As of March 2024
100+ Women Northumberland was established in April 2016 and is a member of the international 100 Who Care Alliance. Our goal is to bring together women to leverage small, individual donations into larger, collective grants to invest in Northumberland-based charities.
While all chapters operate by the same basic principles, our local chapter has adopted some of our own guidelines. Chapter guidelines are reviewed and updated before the start of the next giving (calendar) year.
If you have any questions about our chapter guidelines please email the Coordinating Committee at 100womennorthumberland@gmail.com.
Chapter Management
A volunteer Coordinating Committee organizes 100+ Women Northumberland. The committee is compromised of a Chair, Registrars, Treasurer, Meetings Coordinator, Nominations Coordinator, Membership Coordinator and Marketing Coordinator. The chapter is sponsored by Local Food for Local Good, which also administers 100 Guys Giver 110% Northumberland, 100 Women Who Care Brighton and 100 Kids Who Care Northumberland.
Organizations Eligible for Nomination
In order to be considered at a meeting, the organization must provide direct services or programs in Northumberland County and it must be or administered by a registered charitable organization with a Charitable Registration Number (CRN). National organizations are eligible as long as they are operating a charitable program or service that directly benefits people living in Northumberland. A specific project, program, appeal or equipment associated with a registered charity that serves Northumberland County is eligible for nomination. Selected charities will be asked to present to members to report on how the collective grant was spent.
Donation Processing
Members’ donations are 100% tax deductible. We prefer to receive donations online through our giving page. Local Food for Local Good (the coordinating charity) disperses the combined total of members’ contributions in the form of a grant to the selected charities.
Donation policy regarding the receipt and allocation of contributions to 100+ Women Who Care Northumberland Community Grant program
Any donations made by individuals to 100+ Women Who Care Northumberland within the calendar year will be promptly acknowledged with an e-receipt (issued by CanadaHelps for online donations). If a donor donates by cash, cheque or e-transfer a tax receipt will be issued for their cumulative annual gift in December by Local Food for Local Good (our coordinating charity). All donations are utilized for our community granting endeavors within the same calendar year. It’s important to note that donations will not be carried over or rolled over to subsequent years. This policy ensures transparency and enables us to effectively allocate resources towards our initiative and nominated charities. We deeply appreciate the generosity and commitment of our donors, whose contributions play a vital role in driving positive change in Northumberland County. If you need to check the status of your donation, please email donations100wnoco@gmail.com before making your annual contribution.
Nomination and Presentation Details
A member who has signed the Membership Commitment Form and who is current with her donations may submit a Charity Nomination Form. A Northumberland-based charity can also nominate themselves by filling out the online form.
A Charity Nomination Form must be completed online or through email in advance of the upcoming meeting. All nominations are reviewed to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria.
A member can only have one nomination form in the hat at a time. She can change her nomination at any time; however, once the nomination has been drawn it cannot be changed before her presentation. Should her nomination be successful she can submit another Charity Nomination Form. A charity can be in the nomination pool several times.
Nominations are put into the hat for a random draw at each meeting. At random, three organizations will be selected from the hat. These three organizations will be up for vote at the following meeting. The nominated charities will be profiled on the 100 Women Northumberland’s webpage and Facebook so that members can learn more about them or make an informed vote should they not be available to attend the next meeting (members can vote by proxy). At the next meeting, the nominating members will be asked to make a short 5-minute presentation as to why the organization they are nominating should receive the donation and then spend 5 minutes answering questions.
The member who nominated the charity or a representative from the charity must make the presentation. If the member is unable to make the presentation she can appoint another member in good standing to present on her behalf.
All presentations are to be made verbally. No props or visual aids are allowed.
If a member is not available for the next meeting at the time of the draw then it is deferred to the next meeting and another nomination form will be drawn. If the member does not attend the meeting or does not delegate the presentation to another member it will not be considered for a grant at its scheduled meeting and it will be put back it into the hat.
A specific program, project, special appeal or equipment purchase under the umbrella of a Northumberland charity can be nominated.
The organizations not selected for a grant will be put back into the hat but they will skip one nomination cycle to ensure a variety in the presentations. For example, Charity A, B and C are drawn at the March meeting for the June grant. At the June meeting Charity A, B and C are presented. Charity C receives the most votes and is awarded the June grant. Charity A and B go back in the hat for the September draw (they skip one cycle).
A charity nomination remains in the hat until it a) receives a grant, b) is withdrawn by the member who nominated it, or c) the member is not in good standing with her donations.
A successful organization that is awarded an undesignated grant (a general request presented by the nominating member) is not eligible for future consideration for 2 years but the nominating member may submit the name of another organization.
A successful program or project request that is awarded a designated grant is not eligible for 2 years but the operating charity can be nominated again for a different program or project.
Breaking a Tied Vote
In the event of a tie (where nominations receive the same amount of votes), 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.
Donation Fulfillment
Donations are tracked and counted so that members are credited for their contributions and remain eligible for submitting charities and voting at meetings. In order for a member to vote or nominate at meetings her donation of $50 must be made. Members are asked to honour their gift commitment even if they are not able to attend one of the meetings as the amount of the charity’s grant is forecasted based on membership commitment.
A member’s annual donation pledge takes effect the moment she registers or renews her support with the group.
Grant-Making Distribution
As our membership within the 100+ Women Who Care Northumberland donor circle continues to grow, we are dedicated to ensuring that our grant allocation process remains equitable and reflective of the diverse needs of our community. With this commitment in mind, we have implemented a structured approach to grant distribution, where donations are allocated on a 75/25 ratio basis. This means that the charity receiving the most votes during our community meetings will be awarded 75% of the total grant for that meeting, while the remaining 25% will be distributed among the other two nominated charities. This decision was carefully considered to recognize the significant contributions of all charitable organizations presented for nomination, while also ensuring fairness and impact in our grantmaking endeavors. We will regularly assess and adjust this approach to align with the total value of our quarterly grants.
Administration
100 Women Northumberland is a grassroots-giving group organized and operated by volunteers. However, the group does incur some costs (website hosting, printing, marketing, paper, ink, stamps and issuing tax receipts). Currently, the Chair covers these expenses with her own funds as a donation to the group. Our meeting spaces are graciously donated. Food and drinks are at the expense of the members.
100 Women Who Care Northumberland 