Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Calhoun County series.
 
Since 2007 women in Albion and Marshall have given more than $1 million to various nonprofits in their respective communities.
 
Their giving comes through Albion Area Philanthropic Women (AAPW) and the Women’s Philanthropic Circle (WPC) based in Marshall, both of which were founded in 2007 to create positive change and impact. They are part of a national trend that continues to grow.
 
New research from Philanthropy Together, in partnership with lead researchers at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University and Colmena Consulting, shows an “abundant surge in generosity from everyday people over the last seven years, with participation in collective giving growing to 4,000 groups contributing over $3.1 billion to social good causes — more than doubling their impact since similar research was conducted, in 2016,” according to the website, Nonprofit Pro.

That earlier research found that there were 1,600 giving circles across the United States, with more than 150,000 people participating and $1.29 billion contributed.
 
“It's that idea of the collective impact and how that can make an impact,” says Nancy Roush, a member of AAPW and a retired Albion Public Schools Administrator. “Women just feel really good knowing we are making a difference.”
 
Collective giving groups are overwhelmingly led by women: 84% reported that more than half of members identify as women and 43% of groups are formed around this identity, according to Philanthropy Together research.
 
The just over 100 members of AAWP have given about $700,000 since their group formed in 2007. WPC, which has about 73 members, has given $310,720.
 
Each of these groups meets quarterly throughout the year alternating between lunch and dinner gatherings that typically last about one hour. They listen to brief presentations from local nonprofits in their communities before voting on a recipient. Members of the AAWP each write $100 checks while WPC members each contribute either $25 or $50.
 
Group photo taken at a meeting at the Bohm Theatre."If you’re over 50, you write a check for $50 and if you’re under 50, you write a check for $25,” says Mary Brown, a member of WPC who is a retired Albion Public Schools Teacher.
 
The establishment of these giving levels is intentional, she says, because it gives younger women who may not have the financial capacity as older members the opportunity to feel that they are supporting something at a higher level.
 
“For our younger people, they can’t give as much and it makes them feel that they are giving as part of something bigger,” Brown says. “We’re trying to show them that even if they’re working full-time they can still do something.”
 
Individual donors consider establishing or joining collective giving groups to maximize the impact of individual philanthropy, according to a report from the Dorothy A.Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University titled “In Abundance: An Analysis of the Thriving Landscape of Collective Giving in the U.S."

This desire to make an impact oftentimes goes well beyond the geographic boundaries of Albion and Marshall. Roush says her daughter who lives in California consistently sends a check and another member’s daughters who live in Grand Rapids also send checks.
 
“There’s also a woman who now lives in Indiana and another woman who splits her time between her home in Homer and California,” Roush says.
 
A simple premise for doing good
 
The longevity of the AAWP and WPC can be attributed to lean and loosely organized leadership structures, no-frills communication, an absence of ongoing projects, and the rewards of an immediate impact, say Brown and Roush.
 
“One of the beauties of our group is that there are no by-laws or directors,” Roush says. “We have an informal five-person leadership team that I’m a part of. It’s an informal structure and that’s the reason I got associated with it.”
 
Members of each giving group receive all communications via email, including newsletters that contain detailed recipient organization lists.
 
Gwen Tabb, Yvonne Cole, and Denise Porter present checks to Dick Porter, Albion Community Gardens, and Katie Gigliotti of Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum.“We’ve never spent a dime on anything, it all just goes to the nonprofits,” Roush says.
 
The same is true for the WPC, Brown says.
 
While the operating structures are similar, the decision-making process for the Albion and Marshall groups differs.
 
Members of AAWP listen to between three and four brief presentations from representatives of nonprofits that are suggested by members.
 
“After the presentations, we vote and we count up votes and announce who the recipient is and everybody gets their checkbooks out and writes a check to that organization,” Roush says. “Sometimes it’s very, very close. We’ve only had a tie once and we had to have a runoff.”
 
Oftentimes, she says some organizations come back three or four times before they receive the winning vote. There also have been organizations that have an immediate need. In these instances, members give additional dollars through a “pass the hat” process.
 
Members of the WPC vote using a ballot that lists all of the organizations that have been vetted and approved for funding consideration. Organizations highlighted in yellow are ineligible for 18 months after receiving funding.
 
The top three vote-getters in the first round of voting go to the final round where a winner is selected.
 
Organizations seeking to be on that list send representatives who speak and explain the nonprofit's work at a meeting. Nonprofits that receive funding from a church or school group are ineligible, Brown says.
 
“We make sure they’re all living their mission and somehow tied to the Marshall area,” she says.
 
Forks Senior Center Board Director Luann Sommers addresses the group.Speakers at the meetings include a representative with the most recent recipient organization to talk about how the funds were used along with someone from a nonprofit asking to be considered for funding.
 
“These presentations are kept to five minutes each with time for members to ask questions,” Brown says.
 
Recipient organizations for AAWP and WCP represent a wide swath that includes health and human services, arts and culture, and education. Some of them are located in other areas of Calhoun County such as Charitable Union and the South Michigan Food Bank.
 
The opportunity to learn about the work being done by the organizations is a bonus, Brown says.
 
“The best part about our meetings is to hear about what’s going on,” she says. “I think people want to know that their being involved is making a difference.”