Membership organization strives to give back
Janice Baldwin believes in thinking big and giving generously.
A Merrill Lynch wealth management adviser by trade, Baldwin asked herself, “How can we make a significant financial impact to the nonprofit organizations of our community?”
Her answer was to create a nonprofit membership organization, The Women’s Gift Alliance, which she along with 52 other committed Kootenai County women set up in 2004.
Baldwin is the founder, president and the energy behind the alliance, which now boasts 94 members. Affiliated with the Idaho Community Foundation, WGA members pool their resources to address philanthropic needs in North Idaho.
The purpose of WGA is to educate women about philanthropy, and to build and strengthen community involvement through individual and pooled grants, Baldwin says.
The concept is working well; the alliance recently gave the Dirne Community Health Center and TESH Inc. a grant of $23,000 each.
“With this last grant round, funds totaling over $163,000 have been given back to our community since WGA’s first grant in July of 2005,” says Baldwin.
Of the yearly $1,050 membership donations, half are pooled and distributed through a grant solicitation and selection process. The remaining half is equally divided between individually designated gifts and an endowment fund.
Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in philanthropy, is willing to write a donation check, and make a membership commitment for a minimum of three years.
Baldwin stresses that the grant committee researches, identifies and requests proposals from nonprofit organizations that have an urgent or critical need.
“WGA does not limit funding to women’s causes but strives to address a broad range of community needs,” says Baldwin.
With the grant money, Dirne will fund support for essential equipment to develop critical infrastructure for their Family Practice, SAGE Center and Dental Clinic.
New endodontic equipment for the dental clinic will make it possible to perform root canals in order to save patients’ teeth. The equipment will maximize effectiveness of physical space, allow practitioners to be more effective with limited time, and develop a safe environment of care, from infection control to accessibility for patients with limited mobility.
Dirne Community Health Center is a Coeur d’Alene nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide high-quality, integrated health care services and health education to our community.
The other grant recipient, TESH, provides services to adults and children with developmental and mental disabilities and to youth’s age 16 to 19. Its core purpose is to help clients gain greater independence, self-sufficiency and participation in their community.
TESH will use its award for general facility renovation and updating infrastructure of the Post Falls Senior Center Thrift Store.
Baldwin says a modernized, renovated facility will attract more customers, enhance the quality of service, increase revenue, and make a safer work environment for employees, volunteers and customers.
“It is a win-win for all involved,” she says.
The rent that TESH pays to the senior center provides a secure source of money for the meal program. TESH gains a retail business that provides opportunities for employment/job training for adults and high school students with developmental and mental disabilities. The thrift store brings in revenue for the senior meal program and provides job training and employment for those with developmental and mental disabilities.
Baldwin would like to see membership grow to 200 members in the next five years. This would allow WGA to give away $100,000 in pooled grants plus another $50,000 to a variety of designated gifts to nonprofits every year.
“Our goal is to build relationships with the nonprofits, support their effort, and give our dollars back to our community,” says Baldwin.