During this week of Thanksgiving, we give thanks to all of you - our donors and friends - who believe in pooling our funds to have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone.

WGC's Emergency Response Network (ERN) is an example of this. We recently sent two ERN requests to our donors that raised about $1,400 in hours to help women in need in our community. And, in the past 18 months we have sent 11 ERN requests raising just about $10,000.

The WGC's Emergency Response Network was created 15 years ago in response to the desire of many women to provide direct support to other women in need - and WGC donors have done just that by supporting women identified by our nonprofit partner agencies who serve women and girls in Howard County.
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Thank you all!

The 2019/2020 Young Women's Giving Circle (YWGC) has determined that they will collect and provide feminine products to county residents in need for their inaugural year philanthropic project.

Sponsored by the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, YWGC is comprised of girls in 7th - 12th grade who share the same passion: helping women and girls in need. Members of the YWGC raise money and make grants to nonprofit organizations in Howard County whose missions support  women and girls.

In a Shark-Tank style format, four groups (STEM education, Mental Health, Women’s Healthcare and Feminine Products) presented topics of interest to three judges: Barb Van Winkle, President of Nancy Adams Personnel and WGC of Howard County Advisory Board President; Nina Basu, President and CEO of Inner Arbor Trust Inc.; and Mary Jordan, Owner of Bra-La-La.  In addition to judges voting, YWGC  members voted as well. A nearly-unanimous decision was reached by the judges and girls alike to support important access to basic feminine products. 

“All of the pitches were extremely well-done and well-presented” said Lee Draminski and April Pardoe, WGC Advisory Board Members and Co-Chairs of the Youth Development Committee for the WGC of Howard County. “And in the end, the clear winner was the need to provide greater access to basic feminine products.”

Although specific organization(s) have not yet been chosen, the YWGC 2020 did determine the thrust of its philanthropic efforts will be to create a campaign drive and collection of feminine products at key access points and will be strategically distributed accordingly to women and girls as well as organizations post-collection in Howard County.  In the coming months, the group will work together to successfully market the campaign through social media and print channels, create corporate partnerships in addition to  securing financial donors, identify key collection points, and create a logistics plan on how, when and where to distribute the feminine supplies throughout the County.

“We are so proud of these young philanthropists who are committing themselves to learn more about the community and raising money to fund programs that are meaningful to them” said Barb Van Winkle, WGC Advisory Board Chair.

If you are interested in assisting with this campaign, please contact us at [email protected].  We look forward to the collective minds and power of these highly intelligent and motivated young ladies to display the impact they can make in Howard County and in the lives of hundreds of women and girls.  

Brings Extensive Experience in Women’s Philanthropy and Giving Circles

The Advisory Board of the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, a fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County, is excited to announce the appointment of Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz as its first Executive Director. The Women’s Giving Circle is building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.

“It is truly full-circle having Buffy take the helm as our first Executive Director almost 20 years after helping to start the circle as a founder, serving as Chair, and then consulting with the WGC the last two years” said Barb Van Winkle, WGC Advisory Board Chair. “As a recognized leader in the field, we are thrilled to have her energy and experience helping to guide the WGC into our 20th year and beyond."

Beaudoin-Schwartz is a philanthropic leader whose professional career, volunteer efforts, and activism have been focused on women’s issues, human rights, and social change through philanthropy. She is co-author of the award-winning book Women & Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World, has written articles on women’s giving, and is active with national groups, including Women’s Giving Circles International, Catalist, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Infrastructure Support Group for the American Giving Circle Field.

“I am excited and honored to step into this position” said Beaudoin-Schwartz. “I strongly believe that giving circles help to democratize philanthropy, and that pooling our money so we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone is a powerful way to engage in giving and invest in women and girls in our community.”

She began her career working for an international human rights organization in Washington, DC, and has served as Director of the Baltimore Giving Project, Communications Director at the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (now Maryland Philanthropy Network), and is currently President of her own firm BBS Consulting, working with foundations, nonprofits and political campaigns.

Buffy has been recognized for her work in philanthropy: as part of the “Circle of Excellence” having been honored as one of Maryland's Top 100 Women three times - in 2003, 2008 and 2010 by The Daily Record. She was named an "Innovator of the Year" in 2004 by The Daily Record, and 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 was honored to be inducted into the Howard County Women's Hall of Fame in 2019.

She is active in the community and has served on numerous Boards of Directors including the Community Foundation of Howard County, Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, Hope Works, Sobar, Our Maryland, and the Friends & Foundation of Howard County Library System, and is involved in gun violence prevention efforts. She has a BA in Russian History from the University of Maryland and has lived in Howard County for almost 30 years. She and her husband Howard have four children ranging in age from 27 – 13 and a newborn granddaughter.

Find more information about the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County at www.womensgivingcircle.org

November 11, 2019

Philanthropy Women

For the past decade, Catalist has supported the creation, development, and expansion of women’s collective giving groups, sometimes referred to as giving circles. Open to all women’s collective grantmaking organizations, the network connects and inspires a fast-growing movement of community-minded women who recognize the exponential power of collectively sharing of the experience of giving for social change. The network currently has over 75 affiliates nationwide. Globally, with the addition of groups in Melbourne and London, the movement’s combined giving is over $125 million and has involved more than 17,000 women since 1995. 

Collaboration and connection are essential elements of collective grantmaking, so every 18 months, the women of Catalist convene to be inspired and learn new tools in philanthropy. In addition to national conferences, Catalist energizes and educates philanthropists year-round through webinars, online forums, and one-to-one mentoring to foster informed grantmaking.

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The Women's Giving Circle is happy to be a member of Catalist.