Engaging and Informative New Website will be a Resource

Women's Fund has a new website! I, for one, am excited about the opportunities the new site will bring. Not only does it look snappy, it will allow our donors, grantees, and new friends connect with us. The new site highlights Women's Fund as an expert resource for issues impacting women and girls in central Indiana and thanks those who contribute to our success.

The site has a variety of wonderful new features, including videos, profiles of "faces" of Women's Fund, our blog and news, and "by the numbers"—introducing statistics about women and girls in central Indiana and core information about Women's Fund. In addition:

• Nonprofit organizations can learn about how to apply for a grant and research past grants and issues we support.
• Donors can give easily and securely online, learn more about how we have used their contributions, and find out about other types and levels of giving.
• Those interested in philanthropy education programs can learn more about GO: Give Back, including Power of Girls, and OPTIONS. OPTIONS Alumnae can view past participants and renew membership online.
• Community members may learn about issues impacting women and girls and how Women's Fund is involved in helping women become self-sufficient by learning about issues we support, reviewing our research publications, and viewing our boards and staff.
• Corporations can learn about how they may become Women's Fund Partners; online giving to our operating fund makes it easy to join other corporations supporting women and girls in central Indiana.

We hope you will find our new website user-friendly, engaging, and informative. Please post your thoughts and suggestions!

Challenged to make a difference by a group of kids

Give a few kids a video camera and see how they can inspire others. That’s just what Women’s Fund of Central Indiana did during their GO Family Philanthropy Day. Their creativity, passion and honesty are heartwarming, touching and motivating. They asked simple questions – and answered them with their own ideas of how they could change the world. In just two minutes, they made me think about ways I could make a difference (they also made me smile). Click here to see the video.

I know I’m already making a difference in some of the volunteer work I do throughout the community, but what can I do to do more? After watching the video, I realized there are simple things I could do that would make a difference. Serving on the boards of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Lacy Leadership Association, volunteering to serve meals at Wheeler Mission Ministries throughout the year and chairing the Komen Indianapolis Race for the Cure are all important work, but so is giving up something to give to others.

• Their simple ideas of buying less gum and giving away unwanted items to people in need are easy to do, so why not do it?
• Their idea of getting their friends together to start a club sounds fun, so why not get family friends together and start a project?

I’m going to take them up on their challenge. I don’t know how yet, because I want to involve my family. I always ask my kids to dig through their toys before their birthdays and donate unused toys, but is that what they really want to do? Maybe my 7 and 3-year-old have their own ideas of how they want to help others. We’ll soon find out.

I encourage you to take the challenge – and then share with us what you’re doing to make a difference. I’ll plan to report back in a month and share some of the ideas – and actions the Young family is doing. If you feel compelled to share your story, please do. We’d love to know what other Central Indiana families are doing to make a difference in our community.

GO Family Philanthropy Day: The Power of Half

Last Saturday, about 60 people, including 16 families, gathered for 2010 GO Family Philanthropy Day at the Indianapolis Art Center. This event provided a meaningful and enriching philanthropy education experience to parents whose children are involved in GO: Give Back.

The day featured speaker Joan Salwen, whose husband, Kevin, and teenage daughter, Hannah, wrote the book The Power of Half. Joan shared first-hand her family's story of coming to the decision to sell their home, moving into a home half the size, and donating half the proceeds to a cause they mutually agreed upon as a family. See teenage son Joseph Salwen's YouTube video for a great synopsis of their story.

After hearing the Salwen's story, families were divided into age-specific groups to explore concepts shared in The Power of Half, such as: "What's your half?" (What can you give?), "Follow your heart," and "Use your voice." Parents engaged in a group discussion with Joan to explore the topic, while intermediate ages worked on a PSA video project to share their message, and elementary ages engaged in interactive art projects. Preschool-age children were also included in the day's events with their own special activities.

