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WGC OF HOWARD COUNTY
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Our Focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 

WGC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Efforts

This year, in 2022, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County continues to build a community of philanthropists and create a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. 

​To create such a legacy, a holistic approach to engage at all levels within our community is the foundation for our success. As such, we felt compelled to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and how DEI was being integrated into every part of the WGC business strategy (people, operations, and giving).  We made it a necessity to
move beyond the feel-good rhetoric and positive optics of diversity and inclusion to having DEI initiatives drive leadership engagement and be embedded into every business decision.


  • We are proud to be among a group of giving circles across the country through Philanos that are investing in DEI.
  • We’ve received national and local funding from the Gates Foundation-backed Philanthropy Together effort, and from the Horizon Foundation locally.
  • And, we are collaborating with giving circles regionally through Maryland Philanthropy Network and other philanthropic networks.

Here's an overview of our efforts to date and our plans moving forward:

  • To emphasize the value of DEI, WGC established a DEI Committee in 2019 led by Judy Smith and Hina Naseem. The goal of the committee was to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion among the Advisory Board, professional staff, and members of the Women’s Giving Circle, and coordinate and manage all DEI-related activities. Additionally, the DEI Committee was responsible for ensuring that DEI is integrated in all aspects of WGC business. The Committee’s main focus was to promote the removal of all institutional barriers related to DEI that impede the organization from reaching its goals. In doing so, the Committee increased awareness, exposure, action and social accountability. Self-awareness and self-realization were indirect results of the DEI program for WGC. 
  • In 2021, after successfully implementing the first 2.5 years of our 7-year DEI plan, the committee has evolved such that it is no longer a working committee and our DEI initiatives are now embedded into every WGC committee and each committee has DEI specialists as a part of the team. These specialists are there to ensure the DEI recommendations are implemented and all conscience and unconscious biases are minimized if not removed from committee activities, decisions and outreach.  ​
  • Additionally, DEI oversight is retained at the WGC Advisory Board level. DEI is an Advisory Board agenda item and oversight scoreboards are retained to assess progress, identify trends, and make strategic adjustments. Monitoring our progress is of high priority to the entire WGC Board.​
  • Overall, our progress has been swift and steady. We have continued to demonstrate through action our diverse recruitment initiatives, make our members, partners and supporters feel valued, and impact the lives of women and girls in Howard County through our philanthropic activities.​
  • We continue to believe that if our focus remains on the inclusion and equity efforts, the diversity portion will continue to naturally evolve. As we reach major milestones in our DEI workplan we will inform our members with periodic updates on our DEI initiatives.
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"Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving​." - Barb Van Winkle, Chair
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WGC is proud to be a fund of the
​Community Foundation of Howard County - cfhoco.org

EIN Number: 52-0937644
Find us on Guidestar Here
​​​WGC is a proud member of several local, regional and national philanthropic organizations 
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www.womensgivingcircle.org

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  • Home
  • About
    • Advisory Board
    • WGC Committees
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Community Foundation of Howard County
    • WGC Herstory
  • Give
    • 4 Distinct Ways to Give >
      • WGC Community Member >
        • WGC ERN
        • WGC's 20th Anniversary
        • WGC In Her Honor >
          • In Honor and Memory of WGC Supporter Jackie Melonas
        • WGC Core Support
        • WGC Impact 2024
      • WGC Sponsor Member >
        • Thank You to Our Sponsors!
      • WGC Legacy Member
      • WGC Big Give Member >
        • WGC Big Give $1,200 Individual Donation
        • WGC Big Give $1,200 Team Donation
        • WGC Big Give Process and Grantmaking Guidelines
  • Grants
  • Events
    • WGC's 2022 Pink Party in the Park
    • WGC's Membership Mondays!
  • News
    • WGC - Celebrating 20 Years
    • WGC's 20 Years, 20 Stories
    • WGC's 20 Years in Photos - A Snapshot
    • WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County
    • WGC's Our Giving, Our Stories Series >
      • 2022 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
      • 2021-2020 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
      • 2022-2021 OGOS Monthly Profiles >
        • OGOS Nominations
    • WGC's (S)hero Mosaic
  • Blog
  • Contact