleen Willoughby, made a pledge to endow the award for 5 years. Additionally, retiring board member Dale Clifford made a 10-year endowment pledge, a memorial to her mother, Laura Egerton Lothrop.  We are incredibly grateful for their vision and generosity.

Applications for The Willoughby Award are due June 30 and our Spotlight Awards are due July 15. Every affiliate has outstanding leaders and grants, we want to hear about yours.

Philanos Declaration of Unity

We are stronger together.  

No member of our society should ever feel threatened, or invisible, or devalued, or experience acts of violence. All people deserve to live full and abundant lives free of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression.

We are stronger together.

Every characteristic that makes an individual unique—height, weight, physical and mental ability, eye color, ethnicity, education, gender, race, geographic location, religious preference, sexual orientation, and more—is an asset if we choose to believe that. 

We are stronger together.

Our vision is that communities in which women’s collective giving organizations exist are healthier, safer, more equitable, and thriving.  This vision can be our community’s reality.

We are stronger together.

We are committed to equity, diversity, collaboration, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability because therein lies our strength.

We are stronger together.

Philanos supports philanthropy which is anti-racist and anti-bias through education, resource sharing, training, and open and honest discussions. 

We are stronger together.

Philanos encourages affiliates to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their grantmaking, and to fund organizations whose leadership includes the population they serve in order to recognize and value lived experience. 

We are stronger together. 

Women know the power of collaboration and that we are stronger when we advocate for our vision together.  Philanos accelerates this collaboration with our affiliates, partner networks and fellow philanthropists.

We are stronger together.

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Philanthropy Together along with Philanos and other networks are hosting the We Give Summit throughout the month of May! 

The We Give Summit is designed to ignite and unite all of us in the powerful movement of collective giving.

Open to giving circle members, philanthropy experts, community leaders, and social impact newcomers, we've been learning, growing, and dreaming together across four weeks in May as we joined sessions centered on this year's theme: Stronger Together.

Here's a quick event overview:

• 100+ incredible speakers who are making an impact their community through collective giving including Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Emmy-Winning Documentary Filmmaker Abigail Disney, Author Edgar Villanueva.
• 25+ sessions that began on May 4 and have continued every Wednesday and Thursday throughout the month.
• Hundreds of giving circle members and supporters from around the world connecting during lively networking events.
• Session topics are covering everything from connecting with the next generation of givers to embedding racial equity into your giving circle to building a movement.

If you've been participating, we hope you've been enjoying it so far. If you haven't yet had a chance, it's not too late to join in the learning and fun! See the full schedule and register here. 

And, make sure to check-out the Philanos-hosted sessions that have taken place, and those coming up:

• Trust-Based Philanthropy: How Giving Circles Can Redistribute Power - Wednesday, May 12th, noon ET. Features Impact 100 Richmond (Talley Baratka) and Washington Women's Foundation (Kris Kaminishi).
• When Women of Color Lead, Climate and Environment Win - Wednesday, May 12th, 1 PM ET.  Hosted by Gwen Wesley Philanos Board Member (Spirit of St. Louis) and features speakers from Rachel's Network (new Philanos network affiliate), the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, and Georgia Conservation Voters.
• The Shecession: Making Informed Funding Choices after COVID's Impact on Women and Girls – Wednesday, May 12th, 2 PM ET.  Hosted by Paula Liang, Philanos Chair, featuring Anna Fink of Amalgamated Bank and Dr. C. Nicole Mason, Institute for Women's Policy Research.  
• Philanos Communications:  Tips and Tools - Wednesday, May 12th, 7 PM ET. Virginia Mills, Philanos Founding Member and Board Member (Giving WoMN) and Maggie Glasgow, Philanos Board Member (Greenville Women Giving). Virginia and Maggie are the Communications Co-Chairs for Philanos and will share ideas and resources from their recently revamped communications plan.
• Against All Odds:  Growing Membership in a Pandemic - Wednesday, May 19th, 2 PM ET.  Hosted by Susan Benford, Philanos Chair-Elect (The Philanthropy Connection, Boston), featuring Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz (Women's Giving Circle of Howard County), Jennifer Bennett (Impact San Antonio), and Maureen Romito (Impact Las Vegas).
• Start Your Giving Circle's Endowment and Grow Your Impact - Wednesday, May 26, 1 PM ET.  Hosted by Susan Benford, Philanos Chair-Elect (The Philanthropy Connection, Boston) with professional advisors Amanda Long, Philanthropy-Strategist Group, and Sherry Magill, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, on how to start or strengthen an endowment for your giving circle.