The day concluded with a family art project and picnic lunch. To further connect the concept of giving half, half the expense budgeted for the day's food and all of the expense budgeted for an event token was saved, to be used for philanthropic purposes. School-age children participating in the fall GO: Give Back educational session will undergo a group grantmaking exercise to decide where to donate the funds.

The buzz in the air was unmistakable, and the day was truly a success. Women's Fund thanks The Glick Fund of CICF for making Family Philanthropy Day possible, as well as the volunteers and Indianapolis Art Center staff who led dynamic programs.

If you are interested in learning more about philanthropy education for children through GO: Give Back, please contact us.

What is an Endowment?

"Endowment" is not a term many of us use very often, so it can be difficult to understand and, therefore, to explain. Today's post from Elaine Bedel, Women's Fund Advisory Board member and Certified Financial Planner, provides an overview of what an endowment is. We thank Elaine for sharing her expertise with our readers.

By Elaine E. Bedel, CFP®
President
Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc.

Have you ever been asked to make a charitable contribution to the endowment of Women’s Fund of Central Indiana? There is often confusion with respect to giving to an endowment versus giving directly to a charitable organization. The one major difference is that when you make a gift to an endowment, you really are making "a gift that keeps on giving".

Anytime you make the decision to share your hard-earned money with a charity, you want to make sure your personal intent is being maximized. If your goal is to have 100% of your money used immediately to meet the goals of the charitable organization, then giving to the "annual fund" or the "operating fund" of the charity is very appropriate. In most cases, your contribution will be used as needed or as you have specifically directed to carry out the mission of the organization. The annual fund of Women’s Fund is used to provide donor programming throughout the year and to ensure that the organization’s operational needs are met.

If, on the other hand, you would like your money to make a long-term impact, you may want to consider a gift to the endowment fund. Many organizations, including academic, cultural, and religious institutions as well as significant community funding organizations, like Women’s Fund, all tend to have endowments. The largest endowment in the United States belongs to Harvard University. As of June 30, 2009, its value was $26 billion.

How Does an Endowment Work?

When you make a contribution to the Women’s Fund endowment, your money is not spent. Rather, it is invested. Each year thereafter, a specific percentage of the endowment fund is withdrawn and used to meet our mission.

The intent of an endowment is to have the fund grow over time through appreciation and earnings of the investment portfolio. The annual distribution percentage is limited to an amount that is less than the anticipated total investment return of the portfolio in order to allow the endowment fund to increase in value. Generally, a five percent distribution is considered prudent.

As an example, if the investment portfolio of the endowment fund earns a return of 9% and the charity takes a 5% withdrawal, the endowment fund will still increase in value by 4%. Each year, as the endowment continues to grow, the 5% distribution amount will also increase.

Women’s Fund uses five percent of its endowment each year to fund grant requests from various women and girl serving agencies in central Indiana. Our endowment is currently valued at approximately $12 million. The 5% distribution allows us to fund $600,000 in grants. Our goal is to grow the endowment to $20 million in the next five years. This will allow us to fund $1,000,000 of grants every year to improve the lives of families in our community.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Making a charitable gift to the endowment of Women’s Fund allows your money to continue to "make a difference" year after year. Since only a portion of the investment earnings and appreciation is spent each year, your gift remains intact into perpetuity.

When considering your gift, you cannot make a wrong choice. Both the annual fund and the endowment are important for the long-term sustainability of the Women’s Fund or any charitable organization.

Elaine E. Bedel, CFP®, is president of Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc., a wealth management firm providing fee-only financial planning and investment management services for individuals, consulting services for corporate retirement plans, and investment advisory for institutions and endowments. She is the author of "Advice You Never Asked For…But wished you had!" available on Amazon.com. For more information, visit their website at http://www.bedelfinancial.com/ or email to ebedel@bedelfinancial.com.

© 2010 Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved.

