100+ Women Who Care Erie County, Ohio FAQ’s

Which organizations are allowed to be sponsored?

The organization must be based in Erie County, Ohio
The organization must be a non-profit entity, recognized as a 501(c)(3).
Donations benefiting national charities will not be considered, unless there is a local group affiliation and the donation will only benefit members in Erie County, Ohio.

A 501(c)(3) organization is generally defined as “exemptions that apply to corporations, and any community check, fund or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, educational purposes, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, promote the arts, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.”
For the purposes of 100+ Women Who Care, all groups up for consideration must have a local affiliation where the donation will only benefit Erie County, Ohio.
The IRS maintains a site of 501(c)(3) organizations in good standing. It is updated regularly. Here is the site for just Sandusky, Ohio: >>Click Here<<
You can use the IRS site to search for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations in other towns in the Erie County area.

Yes, your contribution is tax deductible if made payable to an eligible 501(c)(3) organization.
Checks are written directly to the local organization, NOT to 100+ Women Who Care
Please contact your tax advisor or visit the IRS website for further information.

A member who has signed the Commitment Form can put the name of a local organization into the fish bowl for a random drawing at the meeting.
The organizers of the meeting will collect the names of the organizations from members as they arrive
At random, three organizations will be selected from the fish bowl just before the meeting begins.
The members who submitted each name will be asked to give a short five-minute presentation as to why their chosen organization should receive the donation and then spend an additional five minutes for Q & A.

If a member cannot attend a meeting, there are two options:

She can send in a blank, signed check with a trusted friend to the meeting (preferred). The friend will write in the name of the chosen charity on the check and turn it in to the organizers. The friend may vote on behalf of the absent member.
She will receive a post-meeting email with information regarding the winning charity and where to send the check. The member can then promptly mail in her check where it will be combined with the other checks and brought to the charity all at one time.

Our preference is to make a large donation on behalf of the whole group. We want to be able to support this endeavor and give $10,000+ at a time to make a large impact on our community.
We also need to be able to track your donations so you get credit for the donation and remain eligible for submitting charities and voting at meetings.

Meetings generally last approximately 45 minutes, but no longer than 60 minutes.
However, you may come to the meeting early in order to spend some time socializing and getting to know other members, or stay after the meeting!

Yes! You may invite a friend(s) to any meeting.
However, if your friend wants to cast a vote after hearing the presentations, she will need to sign a Commitment Form and become a member.