Learn, grow, and think big with hundreds of everyday givers during the final weeks of May - join us!

Philanos, the leading women’s giving circle network in the U.S., announces five newly elected board members comprised of women who are members of Philanos affiliate organizations.

“The Philanos board wholeheartedly welcomes these women to the board,” says Jenny Berg, Chair of Nominations. “These are all very skilled women who bring many talents, skills, knowledge and experiences to the board.”  

Deepika Andavarapu, AICP, PhD
Impact 100 Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

Deepika is the founder and CEO of DEEP Consultants. Dr. Andavarapu, who uses she/her pronouns, is an urban planning scholar, community researcher, and evaluator working with government, nonprofits, and other philanthropic organizations. She is a strategic systems thinker designing long-term solutions with an emphasis on results and measuring impact.

Deepika has over sixteen years of experience working with the public sector and philanthropy over many social justice issues. As a researcher, she has produced trailblazing scholarship related to social capital's role in the resilience of disenfranchised communities such as slums. She is a published author, a public speaker and presented her research at a TEDx conference. Dr. Andavarapu is an intersectional scholarly practitioner who brings academic rigor and expertise to the nonprofit world. She designed and implemented rigorous impact evaluations that meet the guidelines of federal and state grants such as CNCS, HRSA, etc. She conducted landscape assessments that included issue mapping, policy mapping, data mapping, and stakeholder interviews to assess the state of knowledge around a topic. 

In 2018, Dr. Andavarapu received the Rising Star award by Cincinnati's YWCA and went through rigorous leadership and DEI training. Dr. Andavarapu has held many local and national leadership positions, and she was the first DEI committee chair for Impact 100 Cincinnati. In that role, she led the development of the first-ever DEI strategic plan for the 20-year-old organization. Under her leadership, the organization's diversity more than doubled (2.5% to 6.5%) in three years; today, the organization is working towards incorporating an equity lens into its grant-making process. In 2020, the 400+ members voted DEI as the top priority for the organization. In 2021, under Philanos Leadership, Dr. Andavarapu co-designed and facilitated the first-ever conversations around DEI with six collective giving organizations across the country.

Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz
Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, Columbia, MD

Buffy began her career working for an international human rights organization in Washington, DC. More recently she was the Communications Director at the Maryland Philanthropy Network and is President of her own firm BBS Consulting, working with foundations, nonprofits and political campaigns.

She has come “full circle” by now serving as the first Executive Director of the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC), having been an original founder 19 years ago, and a past advisory board chair.

Buffy is a co-author of the award-winning book Women & Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World with Sondra Shaw-Hardy and Martha Taylor, is the author of numerous articles on women’s giving, and has participated in ground-breaking national research on giving circles for the last two decades.

She’s in the “Circle of Excellence” being named one of Maryland's Top 100 Women three times - in 2003, 2008 and 2010 by The Daily Record, and an "Innovator of the Year" in 2004 by The Daily Record, and honored as one of "40 Under 40" in 2004 by the Baltimore Business Journal. She was a first Impact Award Winner in 2012 by The Mall in Columbia and the WGC, and is a 2019 Inductee by the Women’s Commission of Howard County into the Women’s Hall of Fame.

Buffy has served on many boards including the Community Foundation of Howard County and Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County and she’s involved in political campaigns and gun violence prevention efforts.

She has a BA in Russian history from the University of Maryland. Originally from Newtown, CT, she has lived in Howard County - between Washington, DC and Baltimore - for over 30 years. Buffy and her husband Howard have four children ranging in age from 28 – 14, and two granddaughters, ages 17 months and four weeks.

Rebekah Bonde
Washington Women’s Foundation, Seattle, WA
Previously with Impact Austin, Austin, TX

Rebekah graduated from Abilene Christian University with two Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and International Business and minors in Economics and French.  Her professional background in Finance spans successive roles in oil and gas, financial services, and telecommunication industries, as well as consulting for both nonprofit organizations and high net worth individuals. 

