100 Women Who Care Is Multiplying Generosity
A giving circle surprises local nonprofits with unexpected gifts
Imagine you had 10 minutes to convince donors to give $10,000 to your favorite local nonprofit. What would you say? Which nonprofit would you choose?
This is the premise of the 100 Who Care Alliance. It’s an organization of giving circles, with hundreds of chapters globally, that gathers about 100 people who donate $100 each into a common pool. During meetings, three randomly chosen members pitch their favorite nonprofits to receive the money. An anonymous vote selects the winning organization. The idea is to create exponential impact; individual donations may not feel substantial, but a collective five-figure gift certainly does. The 100 Who Care formula can be adapted for any group: 100 Teachers Who Care, 100 Teens Who Care, 100 Hikers Who Care.
When Jennifer Otis learned of this concept in 2022, she was instantly sold. She’d lived in Charlotte for several years, but she still sought a way to plug into her city, to make a difference here. She encountered a problem, however, when she tried to join Charlotte’s chapter: Charlotte had no chapter. With no fundraising or nonprofit experience, Jennifer launched 100 Women Who Care Charlotte (100WWCC) the following year. She invited 20 friends, who invited more. Now, three years later, the group is up to 74 members who donate $7,400 each quarter to their winning nonprofit. Their motto: “Women getting together to do good.”
“It’s a good on-ramp into philanthropy,” Jennifer says. “Many members who’ve joined have told me the same thing: ‘I want to do more. I want to give back, but I don’t know where.’ With this, if you can give about $30 a month, you make a difference and be a grassroots philanthropist. It’s empowering.”
Jennifer keeps things simple: a low time commitment of one-hour meetings four times a year, plus optional volunteer and social events. Members pledge one year of $100 quarterly donations. For women under 30, she reduces this to $50.
The nonprofits that have won 100WWCC gifts have included Safe Alliance, Cycle4Success, and GenOne. When GenOne co-founder Ian Joyce answered Jennifer’s call about the group’s $6,000 gift last year, he didn’t know GenOne had been nominated, and he’d never even heard of 100WWCC. The gift was a big deal for his nonprofit, which supports low-income, high-achieving students on their paths to become first-generation college graduates. The gift from 100WWCC supported two students for a year with GenOne’s full support, including one-on-one college advising, SAT/ACT test prep, college tours and overnight visits, and help with applications and financial aid. That gift—which cost each member one hour and $100—may have changed the lives of two young people.
“I was honored knowing that there were so many women who saw the value in supporting first-generation students,” Ian says. “It shows a groundswell of grassroots support, which is our root as an organization. We got started with just two teachers out of Eastway Middle School in 2016.”
Members know that the smaller the nonprofit, the greater a difference their gifts make. Jennifer vets all nominated groups to ensure they fit the 100WWCC parameters. Nonprofits must be local; have existed for at least one year; have good financial standing; and keep all money in the Charlotte area.
Meetings can be eye-openers. A pitch might offer a quick education in food scarcity, illiteracy, or domestic violence in the community—as well as an introduction to the groups who work to help those affected. Even the two nonprofits that aren’t chosen to win the money still get boosts: Jennifer emails members with information about those groups, and 100WWCC sometimes volunteers together to support them.
Carla Variglotti joined 100WWCC shortly after she moved to Charlotte. She hoped to find new friends and a greater connection to her community. The group’s given her both. Through these meetings, she’s also discovered organizations where she and her family can volunteer together, like The Bulb, which brings food markets to underserved neighborhoods.
“The transition of moving is always difficult. To meet other women who have the same focus I do, it really makes me feel like I’m part of something,” Carla says. “The Charlotte community cares so much.”
Recently, 100WWCC became one person closer to reaching its 100-member goal. Me, member #75. I’ve got my nonprofit chosen and my pitch ready for the next meeting, just in case.