Celebrating Volunteers

Women's Fund. You know we are the expert resource for issues impacting women and girls in central Indiana. You know we are dedicated increasing options and opportunities for women and girls in our community. You know we have an $11 million endowment and make well-reasoned, researched grants to organizations who are functioning at a high level.

But, do you know who is doing all of this work? Certainly our full-time staff of three and four consultants are not doing all the heavy-lifting. Rather, it is an incredible group of volunteers who make it possible. We have an Advisory Board of 27 women and men who fit Women's Fund in as an important part of their civic priorities, we have 210 women who have participated/are participating in our OPTIONS/Alumnae program. And, many community volunteers who participate on our Finance, Grants, and Resource Development Committees.

This morning was an amazing example of the commitment of volunteers to action. We have just finished a six-year endowment campaign; typical organizations find burned-out volunteers and donors at the end of such a difficult task. Women's Fund had seventeen volunteers who gathered to talk about the next phase of fund raising and helping grow our endowment to $20 million. Seventeen women who have made a commitment to help us make new friends, ask for contributions, and help thank our generous donors.

We had eleven different volunteers who went on a site visit during lunch to learn more about one of our grantee organizations. Eleven women who gave up their lunch hour to see first-hand the difference Women's Fund is making for women trying to learn new job skills and find a well-paying job. Eleven women dedicated to telling the story of Women's Fund to our friends, prospects, and donors.

We are truly grateful for the many volunteers who stand with us every day to help improve conditions for women and girls in central Indiana. The impact of their commited support is significant and will help leave a lasting legacy for central Indiana women and girls.

Cookies, badges and beyond: Women’s Fund and Girl Scouts

I’m fascinated by Girl Scout cookie time – fascinated by the dedication of the Troops selling them each weekend throughout the city; I’m fascinated by the mom’s helping to sell their daughter’s cookies; but mostly I’m fascinated by the lessons learned by Girl Scout cookie time. And wouldn’t you just know that as I was talking about Girl Scout cookies with Women’s Fund I learned something new about the organization… they helped create a Girl Scout Badge.

First, lessons learned:

• Education: My sister, a proud Troop leader and “cookie mom”, believes that selling cookies teaches the girls key business and communication skills. Not only are they learning to be confident in their communications skills (they can really work a deal at the grocery stores), but they are learning key business lessons as they sell cookies to support field trips and Troop activities (the more they sell, the more they earn).
  
• Philanthropy: A friend’s daughter showed me that cookie time teaches girls the value of philanthropy and community service. With just a few boxes left to sell, and knowing I had already purchased my fair share of cookies, she asked if I would be willing to donate cookies to military troops. She proceeded to tell me how the men and women overseas would enjoy a package of Girl Scout cookies as a special treat and a thank you for their service. I ended up buying three more boxes.

Now, about the badge and the connection with Women’s Fund. Women’s Fund actually helped create a Women’s Issue Patch that girls of all ages can earn. Girls explore topics such as staying healthy, caregiving responsibilities, philanthropy and finances. Click here to find out more about the badge and the activities girls can participate in to earn the Women’s Issue Patch.

In addition to the patch – and the purchase of numerous Girl Scout cookies, Women’s Fund has supported Girl Scouts of Central Indiana over the years. Grants to the organization have helped fund summer camp scholarships for girls, STUDIO 2B program for girls 11-17, volunteer trainings and Web enhancements.

Thankfully, Girl Scout cookie time isn’t year-round – my pocketbook and my waistline can’t afford it. However, the next time I’m asked to buy Thin Mints or Tagalongs, I’ll be reminded about the lessons the girls are learning and the role Women’s Fund of Central Indiana plays in supporting these future leaders.

Celebrating Donors and Their Impact

Last night Women's Fund held an event to thank donors to the Endowment Campaign. An impressive crowd of 200 people gathered at the Indianapolis Scottish Rite Cathedral to celebrate the impact their support has made to women and girls in central Indiana (click here for highlights featured in today's Indianapolis Star, and here for an album of photos on Facebook).

