Wayward Woman Giving Fund (WWGF) encourages women to become micro-philanthropists by giving them the opportunity to be part of a 'Collective Giving' community or 'Giving Circle'. Collective Giving is an accessible way for anyone to join with others by pooling smaller amounts to fund social change and make a substantial cumulative impact in their community.
What is a Giving Circle?
- In essence, a Giving Circle is where like-minded people pool resources and democratically grant funds to causes that fit the ethos of the circle.
- Giving Circles come in all shapes and sizes with countless different ways of operating and can be formed by friends, family, community members or coworkers making pooled donations of any amount.
- Giving Circles democratically decide how funding will be granted and members can also donate time and skills to charitable causes.
What Giving Circles do:
- Contribute to a pooled fund of money.
- Democratically decide how funding will be granted.
- Work together to raise awareness and engagement with the issues addressed by the charities they support.
- Learn about philanthropic giving & the power of collective giving.
- Seek greater knowledge of the issues facing society to become active rather than passive philanthropists.
- Can donate time and skills to charitable causes.
Philanthropy is simply the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. Women have traditionally played a key role in philanthropy, ranging from volunteering to financial giving to participation in the nonprofit workforce.
Their contributions are essential in ways both similar and distinct from men. Through philanthropy, women have engaged themselves in public interest issues and built civic and social connections. They have helped to shape family and society by offering their time, commitment, and support.
Due to the recent growth of the collective giving or 'Giving Circle' movement, including in Australia, the attention to women in philanthropy is growing. Studies show that Giving Circles in the USA had increased from 50 in 1995 to 2,000 as of 2020 and that they have engaged more than 150,000 people with contributions of nearly $1.3 billion dollars. In addition, 50 percent of giving circles are made of women-only.
Although historically women's giving was often tied to their husbands' or family's wealth, the personal wealth of women is rising, with women holding 40% of global wealth. Being part of a collective giving fund means that women from all walks of life can put their wealth to work for the common good and be proactive in making powerful change within their community.
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