Mission, Vision, Goals, Values

MISSION:  The Women’s Giving Circle is building a community of philanthropists to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County.

VISION:  Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving.​

​GOALS:

• Expand philanthropy and increase giving by local women.
• Implement a diversity, equity and inclusion lens to all of our work.
• Build a permanent endowment fund.
• Increase the life skills of women and girls.
• Encourage the healthy development and personal authority of young girls.
• Raise the awareness of gender disparities in our community.
• Sustain the WGC for future generations.​

VALUES:  We believe:

• All Howard County women and girls, and those who identify as women, have a right to an adequate and sustainable quality of life and an opportunity to develop their full potential.
• Healthy development for girls is achieved through education, life skill training, and a sense of personal authority and safety.
• The needs and concerns of all women and girls in Howard County must be fully understood, acknowledged, and addressed. 
• Available resources should be directed to achieving systemic change in the political, social, and economic institutions that influence the lives of women and girls.
• Philanthropy is not measured by the amount of the gift but by the intent of the giver.
• Women’s philanthropy has the power to improve the lives of women and girls in Howard County now. ​
• A permanent endowment provides a legacy of giving to the generations of women and girls who will follow.​
• Education is the cornerstone of understanding and giving.
• ​Women of concern, compassion, and generosity can make the greatest difference by working together for change.

STATEMENT OF UNITY:

We believe that 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.
• 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. 
• 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 committed to equity, diversity, collaboration, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability because therein lies our strength.
• WGC supports philanthropy which is anti-racist and anti-bias through education, resource sharing, training, and open and honest discussions. 
• WGC encourages our partners to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their own grantmaking, and to fund organizations whose leadership includes the population they serve in order to recognize and value lived experience. 
• Women know the power of collaboration and that we are stronger when we advocate for our vision together. WGC accelerates this collaboration with our members, nonprofit partners, and fellow philanthropists.

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* Our Statement of Unity has been adapted from the Unity Statement of Philanos, the leading national women's giving circle network.
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10 Quick Facts

10 QUICK FACTS:

1. We are a group of women who are pooling our dollars to make grants that benefit women and girls.
2. We raise money from donors to support our grantmaking.
3. We are leveraging our dollars together so that we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone.
4. We are a fund at the Community Foundation of Howard County.
5. We have been part of the Howard County community for 20 years.
6. We are run by the WGC Advisory Board that makes ongoing decisions.
7. We have a $1.3M endowment so that we will have money in perpetuity to fund programs that benefit women and girls.
8. We have given over 250 grants to nonprofits in Howard County that focus on our mission.
9. We host events and programs to engage donors and raise money to support our grantmaking.
10. In 2022, our 20th Anniversary year, we reached the milestone of giving over $1M to support our efforts from over 1,600 individual donors.

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