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Health & Fitness

Local women helping women and children

Back in 2003, my youngest child had started school, and I was looking to find something meaningful to do with my free time.  A friend approached me about starting a philanthropic giving circle with her and a few other women.  Frankly, I didn’t even grasp all that entailed, but after reviewing the work of similar groups in other cities, I was hooked!  We assembled a board of women with different skill sets and were off and running.  This year, we in Many Hands celebrate our 10th year of funding the needs of local nonprofits. 

Unlike other giving circles, Many Hands makes a single $100,000 philanthropic investment in one DC area nonprofit. (Most grant-making organizations – especially giving circles – make much smaller grants to multiple groups.) The pooled money comes from 100-150 women who each donate $1,000.  If more than $100,000 is raised, smaller grants are given to two runners up.  

The experience is like having an internship in how to be a philanthropist. As part of the giving circle, I get greater access to organizations that I would not otherwise get to know so intimately. On top of that, I appreciate being part of a philanthropic organization that has no overhead, and I enjoy the collective power and impact of making one large grant.  The formal grant-making process gets under way after the holidays.  Site visits help us to narrow down the list. All of the groups considered serve women and families in the areas of health, education, housing and/or job readiness. 

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Many Hands is currently beginning a new round of fundraising, and new donors are welcome!  Interested women may learn more or sign up at www.manyhandsdc.org.  An introductory community meeting will be held this Tuesday, October 8, at 7:30 pm at Chevy Chase Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Avenue.   

Past groups funded by Many Hands have told us that they have found the $100,000 investment transformative. For instance, A Wider Circle executive director, Mark Bergel, said, “Many Hands got us through 2010. With that grant, we said, ‘we’re going to make it.’ It was like dropping a boulder into the water; it had a giant ripple effect.” 

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Consider joining our circle. You can also like us on Facebook.

 

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