Who We Are
FAQs
Looking for more information about collective giving, WGA membership, our events and more?
You’re in the right place! Browse our FAQs, or reach out to us for help.
WGA Member Jennifer Croy at One Spark, an annual festival held in Downtown Jacksonville, FL.
Our Giving Approach
A giving circle is a group of people who pool charitable resources and decide together how to disperse them. By focusing on areas of shared interest, giving circles are able to achieve greater impact in the community. Members benefit from opportunities to learn about issues and participate in grantmaking and governance. Learn more.
Collective giving has two goals: (1) educate Members about community needs and strategic philanthropy and (2) multiply the impact of individual gifts. Of the Annual Membership contribution of $1,500, $1,100 goes to the current Grants Pool and $100 goes to WGA’s endowment to continue WGA’s work for perpetuity. From time to time, additional donations are made to the WGA Grants Pool from WGA Members, friends, men, foundations and organizations to increase the amount of monies available for WGA’s strategic grantmaking and special projects. Funding benefits nonprofit agencies in Northeast Florida and the women and girls whom they serve. Learn more.
Strategic philanthropy creates an impact greater than the actual dollars or time invested. It typically focuses on root causes and comprehensive solutions to make a lasting difference for entire groups of people. At WGA, we use collective giving, research, a rigorous grantmaking process, shared learning, education and other approaches to be as strategic as possible in our giving. Learn more.
Membership
All women are welcome and encouraged to join at any time. You do not need to be invited by a Member, and there isn’t an application process. Just click on the green “Join/Renew” button in the top righthand corner of the website. You can pay online or by mail. Learn more.
Each Annual Member makes a tax-deductible gift of a minimum of $1,500 per year. Of this amount, $1,100 is allocated to the grant pool, $100 is invested in our endowment and $300 helps to defray operational expenses.
In addition to the traditional annual Membership of $1,500, we offer other special initiatives, such as the Delores Barr Weaver 4Sight Initiative and Legacy Membership.
The Delores Barr Weaver 4Sight initiative offers women 40 and under an opportunity to join WGA at a one-time reduced investment of $750 for their first year.
Legacy Members are lifetime Members who make a minimum gift of $25,000 in one payment or more. Legacy Members ensure that the work we do for women and girls in Northeast Florida will endure. You may also create a legacy through a planned gift or bequest. To discuss a lifetime Legacy Membership, please contact Nikki Sabol, Women’s Giving Alliance Director, at 904.356.4483 or NSabol@jaxcf.org.
All Members have full voting rights, are invited and encouraged to attend events, and serve in volunteer roles.
Not at all. You’re free to evaluate your membership commitment each year.
Absolutely. We receive donations every year from women who are not yet ready for membership, or who may be temporarily experiencing budget pressures. We also receive donations from men, parents, foundations, and organizations. You can specify if you’d like your donation to go to the grants pool or to special projects. Learn more.
Yes! The majority of WGA events are open to the public, so you can attend and learn more about issues impacting women and girls in our community. You may also make a contribution to our Grants Pool to support grantees. You’d just need to be a Member to serve on committees, vote in elections or ratify the grants.
Yes, you may use securities to pay for your WGA membership or to make a donation. Just call or email Nikki Sabol, Women’s Giving Alliance Director, at 904.356.4483 or NSabol@jaxcf.org to let her know what securities to expect, and how you’d like them applied.
Certainly! We welcome all contributions from Members and the community. Some wish to give extra donations to our Grants Pool, endowment fund or strategic WGA initiatives. You can also make a donation in honor or in memory of friends and loved ones. A donation to WGA is a great birthday gift or Mother’s Day tribute as well! Learn more.
We welcome new or returning members all year round. However, we recommend you keep April 15th in mind. This is the deadline for your donation to count towards the current year Grants Pool. It’s also the date we finalize the member list for the year. All contributions made after April 15th go towards next year’s Grants Pool.
Grantmaking
The focus on women and girls originated with our founders, and is core to WGA’s DNA. Worldwide, just 7% of philanthropic dollars are spent on programming for women and girls, despite females’ influence on families, communities, businesses and future generations. We understand the power of women and girls, and want to help them to accomplish more.
WGA Members decide which grants get funded. It starts with the Grants Committee opening up the application process. Qualified nonprofits submit grant applications for consideration. The Grants Committee then begins its months-long process of reviewing proposals and sends its recommendations to the Steering Committee. With Steering Committee approval, final grants are submitted to our Members at our Member Forum, where Members have the opportunity to ask questions, and then vote to ratify the new grants. Learn more.
WGA grants are generated from a large portion of Members’ annual contribution. The collective funds combined each year from Members’ donations is known as the grants pool. These funds are given annually to local nonprofits whose initiatives support women and girls in Northeast Florida.
Governance & Committees
As a membership organization, WGA uses a democratic process of “one Member, one vote.” Members elect the President, Vice-President(s), Secretary, Treasurer and at-large members of the Steering Committee; each serves a two-year term. Chairs of the Standing Committees are appointed by the President and also serve on the Steering Committee. Full membership votes are required annually to ratify grants, and are always required if a change is proposed in the annual contribution or the allocation of that contribution.
Yes, there are seven standing Committees: Advocacy, Communications, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Education, Finance, Grants and Membership. Learn more.
Wonderful! Please contact the committee chairs. A list of current committee chairs is publicly available on our website in the Committee section, or you can log in to the Member Portal for detailed contact information for all committee chairs.
Yes, of course. Volunteers are critical to our work. We do try to seat every member who has requested to sit on a committee first before seating members on a second committee.
That’s entirely up to you! As a Member, you can tailor your level of involvement to fit your schedule and preferences. Some Members are simply investors; others like to participate more. Learn more.
Neighborhood Connector Groups grew out of Members’ interest in getting to know one another in small, close-to-home settings. Activities depend on the interests and ideas of the Members in each geographic area and include periodic gatherings. Although local in focus, any Member is welcome and encouraged to attend any Neighborhood Connector event — and to bring a friend! To find out what Connector Group you are assigned to (by zip code), click on the Member Portal, and then the Member Directory. Your primary Connector Group assignment is displayed with your listing. You are free to change your Connector affiliation at any time. And also, all Downtown Connector gatherings are open to everyone, as are all Neighborhood Connector Groups!
WGA is an initiative of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (TCF). Learn more.
Meetings & Events
WGA hosts a number of events throughout the year, including two large semi-annual luncheons in the spring and fall (Member Forum and Annual Meeting), smaller educational events, lectures and panel discussions and Neighborhood Connector Group events. Nearly all of our events are open to the public. View our calendar of events.