Which charitable organizations are eligible for consideration by the group?

In order to be considered at a meeting, the organization must serve the Calgary community, or surrounding area and it must be a registered not-for-profit or charitable organization eligible to provide tax receipts for donations. It must be previously established (no start-ups). National charities, programs or organizations may be considered, if there is a local branch or chapter that serves the Calgary community. An organization that is selected for the group donation may not be considered again for 2 years. The exception is a specific program within a large organization (for example a specific department or program within a hospital), which may be considered again after one year for a different program or department. Any member wishing to submit a charitible organization for consideration must complete our Nomination Form at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting.

Is my donation tax deductible?

Yes, as only registered not-for-profit and charitable organizations will be sponsored by the group. Cheques are written directly to the charitable organization and NOT to 100 Women Who Care Calgary. Tax receipts will be issued directly by the charitable organization.

How is the organization that receives the group donation chosen?

A member who has signed the Commitment Form can put the name of a local organization into the hat for a random drawing at the meeting. The organizers of the meeting will collect the names of the organizations from the members prior to the meeting. At random, three organizations will be selected from the hat. The nominating members will be asked to come up and give a short 5 minute presentation as to why the organization they are nominating should receive the donation and then spend 5 minutes for Q & A. We encourage members to participate by submitting the names of local, needy, charitable organizations!

What happens if there’s a tie?

Ties will be decided by further votes. If a tie persists, the membership will vote to either (1) randomly select one of the tied organizations by draw; or (2) divide the group donation equally between the tied organizations.

Can a charity win more than once?

A successful organization is not eligible for future consideration for 2 years but the nominating member may submit the name of another organization.

What if I cannot attend a meeting?

If a member cannot attend a meeting she can do one of two things:

1. She can send in a blank, signed cheque with a trusted friend to the meeting (preferred). The friend will write in the name of the charity that is chosen on the check and give it to the organizers on her behalf. The friend may not vote on behalf of the absent member. We can only count the votes of members who are present at the meeting;

2. The member can check the website/meeting minutes or contact one of the organizers to find out which charity was selected. The member can then send in a cheque to one of the organizers where we will send it to the charity on the member’s behalf.

Can I just send the donation to the charity myself?

Because the goal of 100 Women Who Care Calgary is to make a large donation on behalf of the whole group, the answer is no. We want to be able to support this endeavor and give $10,000+ dollars at a time to make a large impact in our community with each member’s donation being part of the larger donation. This is the power of joining forces! 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.

How long do the meetings last?

Meetings are intended to be very short and no longer than 60 minutes. That having been said, there is the opportunity to socialize after the meeting.

Can I bring a friend to the meeting?

Of course you can! We are always seeking women who care! However, in order to vote she will need to sign a Commitment Form and become a member. Otherwise she is free to observe and contribute a donation if she likes.

Does any of my donation go to administration costs of 100 Women Who Care Calgary?

Absolutely not! 100 Women Who Care Calgary is organized and operated entirely by volunteers. 100% of the money raised at our meetings goes directly to the selected organizations!

What do you do with my personal information?

100 Women Who Care Calgary collects your personal information (including name, address, email address, phone number) strictly for the purpose of maintaining our membership list. 100 Women Who Care Calgary will not sell, give or otherwise share your personal information without your express consent, unless required by law.

How do Calgary charities get in the running?

Simple!  Get women to sign up to be members of 100 Women Who Care Calgary!

Each member of 100 Women Who Care Calgary is allowed to nominate one local charity of their choosing for any given meeting.  The charity must serve Calgary and area populations and must be a registered charity / cause to be eligible for consideration.  The member must submit her completed nomination form at least 2 days prior to the event in order to have it vetted as eligible and  added to the “hat” from which we randomly draw three names at each meeting.

Helpful tip:  A charity CAN be nominated by multiple members at each meeting.  This increases their chances of being drawn for consideration.  We must always have three different charities for our members to consider voting for, but multiple nominations for one charity does tip the hat in that charity’s favour to be drawn as one of the three.  Please note: the member’s name on the ticket drawn is the person who must come up to speak for the charity.  Ie: every member that nominates a charity must themselves be willing and able to get up and speak about why our group should vote for that charity and they must also be able to answer questions from the group.

We know from other jurisdictions that there is a benefit to all three charity’s considered at each meeting, because of the exposure each one gains from this opportunity.  These charities may expect to gain some volunteers and/or donations from people who simply did not know about them before!  Remember, many of our members are joining so that they can learn more about our local charities.  This is a great way to do it!

The charity that is selected to receive our group’s donation will be invited to the next meeting to give a 5 minute speech on how our donation was spent and the impact that was made.

What about National and International Causes?

We care deeply about many national and international causes, but our focus is here in Calgary.  Did you know that Calgary has over 2000 registered charities working hard for us every day?  Well, we can only help 4 of these per year, so that’s what we are going to do.  IF we were to consider supporting a National organization, it would only be under the agreement that our funds would stay here in Calgary.