One nonprofit organization has a unique way of raising money to donate to various nonprofit organizations—They donate their own money.
100+ Women Who Care, or 100+ WWC, has become a national organization, said the Elmhurst chapter’s co-founder Jean Carlquist, who related that the original 100+ WWC started with Karen Dunigan of Jackson, Mich., in 2006. During their first meeting, the chapter raised $10,000 to purchase 300 baby cribs for a nonprofit organization.
The second chapter formed in Wheaton in 2007, she mentioned.
Carlquist said she had heard of 100+ WWC from some members of the Wheaton chapter, and had read in a newspaper about a chapter in Naperville, so “I had the seed planted in me.”
Carlquist remembers talking to several other Elmhurst women who “all came with enthusiasm” to form a chapter that “supports charities in Elmhurst or the communities around Elmhurst.”
She, along with fellow Elmhurst residents Betsy Aldred, Amy Allen, Marty Davy and Charlotte Mushow went on to form the 100+ WWC Elmhurst Area chapter in 2013.
“The stars lined up given our personal timing and interest in this giving model. The simple giving model was intriguing to us. The need was validated by the community given the strong response of women who jumped in for the first meeting,” Carlquist recalled, adding that “Over 100 women came—our first donation came from 121 people; $12,100.”
The recipient was the Northern Illinois Food Bank, which was initiating a backpack program at Conrad Fischer School to provide basic food for families during the weekends.
How the organization works is, the members—which Carlquist estimates to currently be around 160 (although not all of them attend every meeting)—meet four times a year for an hour. During that time members who wish to advocate for a charity drop the name of their suggested recipient into a hat and three are chosen. It must be recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Each member whose names were pulled has “five minutes to present their charity,” she continued, after which there is a question and answer period to find out more about the charity.
Members vote on their preferred choice, and the one with the most votes is chosen to receive a contribution of $100 from each member (that goes directly to the charity). The other two nominators can put their charity in the hat again at a future meeting.
Carlquist said of the contributions that members are “a generous philanthropic-minded group that operates in a very trusting fashion” when it comes to donating their own money to a charity suggested by another member.
The charity is notified and is later presented with the donation, Carlquist outlined, and is also asked to attend the next meeting to share how the donation was, or will be, used.
The most recent recipient was Pilot Pete’s Coffee & Treats of Elmhurst, whose nonprofit Coffee With A Purpose received a donation of $15,900.
The nonprofit collects winter clothing; boots and shoes; hats, gloves and scarves; food; camping gear; comforters and blankets; toiletries; first aid kits; and hygiene products to deliver to homeless individuals in the Chicagoland area, according to its website, https://www.pilotpetescoffee.com/coffee-with-a-purpose.
“I was completely thrilled,” commented Pilot Pete’s owner Peter Thomas, who said the donation will help him “reach new heights” toward helping more homeless individuals.
Carlquist said of 100+ WWC that “A big part of it is, we’re in a very generous community,” adding that the donation system is “a very simple and very impactful process.”
And, she emphasized of the donations that “collectively we make a significant impact on that group.”
While Elmhurst is a thriving municipality, Carlquist noted that “This [community] is not one without need,” so the chosen charities will benefit Elmhurst residents in some way.
The grass-roots organization, which Carlquist refers to as a “giving circle,” is what she describes as “a broad movement … a philanthropy movement around local giving in a way they [charities] can feel the impact.”
The result is “momentum beyond what we’re doing in our local Elmhurst group,” Carlquist said.
She welcomes new members, saying, “You come for an hour, it’s social, and connects with other women in town.”
“This is a small thing that you can do and it adds up,” Carlquist summed up.
100+ Women Who Care will meet next at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2. Meetings are held at Angelo’s Ristorante and Banquets, 247 N. York Road, Elmhurst.
For more information, visit
https://100elmhurstwomenwhocare.weebly.com.
About the 100 Women Who Care Alliance
The 100 Women Who Care Alliance now has 811 active chapters, including Canada and Mexico, and has raised over $70.8 million.
Visit https://www.100whocarealliance.org for more information.
