FAQ’s
Membership - Meetings - Non-Profits and more!
Briefly:
• Members select one non-profit by majority vote at each quarterly meeting. • Members nominate non-profits using a simple pre-qualification form. • Each quarter we randomly select three qualified non-profits to pitch a Juneau project. • Members vote by email after the pitches. • The non-profit with the most votes receives our massed donation of $25,000. • The two other non-profits who pitched will share equally any remaining funds.
Guiding principles:
1. Keep the mechanics of our group as simple as possible.
2. Be transparent.
3. Contribute in mass to support non-profits in our community: your $100 goes a long way!
4. Trust the process.
5. Honor each other's causes.
Quarterly meetings:
• Quarterly meetings are held in January, April, July, and October over Zoom. Sometimes the meetings may be hybrid in-person/Zoom. Meetings are recorded and the videos are available to all members. Attending meetings and voting are optional (though highly encouraged!) for members.
• Two weeks prior to each quarterly meeting, committed members receive an email with all the “when and how” details and a link to the Zoom meeting.
• Voting begins after the meeting, when an email with a link to vote and written pitches from the three non-profits is sent to all members.
• Voting closes at 5 pm on the Sunday following the quarterly meeting.
• After voting closes, an email goes out with results and instructions for making your $100 quarterly contribution.
• Members are encouraged to use our secure, private, convenient Grapevine page to make their contribution. Copy and paste this link:
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/8y7hjkk/100-Women-Who-Care-Juneau? gvu=xbu2qP&gvsrc=pool&utm_campaign=pool&utm_source=copy-url
• Checks are also always welcome, payable to the non-profit with the most votes, and mailed to 100 WWC Juneau, C/O Michelle Hebert, 1310 Abby Court, Juneau AK 99801
Details:
Am I member just by joining the 100+ WWC FaceBook page?
No. Membership begins with our Grapevine page where you commit to giving $100 four times per year. Membership is on-going, remaining in place for as long as you remain active by making your quarterly contribution. You can end your membership at any time for any reason. Just send us an email to let us know.
Where do I get a “Pre-Qualification Form” to nominate a non-profit? Email us at: 100wwc.jnu@gmail.com The form must be signed by a member and returned at least 3 weeks prior to the quarterly meeting.
What qualifications does a non-profit meet to be added to list?
1. 501(c)3 non-profit
2. Commit to using the award locally
3. Attend the next meeting after receiving award and give a brief 5-minute presentation about how the 100+ WWC award was put to work.
4. Agree not to use, give, or sell the contact information of our members for additional solicitation by your nonprofit or any other organization.
5. No political causes or organizations. No houses of worship or organizations whose mission is to spread a religious message. No individuals.
What if more than one “Pre-Qualification Form” is submitted for the same non-profit? If your favorite non-profit is already on the list, there’s no need to repeat the effort! A list of eligible non profits is available on our website.
Can a member submit pre-qualification forms for more than one non-profit? Yes. There’s no limit on how many pre-qualification forms a member can turn in.
Any limit on how many non-profits can be on the eligible list?
No.
I want to pitch an eligible non-profit at the next meeting. What do I do? Before our quarterly meeting, members who have nominated a non profit are contacted and asked if they want to be “in the hat.” Then three organizations are randomly selected from those that answered YES. The members who nominated those organizations are notified and sworn to secrecy. And then they get started on preparing their pitch.
Are members required to nominate non-profits or make a pitch?
No. Nominating and pitching are completely voluntary. The only commitment you have made is to donate $100 four times per year to the non-profit that receives the most votes at our quarterly meetings.
What if 2 or more members want to pitch the same non-profit?
Only 1 member can make the pitch for the non-profit pulled from the hat. If the member who signed the form isn’t available or isn’t comfortable making the pitch, she can designate an alternate.
Can I pitch more than one non-profit at a meeting?
No.
Any restrictions on projects or programs that can be pitched by a member for a non profit?
YES. The project or program must be local to our Juneau community. And the non profit must meet the criteria on the pre-qualification form. (Ex: Not political or religious or benefiting a specific individual.)
I hate speaking in public but feel strongly about a particular non-profit. Any help for me? Yes. You could find a member who supports the same non-profit and ask that they fill in for you. Or we have an information sheet that is really helpful—“How to Make a Successful Pitch.” Remember a pitch is less than 5 minutes and the time for questions is also limited. And after observing the process you’ll see that making a pitch is easy.
Any discussion before voting?
No. But there is a few minutes after each pitch for members to ask questions.
Tell me about voting please?
At the conclusion of each quarterly meeting, an email with written pitches and a voting link is sent. The pitch that receives the most votes receives an award of $25,000. The remainder of donations collected is split equally between the other two non-profit projects that were pitched.
What if the selected pitch is something I don’t support or I don’t participate in voting, do I still have to contribute?
Yes! An emphatic YES. We are powerful in what we do for our community because we are women who support the causes of other women. Attending meetings and voting are optional. Making your quarterly contribution isn’t. EXCEPT: We know there are times when contributing doesn’t fit in the budget. Just let us know you’ll be taking a “Pass” for that quarter. We just ask members not to vote when taking a pass.
Can I contribute more than $100 to the selected non-profit?
Yes. Yes. Yes. The minimum amount is $100 per quarter, there is no maximum.
What if I want to give additional money to the second or third pitch that was not selected?
That would be wonderful. You can write an additional check in any amount to the other non-profit(s) you would like to support and mail it to us. Or increase your Grapevine contribution and send us a note to tell us which non profit the extra is going to. We’ll make sure that your donation is distributed as you intend.
How soon after receiving an award can a non-profit be eligible for consideration again? Our goal is to give every group on our list the opportunity to pitch before a non-profit receiving an award pitches a second time, therefore a non-profit that delivers a pitch will sit out until every group has received an award. Then all non-profits will go back into the hat again (except winning non-profits, which sit out for 2 years).
What if I don’t have a checking account?
Use our secure, private Grapevine account to make your donation using your credit card. Here’s the link:
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/8y7hjkk/100-Women-Who-Care-Juneau? gvu=xbu2qP&gvsrc=pool&utm_campaign=pool&utm_source=copy-url
Can I mail or deliver my contribution directly to the charity?
No. Our mission is to have the biggest impact possible by massing our donation.
Can I get a receipt for my contribution?
Yes. Grapevine will send a receipt to your email and also provide a year end statement for tax purposes. Or include a stamped self-addressed envelope with your check and the non-profit will send a receipt back to you.
Here’s a couple of bonus FAQ’s about other stuff:
When and how do we elect officers?
No officers. There’s a small group of women (Organizing Team) who commit for one year at a time to maintain the organization and do the work necessary to keep the group going.
Is 100 WWC Juneau a 501(c)3 non-profit?
No. We are a pass-through or giving circle. We collect the individual contributions and deliver them in mass to the quarterly award recipient. It is a powerful gift to the selected non-profit and to our community.
Are all these guidelines, rules, practices and stuff written in stone?
No. But we closely follow the 100 Women Who Care national model and believe it works very well. We ask members to trust the process and also offer ideas and suggestions. The organizing team often adopts changes that make the process more simple or the organization stronger.