Collective giving became a passion for Rebekah in 2011 when she became a member of Impact Austin in Austin, Texas.  Elected to board leadership, Rebekah spent five years in different roles that included chairing the Audit, Finance, Personnel, and Governance Committees, as well as in executive leadership positions as Treasurer, Vice President, and Chair of the Board of Directors. After moving back home to the Pacific Northwest in 2018, Rebekah became a member of both 100 Women of Whatcom and Washington Women’s Foundation where she currently serves as a co-leader on a Pooled Fund Grant Committee.

Rebekah’s previous board services include Street Youth Ministries, Sammamish Rotary Club, and Women’s Enterprises (all based in Seattle).  Rebekah is also a past director of Philanos where she served as Treasurer.  Her work in women’s philanthropy has been featured in Philanos webinars, newsletters, and conferences; local media; and in The Huffington Post Blog.

Rebekah and her husband are supporters of Bellingham Food Bank (WA), Central Texas Food Bank (TX), Bellingham Symphony (WA), Manos de Cristo (TX), and pro bono financial education organizations in both Washington and Texas.

Rebekah states, “My goal is to continue to meet and meaningfully interact with dynamic women representing collective giving groups across the county.  I enjoy building organizations from within and broadcasting our message externally.  Although financial management is my primary honed skill set, I am able to contribute in other roles, as evidenced by my written contributions on behalf of the communications committee.”

Stephanie Cook
San Diego Women’s Foundation, San Diego, CA

Stephanie is the Executive Director of The San Diego Women’s Foundation (SDWF) where she oversees the organization’s strategic direction and mission to connect, educate and inspire women to come together in collective philanthropy. In this role, Stephanie is responsible for directing staff and operations, board and financial oversight, overseeing DEI initiatives and creating connections and partnerships in the community. She is also a proud SDWF member.

Stephanie is on the board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of San Diego (YNPNSD), currently serving as treasurer and a member of the executive team, after previously serving as programming co-chair. In addition, she is a member of Girl Scout San Diego’s Leadership Advisory Bureau (GSSD-LAB), a group of local leaders committed to providing support and mentorship to Girl Scouts, troop leaders, and GSSD volunteers.

Stephanie’s previous work experience includes program and event management, marketing, communications, and membership growth strategies in the nonprofit sector. Stephanie has a background in gender studies, certificates in nonprofit management and nonprofit DEI solutions, and an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago, where she conducted research and wrote a thesis on changing notions of community and empowerment in Cuban women’s movements throughout the 20th century.

Paula Perkins
Impact 100 Wichita Falls, Wichita Falls, TX

Paula is the founder and president of Impact100 Wichita Falls, TX, incorporated in 2018.  She proudly champions women’s development and leadership as a result of her own experience with the Junior League of Wichita Falls and has recently expanded that passion to include strategic philanthropy through women’s collective giving.  Paula is also a member of the XIX Society of the Texas Women’s Foundation.

Paula continually demonstrates a keen sense of purpose and meaning in her volunteer efforts with a strong commitment to improving her community through direct action. In 2014, her governance expertise assisted in founding the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts & Culture in response to a community-wide arts and culture plan.  Additionally, Paula has facilitated numerous efforts to address food insecurity through board service with the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank and co-founding its signature fundraiser, Empty Bowls, in 2012.  She has served as president of the Junior League of Wichita Falls and as a board member and the governance committee chair of the Association of Junior Leagues International.  Paula has been named as one of Nexstar Media’s Remarkable Women of 2021 and received a Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2013 for forging the way for others through her extensive community leadership.

Paula has both BS and MA degrees in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University and is a recipient of Board Certification in Pediatrics and Specialty Certification in School Systems by the American Occupational Therapy Association.  She served as a school-based therapist for the first two decades of her professional career.  Currently, Paula is an Education Specialist for Region 9 Education Service Center, providing training and technical assistance for educators in the areas of special education and other federal programs.

Philanos is a philanthropic network of women’s funds, foundations and giving circles that grant collectively into their own communities. Philanos accelerates women’s philanthropic giving by providing resources to its members to increase their impact. Philanos believes that communities with women’s collective giving circles are healthier, safer, more equitable and thriving. The network is comprised of women and those who identify as women. Philanos represents over 17,500 women in 80 affiliates in the U.S. and abroad who have collectively infused over $146M into their respective communities through their collective giving organizations.