Co-chaired by Dinah Bird and Anne Steinberg, the event featured highlights of Women's Fund's recent grantmaking, and the impact of these grants. Thanks to over 1,100 donors to the campaign, which ran from 2004-2009, Women's Fund raised $7 million, growing the endowment to over $11 million. Thanks to the generosity of campaign donors, Women's Fund has increased our capacity to grant to women and girl serving organizations in central Indiana.

Other event highlights include:

• Jennifer Pope Baker welcomed everyone, shared the success and growth resulting from the campaign, and detailed the impact of gifts to the endowment.
• A video featuring interviews given by Women's Fund volunteers, of grantee organizations: Business Ownership Initiative, Girls Inc. of Franklin/Johnson County, Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, Training, Inc., and The Julian Center.
• Elaine Bedel, Women's Fund Finance Committee Chair, spoke about financial responsibility through Women's Fund's strategic and financial planning.
• Myra Mariani, OPTIONS Alumnae and co-chair of the OPTIONS Tenth Anniversary Celebration, spoke about OPTIONS, including the leadership resulting from 230 participants over ten years and contributions totaling nearly a half a million dollars.
• Maddie Hudson, GO: Give Back Participant and 6th grade student, spoke about the impact GO has made on her and shared her philanthropic plans to grow her GO Fund so she can help others.
• Ann Murtlow, Women's Fund Advisory Board Chair, thanked volunteers leading the endowment campaign, past Advisory Board chairs, all donors to the endowment campaign, and event sponsors.

A special thanks to corporate and individual supporters, resulting in the event being no additional cost to Women's Fund:

• Eli Lilly & Company - Presenting Sponsor
• Detail + Design - event planning and decor
• Indianapolis Power & Light - invitations
• Barefoot Wine - wine and champagne
• Dinah and Larry Bird
• BMG Event Productions - audio visual equipment
• A Classic Party Rental - tables and linens

Women's Fund appreciates the support of all of our donors and thanks you for your generosity. If you are not a donor and would like to contribute, click here to donate now.

Inspired (and Intrigued) by a Great Philanthropist

I have read with great interest the many stories about Ruth Lilly following her death at the age of 94. What an amazing woman who gave so much to so many. She had an incredible charitable spirit that she shared with numerous organizations nationally and locally, including Women’s Fund of Central Indiana.

Over the course of her life, she gave away an estimated $800 million. Women’s Fund received a generous donation of $300,000 from her in 2007 to support their campaign. Ruth Lilly was credited for changing a city through her philanthropy. Talk about girl power!

As I’m writing this blog I can’t help but think about the incredible impact this one woman had through her generosity. Granted, I will never have the fortunes that she had; nor will I have the ability to contribute to the community in the way that she did. Or can I? Can I work toward making a greater impact through my own philanthropic giving plan? Sure, I don’t have millions (not even close), but I do want to make a difference with what I have. So, how can I be more strategic? How can my gifts be more meaningful?

Interestingly enough (and unbeknownst to them), I’m going to ask Women’s Fund this year to help me answer that question. Women’s Fund is known to help people think strategically about their philanthropy. As an OPTIONS alumnae, I contributed to Women’s Fund at the end of last year. I did so because I’m passionate about the work Women’s Fund is doing to increase options and opportunities for women and girls in our community.

So this year, I look forward to being a more active alumnae member and being more aware of how my dollars impact women and girls. Look for future blogs about what I discover and learn about the impact I’m making through Women’s Fund.

Celebrating and Reflecting

On the eve of the new year, it is timely for me to take a moment to reflect on the past year at Women's Fund and to share my vision for the next. 2009 been a challenging and rewarding year for Women's Fund. In the difficult economy, challenges faced by women and girls in our community have increased. This hardship has solidified Women's Fund's position as an expert resource on women and girls. Despite these challenges, we have had many notable accomplishments, impacting women and girls by:

• Concluding our endowment campaign. Thanks to the support of thousands of campaign donors since 2004, we have increased our capacity to grant to women and girl serving organizations in central Indiana now and in the future. And, the launch of online giving is helping us provide better service to our donors!

