www.womensgivingalliance.org

2008 Issue 2 May 2008

Valuable Perspective on GrantmakingPanelists for the Women’s Giving Alliance’s (WGA) first 2008 Get Smart educational offering were: David Oda-howski, Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation; Maggie Gunther Osborn, consultant to foundations; and Sally Douglass, Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Susan Towler, WGA member and Executive Director, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, served as moderator.

The session was organized in response to WGA’s Grants Committee request to learn from other funders how they ad-dress a variety of philosophic and operational challenges.

Each panelist outlined the grantmaking philosophy and directions of their respective orga-nizations. Some consistent themes emerged during the discussion:

• Supporting continuation funding for those programs that are meet-ing expected outcomes. One panelist noted that there is a tendency for funders to be excited about something new, when long-standing programs that are making a difference often are left wanting. However, by focusing on more new projects, we often put agencies at a disad-vantage since it requires more capital to support them, along with ongoing service delivery.

• Awarding grants that require some matching from other sources. This strategy allows for greater leverage of a foundation’s resources.

• Being open to fund capacity building and operating bud-gets to support an organization’s overall mission. When questioned about how to evaluate these grants, they noted that there are a wide array of accountability metrics that can be used.

by Sandy Cook

Seated left to right, Panelists: David Odahowski, Sally Douglass, Maggie Gunther Osborn, Moderator: Susan Towler

• Approaching grantmaking with a “partnership” mentality. Each of the panelists noted that they tend toward negotiated grants—collaborating with agencies to build a proposal that the agency and the foundation believe will result in the best outcomes.

WGA Community Research Team Recommendations Excerpted from an article written by Susan Garvey

The issue of infant mortality is an acute one in North Florida, where the percentage of children who die before age one is among the worst in the United States. The Jacksonville Community Council, Inc., (JCCI) study, partially funded by a WGA grant of $5,000, and matched by The Community Foundation $5,000 Presidential Grant, is a comprehensive assessment of the causes, needs, current program/services, and best practices on this is-sue. The report will be released on May 29th. The Community Research Team (CRT) has recommended that WGA fund no new projects in Duval County related to Infant Mortality until results of the study are released.

Under the aegis of Northeast Florida Healthy Start, the Azalea Project has been operating since January 2008 and provides outreach, education and support services to high-risk women to address issues of substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors that influence birth outcomes. The program promotes self-sufficiency and personal transformation using a comprehensive, multi-gen-erational approach. WGA provided a one-year $38,050 grant.

W.I.L.D. Flower project, a clinic in West St. Augustine offering pre-conception care for women of childbearing age (15-44), is a collaboration of the St. John’s County Health Department, Good Samaritan Health Clinic and the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition. In operation for a year, it is open two afternoons a week and has had more than 500 visits. The project needs support for the salary of a nurse in order to expand its hours and to expand its outreach efforts and establish a volunteer coordinator position. -continued on page 3

Joan Van Vleck, President

Sally F. BaldwinSheryl P. BordelonSusan B. ElinoffCatherine FormentBeverly H. FurtickSusan R. GarveyChristine A. GranfieldChristina M. GuyetteDianne HalversonMary B. HarveyBenham HowardSarah B. HowardSharon T. HuntNina D. HunterMary O. Lester

Janet S. LithgowTeala A. MiltonMarcy M. MoodyGay C. NightingaleBobbie O’ConnorMary C. PattonBlythe A. RhodesEllen RosnerAnn SabbagMarlene SkiltonDiana StewartGwynne G. TonsfeldtGeorgia WahlSherry Williamson

Welcome New 2008 Members (as of April 2008)

Notes from Joan A CHALLENGE AND RESPONSIBILITY!

Women’s Giving Alliance members have a challenge and a responsibility to live our Mission…“To inspire the women of Northeast Florida to be strategic philanthropists and to improve the lives of women and girls through collective giving.”

Our Guiding Principles remind us how we accomplish that Mission:

• Reach out and welcome all women who wish to join.• Build relationships among women united in their

desire to improve the lives of women and girls.• Develop a membership of educated philanthropists

who understand community needs and become informed, pioneering grantmakers.

• Collaborate with funding partners and community organizations to empower women and girls.

• Conduct our grantmaking with integrity, fiscal re-sponsibility and respect for our grant recipients.

Two immediate challenges:• Financial stress at national, state and local levels chal-

lenge us to stay focused on strategic philanthropy, with the strength of our collective giving more important than ever.

• Every time we add a new member we add $1,000 to our grant pool. That’s why meeting our goal of 250 members for WGA in 2008 is so important. Each WGA member should feel responsible to inspire other women to join WGA, NOW. Women and girls in our community need us more than ever!

Let’s all recognize and accept our challenge and respon-sibility.

Thank you for your continued commitment to WGA and our community!

