Jennifer Bodensiek, Chair of the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, attended last week's Washington Area Women's Foundation Reception, held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

"I was honored to attend this event that brought together influential leaders from across the region to celebrate those making a powerful impact on the lives of women and girls" said Jennifer. "As the Chair of the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, I was excited to support a sister organization supporting women and girls."

The evening featured inspiring speeches from community leaders, networking opportunities with passionate advocates, and a celebration of Angela Franco, President and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, and Deryl McKissack, Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of McKissack & McKissack received the prestigious Visionary Award for her work in empowering businesses and women in the District.

It was a night of connection, reflection, and dedication to advancing gender equity in the Region. For more details on the event and the Washington Area Women's Foundation’s mission, visit their website! 

Pictures:

• Jennifer Bodensiek and Dr. Monica Goldson, former Superintendent Prince George’s County Public Schools
• Jennifer Bodensiek and Monica Mitchell, Monica is the school Founder and President of the Board of the all-girls Lillie May Carroll Jackson Middle School in Baltimore City. She also serves on the board of the Eddie and C. Sylvia Brown Family Foundation, one of the nation’s largest Black Family Foundations, whose goals include advancing racial equity across policy and philanthropy. She was a founding member of the United Way Emerging Leaders United Program to promote the professional development and community involvement of Maryland's next generation of leaders.

WGC had a wonderful "Sip, Sparkle & Support" Happy Hour on the "WGC Porch" at the Community Foundation of Howard County to celebrate and thank all current and past sponsors, and to invite sponsors to support WGC throughout 2025.

"The WGC is building a community of philanthropists to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County" said Jennifer Bodensiek, WGC Chair. "This event, and all of you are an important part of this."
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We have been part of the Howard County community for over 22 years, and have given over $1.2M+ to our nonprofit partners. And, we have a $1.1M endowment from over 1,700 donors that will ensure that there are funds to support women and girls in our community in perpetuity. ​We bring women together and pool our dollars so we can have a bigger impact together than we might otherwise have alone - this is the power of our giving circle.

"I​t takes a special individual, organization or business to understand the value of investing in women and girls by sponsoring the WGC throughout each year" said Kashonna Marrow, WGC's Membership & Development Committee Chair. "Thank you to our 2024 Sponsors who have invested in the WGC throughout 2024, and thank you to our 2025 Sponsors who have already committed to invest in the WGC throughout 2025!"

We are excited that our 2025 Sponsorship opportunity is open - you can learn more about sponsoring the WGC in 2025 here.

Sponsoring WGC throughout 2025 includes tickets to our signature event, WGC's Annual Celebration & Pink Party on March 4, 2025 - during Women's History Month. Sponsors will not only be investing in the WGC's 2025 Signature celebratory event, but our learning, networking and giving events throughout the year as well. And, all WGC sponsors will be promoted throughout the year. You can download our WGC 2025 Sponsor Package here.

As WGC Events Committee Chair Jade McClary said "Here’s what it all comes down to … why we are all engaged in this work ... because less than 2% of all charitable giving goes to women and girls. Less.than.2.percent. And that is why we thank you for joining us tonight and investing in the WGC by sponsoring us in 2025."

Thank you for having a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone!

WGC leaders Barb Van Winkle and Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz are on the Board of Directors of Philanos, the leading national Women's Collective Giving network. Philanos’ mission is to support and strengthen women's collective giving organizations through education and collaboration designed to promote women's philanthropy and informed, impactful grantmaking in communities.

One way Philanos is doing this work is by leveraging our position as a national network to bring greater attention and resources to underserved communities. Supported by a grant from the Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund, Philanos has prioritized national BIPOC populations, and a geographic focus on the 16 states in the South Central and Mountain West regions which receive one-third the philanthropic dollars per capita as the coasts.

​"We are proud to be among those working nationally to bring additional attention and resources to underserved communities" said Barb Van Winkle, Immediate Past WGC Chair. "We will continue to support this important work and bring what we learn to the Women's Giving Circle."

To develop a deeper, firsthand understanding of these communities, the Philanos Board, including Barb and Buffy engaged in multiple convenings and educational experiences in Mississippi and Alabama over the course of several days last week:

• Philanos was excited to collaborate with the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Philanthropy Together, Community Investment Network and Grapevine to support the emerging collective giving movement in Mississippi. This coalition hosted a CircleUp regional gathering which brought together community foundations, funders, nonprofits and giving circle advocates for a day of shared learning, relationship building and collaboration.

• Philanos was an active sponsor and participant in CIN’s Conference in Birmingham, Alabama on 10/3-10/4, celebrating 20 years of BIPOC-led giving. Seven Board members attended the inaugural Alabama Nonprofit Film Festival which spotlighted the transformative impact of ten innovative nonprofits via short films. The following day, three Philanos Board members led an interactive panel discussion entitled “Building Stronger and More Diverse Partnerships in Collective Giving”. This generated lively dialogue and commitments to action with and among the attendees, which included leaders in philanthropy, nonprofits and collective giving.

• Finally, the entire Philanos Board journeyed to Montgomery, Alabama on 10/4-10/6 for an immersive and riveting exploration of our nation’s past. Through visits to the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, they learned how historical events in the South continue to impact individuals, communities, economic conditions and criminal justice systems today. Following these powerful and moving experiences, the Board established links between historical events and our current philanthropic goals in a reflection and Allyship training session led by Whitney Parnell. The group’s collective insights informed and sharpened the focus of the new strategic plan.

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"We are honored to be learning, sharing, and connecting with other women's collective giving leaders across the country who are rolling up their sleeves and doing this important work" said WGC Executive Director Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz. "We are proud to be a part of Philanos and Philanthropy Together and to be participating in these important efforts while representing the WGC and we will continue to help do this work nationally and here in our community."

This trip provided an unprecedented opportunity for the Philanos Board, and for Barb and Buffy to learn about the history
and current conditions in the South, and how we can help elevate community-centric giving in the region, and they are bringing this learning and knowledge to the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County to inform our ongoing work.

- Adapted in part from this Philanos blog post written by Philanos co-Chair Clare O'Brien