Monday Morning Musings

Posted on April 16, 2018 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Antigonish Affordable Housing Society – first $10,000 recipients

The power of 100.

I’ve been involved in fundraising for many years as have many of you. Whether it’s a bake sale, a raffle, an annual campaign or a capital campaign, money raised typically goes to something that benefits the community. It’s one of those things that are a very important economic engine.  Maritimers are well known for their legendary generosity.

It seems that every time you turn around, there’s a campaign of one sort or another going on. In other words, the competition for fund raising dollars can be fierce, especially in larger centers. In many ways, smaller communities do a better job sorting through the fundraising landscape. They know what’s important especially when money raised is spent locally.

We all know the power of one woman. Now, do the multiplier and think of the impact 100 women can make, especially when they have a charitable cause in mind.

Some women in Antigonish have gotten together and created a local chapter of 100 Women Who Care. This organization has been around for many years and has had a major impact on non-profit organizations in places like Pictou County and Truro.

The beauty of the concept is that it’s so simple. Let’s face it; everyone (including retirees!) leads very busy lives. Many people don’t have extra time to volunteer for worthwhile causes but in a lot of cases they have the financial resources to assist charities.

The objective is to find 100 women who can donate $100, four times a year. That comes to a tidy sum of $40,000 annually. Women can also team up in groups of up to four members to share in the cost. Four times a year, the group meets to hand out $10,000. Your donations are tax deductible.

At each of these meetings, three non-profit groups give a five minute presentation on how the $10,000 would benefit their organization and the people it serves. Then the 100 women cast their votes and the winner is announced immediately. This format is great for busy people as the meeting is over in thirty minutes and the non-profit organization chosen by the members goes home with the money that evening.

The initial winner of the first award was the Antigonish Affordable Housing Society.

I mean, it doesn’t get much simpler or more efficient than this.

No here’s the thing. The 100 Women Who Care, Antigonish chapter, needs a few more women to fill out their ranks… 23 to be exact. I showed up in a kilt at a meeting but this clever disguise didn’t fool the sharp eyed executive! If you’re interested, check out their website at www.100wwcantigonish.ca . Go to the “Join Us” tab and become a member.

I’m settling in nicely to life in Phoenix. It has been hot and dry as expected and a bit too early to tell whether the healing power of the sun will do the trick for my arthritis.

Have a great week.

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