Volunteer Opportunities with our Grantees Cathedral Arts Performing Arts Showcase

Saturday, May 17 and Sunday afternoon, May 18 Volunteers needed to help at annual student recital. No talent necessary! Volunteers needed backstage to help calm young performers’ nerves and upfront as ushers for parents. Come for one hour, two hours or whatever you can spare! Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum 829 North Davis Street, Jacksonville FL 32202 Contact Kimberly Hyatt at 281-5599 ext. 11 or khyatt@capkids.org.

Steering Committee MembersJoan Van Vleck, PresidentBarbara Harrell, VPSusan Rowley, SecretaryAnna Brosche, Treasurer & FinanceSandy Cook, Nominating

Jana Ertrachter, CommunicationsMary Pietan, CommunicationsPam Gerrish, EducationSusan Towler, EducationKatherine Graci, FinanceScott McGehee, GrantsSusan West, GrantsLinda Hossenlopp, MembershipMary Ellen Smith, Membership

Joan W. Newton, Board Liaison, The Community FoundationMembers At Large:Martha BakerRobin BerenbergJan HealyLindsay HelmsSally LeeCarla MarlierSharón SimmonsLisa Weatherby

The Community Foundation Staff:Cheryl Riddick, GrantmakingJeneen Sanders, WGA CoordinatorNina Waters, Steering Committee Representative

Member Recognition

Thank you to renewing members!

WGA Community Research Team Recommendations -continued from front page

CRT recommends considering support, because W.I.L.D. Flower is a cost-effective approach to building a healthy community, has committed partners and staff, and plans to grow and carry on its role.

WGA supports the creation and delivery of a high-im-pact, integrated set of resources to address the wide range of needs so that girls in the foster care system successfully make the transition to independent living. WGA funded the “Building Bridges” program in 2007 with a one-year grant of $40,000 covering an eight-week pilot program that provided female-specific life-skills training, therapeutic support, and mentoring for two age groups, 13-15, and 16-18. Further, the CRT recommends a pilot “guidance counselor” concept to help girls prepare for their general education diploma, finding a job and preparing for independent living, and to explore offering a Discretionary Grant to Ability Housing for research on what is required to provide affordable housing for these young women.

What are WGA’s next steps on these recommendations? The Decision Team will recommend the projects to be funded or decide if further evaluation is necessary.

Please see the Women’s Giving Alliance web site at www.womensgivingalliance.org for a complete copy of the article. In addition, check out the new Research section under the Resource tab to learn more about some of the research used to develop our priority initiatives.

Seated left to right, Mary Virginia Terry, Nancy C. Ulrich, Roslyn Mixon-Phillips

Standing left to right, Kristi Bageant-Epperson, Pamela Y. Paul, Nina Waters

Women of DistinctionCongratulations to WGA members, Pamela Paul and Nina Waters for being honored as Girl Scouts ofGateway Council Women of Distinction. Each year, the Girl Scouts honor local women whose accomplish-ments in career and community service exemplify the values of Girl Scouting.

Strictly Social WGA members enjoyed a beautiful evening at the WGA Strictly Social event held at the The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra on March 6. Members, spouses, and guests were able to mingle and relax, and several prospective members were introduced to WGA. Members and guests also enjoyed the photography exhibit by Jay W. Shoots. Thank you to Wendy Roberts, Chair of the event, and the Membership Committee for their coordination of such a memorable evening.

Jay Shoots and Betty Bucci

Left to Right, Nancy Overton, Molly Boyd, Wendy Roberts, chair of Strictly

Social, and Nina Waters

Left to Right, Ray and Marianne Rizzo and Sandy and Bob Cook

Left to Right, Robin and Danny Berenberg, and Joan Van Vleck

Left to Right, Charlie and Scott McGehee, Barbara Harrell, and

Shereth Coble

121 West Forsyth St, Suite 900Jacksonville, FL 32202ph 904.356.4483 fax 904.356.7910

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PAIDPermit No. 1678Jacksonville, FL

www.womensgivingalliance.org

To inspire the women of Northeast Florida to be strategic philanthropists

and to improve the lives of women and girls through collective giving.

Our Mission

Events Calendar for May - September 2008M A Y14 WGA Steering Committee meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at WJCT. Lunch provided

15 Education Boutique - Reed Education Center at 3:00 p.m. Car pool to site.

29 JCCI Infant Mortality Study Release Event at noon at Historic Mt. Zion AME Church

J U N E18 Education Boutique - Jewish Family & Community Services from 11:30a.m. to 1:00p.m. Brown Bag lunch

J U L Y24 Education Boutique - Jacksonville Women’s Business Center at 3:00 p.m.

S E P T E M B E R10 WGA Operating Committee Meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at WJCT. Brown Bag lunch

23 Get Smart Series - “Mental Health” at WJCT at 10:30 a.m.