The power of collective giving
From February 2026:
Dear Giving Circle donors:
On a snowy day in Philadelphia registering some of the lowest temperatures we have seen in over 20 years, I am writing to share how warm my heart feels for all of you—YOU --the special donors who participate in collective giving, who trust our Women’s Connection Philadelphia Giving Circle with your money, and who join us in identifying and selecting the nonprofit grant recipients that we select each year.
Our request for grant applications is live on the Philadelphia Foundation website. It says that we are seeking:
applications from nonprofits with a significant commitment to improving access to affordable, healthy food for women and their families in Philadelphia. Eligible applicants will include those offering a range of services, such as food banks, community gardens, meal programs, excess food collection and distribution and nutrition education.
A few weeks ago, we held an information session for prospective grant applicants. Fifty (50) nonprofits joined that call. The prior year we had 27 nonprofits join our information call. On January 29, we had our first education program on food insecurity and over 140 registered for this program and heard passionate comments from our panel and moderator. (see below in this newsletter for a fuller discussion of this program)
This is an historic year for the Giving Circle. Thanks to you we raised over $120,000. Given that our base donation amount is $200, this is not an insignificant sum. Other giving circles require $500, $1000 or more as their entry point. In 2012, our first year, the Giving Circle asked for a $200 minimum donation. In 2026, the amount to be a voting donor in our circle is the same because we believe that collective giving should be accessible for all -- not just for wealthy women.
This year I am proud to announce that we have 227 donors, including 67 first time donors, and because you understood the critical need of hunger facing our community, our average donation was approximately $528 - the largest average donation ever.
Kris Lindenmeyer, your co-chair, joins me in saying it fills us with warmth to know all of us are making a difference in Philadelphia. We hope you find your experience with our Giving Circle meaningful and important; we encourage you to participate in a way that is meaningful to you, and we hope that you will continue your donations for many years forward.
Together in giving,
Phyllis Bookspan, Co-chair of the Giving Circle
