CHICO — The Power of 100 Women Chico is using its powers for good.
The Power of 100 Women Chico is a giving circle started in Chico when member Allison Bee had a friend involved in another Power of 100 Women organization in California and helped form the board of members to get the group going in Chico.
Connie Adams, board member, helped facilitate the organization, along with members Vicki Hightower, Cindy Lares, Andrea Stile, Amy Hornick, Ami Snow and Nicole Hill.
“Originally there were only four or five members on the board,” said Adams. “But we sent emails to 20 to 30 friends each to ask them to be part of the group and got 100 women.”
The board contacts nonprofit organizations, directs them to the website 100womenchico.com and asks them to apply. The board then meets four times a year at Butte Creek Country Club and three nonprofits make a 5-minute presentation telling the board why their organization should be chosen. Some of the organizations are nation-wide, such as the Boys and Girls Club, but all of the projects have have local branches in Chico.
The audience then votes on which nonprofit project they liked best and the nonprofit with the most votes receives funds. Then the members take out their checkbooks and each write a check for $100.
“People go home with a nice donation, and if members can’t attend a meeting, they can send in a check,” said Adams. “We then present a stack of checks to the nonprofit. They usually receive around $20,000 to $30,000.”
The country club pays fees in order for Power of 100 Women Chico to meet. The meetings last from 45 minutes to 60 minutes.
“We’re able to meet there thanks to the generosity of the members who sponsor us to be there,” said Adams.
Since the group began in February 2018, it has donated over $350,000 to local nonprofits.
“So far we haven’t publicized the group until now,” Adams said. “We want nonprofits to know about us. Nonprofits reach out to us through our website, and it’s laid out how to apply and they get placed in our pool. If not drawn, they go back into our pool for the next drawing. It’s amazing how quickly people responded.”
Adams said word of mouth is very powerful for the group.
“We rely on word of mouth to see who needs help,” Adams said. “We really are hoping more nonprofits will join our pool. They can email us.”
Adams said the group admires and respects the nonprofit organization.
“The nonprofits are doing awesome things in our community,” Adams said. “They’re all local to Chico. Our goal is to make donating easy and to emphasize the nonprofits’ impact on our community.”
At each meeting, besides housekeeping and official business, the board members also hear presentations from the nonprofits they helped by listening to presentations regarding how the money was used and what the nonprofits were able to accomplish with the funds.
“It’s fun to hear from them,” Adams said.
For more information, or to apply for the nonprofit pool, visit http://www.100womenchico.com.
