Frequently Asked Questions

In order to be considered at a meeting, the organization must benefit Southern Maine communities. The organization must be a non-profit entity recognized as a 501(c)(3) for at least a year. No national or international charities, programs or organizations will be considered unless they have a location in the Southeastern Connecticut area, as the purpose is for the contributions to stay 100% in the community.

** Only members who have signed a MEMBERSHIP/COMMITMENT FORM and are current on their contributions may submit a charity for consideration. 

A 501(c)(3) is defined as “exemptions that apply to corporations, and any community chest, fund or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, educational purposes, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, promote the arts, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.” However, for the purposes of 100 Women Who Care Southeastern Connecticut, all groups up for consideration must be local.

Yes, your contribution is tax deductible if made payable to a 501(c)(3) organization. Checks are written directly to the local organization, NOT to 100 Women Who Care. Please contact your tax advisor or visit the IRS Website for further information.

A member who has signed the Commitment Form and completed a Charitable Organization Fact Sheet prior to the meeting can put the name of a local organization into the hat for a random drawing at the meeting. At random, three organizations will be selected from the hat. The members who wrote down each name will be asked to come up and give a short 5 minute presentation (please, no PowerPoint presentations or videos) as to why their chosen organization should receive the donation and then spend 5 minutes for Q & A. Presentations can include posters and flyers, but no computer/electronics equipment may be used. We encourage members to participate by submitting the names of local, needy, charitable organizations prior to each meeting! After the three presentations, all members present at the meeting and current in their contributions vote for the charity to be supported.

If you cannot attend a meeting you can donate in a few ways:

1. Send a blank, signed check with a trusted friend who is attending the meeting. They will write in the name of the charity that is chosen and give it to the organizers on your behalf. They do not vote on your behalf. We can only count the votes of members who are present.
2. After a meeting is over, check the website or call Jackie Conn to find out which charity was selected. You can then write your check, made out to directly the charity, and mail it to Jackie and she will send it to the charity on your behalf.

You can donate via Venmo or eventually through this website. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes.

No, the goal of the 100 Women Who Care organization is to make a large donation on behalf of the whole group. We want to be able to support this endeavor and give $5,000 at a time to make a large impact in our community, with each member’s donation being part of the larger donation. We also need to be able to track your donations so that you get credit for the donation and remain eligible for submitting charities and voting at meetings.

Meetings are intended to be very short, generally lasting approximately 1 hour.  However, you may come to the meeting early in order to spend some time socializing and getting to know other members. We will provide charcuterie, coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Members are responsible to pay for anything they order off the menu or at the bar.

Absolutely! Guests are always welcome although she will need to sign a COMMITMENT FORM if she wants to nominate and/or vote for a charity.

Charities which are presented at a meeting, but are not selected, are eligible to be re-nominated again after two meeting cycles.

Charities which are chosen to receive donations from 100+ Women Who Care Southern Maine are eligible to be re-nominated again after two years.

Charities may be presented a maximum of two times at 100 Women Who Care Southeastern Connecticut meetings.