• Granting $337,500 to 13 organizations focused on keeping women and girls safe and helping women and girls gain and retain employment.

• Celebrating our 9th class of OPTIONS. 210 women have given more than 450,000 dollars to benefit women and girls in central Indiana. These participants and alumnae are the current and future philanthropists and leaders for our community.

• Growing GO: Give Back to include 67 GO Funds and almost 90 children and young adult participants. We also hosted our ninth Power of Girls event in collaboration with Indianapolis Power & Light and The Julian Center.

• Launching a Facebook page and blog to create conversations about women and girls.

What does 2010 hold for Women's Fund? Continued progress through funding addressing our issue areas: caregiving, domestic violence, and insufficient income. Communication with current and future donors will be a priority. And, we will continue to be the expert resource on philanthropy education, through GO and OPTIONS. We will forge ahead in our efforts to improve conditions for women and girls in central Indiana--there is much work yet to be done!

Thank you for reading, and for your continued support. I look forward to connecting with you in the new year!

p.s. Our next post will be January 12th. Women's Fund and CICF will be closed the week of January 4th, so be sure to check back with us!

Resolving to Make a Difference

It is almost 2010, so I am reflecting on what I was doing ten years ago, as the world anticipated what might come with Y2K. That same year, Women's Fund celebrated our first year of grantmaking. Ten years later, we have granted a total of over $3.2 million to 89 central Indiana organizations. Ten years later, we have impacted many women and girls in the community, thanks to thousands of donors, philanthropists empowered to improve conditions for women and girls through our permanent endowment.

While I've always cared about helping others, in ten years, I have grown my knowledge of how I can help the community I am a part of, through volunteering my time, serving in leadership positions, my career, and giving my charitable dollars.

There are many great causes to support... as an individual, sometimes it is difficult to navigate these options! This is why I enjoy being a part of civic organizations helping me focus my efforts (that's me during a service project with one group). This is why I also appreciate being part of Women's Fund, where we are an expert resource on issues impacting women and girls in our community, and on philanthropy education for women and children.

As we head into the new year, I'm excited to think about what 2010 - and the next ten years - will bring for me, for Women's Fund, and for women and girls in our community.

I ask what I can do to help make this next year even better for myself and the community? In this time of resolutions, planning for the future, and reflecting on the past, I also encourage you to learn more about community needs and how you can help. What are your plans?

Include Emergencies in Your Giving Plan

A few weeks ago, I attended a Women’s Fund event honoring OPTIONS Alumnae at Linda Mauer’s lovely home. First of all, I was honored to be a part of an organization that is comprised of such fantastic, diverse, and lively women. There were about eighty women present, from all OPTIONS classes, discussing everything from babies, to careers, to charitable giving. It was exciting watching the connections being made everywhere.

Once Jennifer got us all corralled for the program, we heard a story that I think may be particularly relevant for lots of us who may be reviewing our giving plans for this year and making decisions for the upcoming year. Two employees from The Julian Center came and spoke to us about the important work that they are doing. Of course, it is always compelling to hear the real stories of the families that The Julian Center is helping, from the battered women who have finally gotten up the courage to leave their terrible situation to the partnership with the prosecutors to ensure that batterers are held accountable. But what was really eye opening was a story that Jennifer shared about how The Julian Center lost a large government grant this year and faced a major budget crisis. The funding situation was so dire, and so unexpected, that The Julian Center faced immediate downsizing of its already lean staff. Jennifer mobilized her Women’s Fund network and helped arrange emergency dollars to allow The Julian Center to maintain the status quo while it worked to find replacement money to ensure that it could continue to maintain its critical staff.

If you contribute to any non-profit organization on a regular basis, you may receive frequent communication regarding financial crises that arise. Sometimes I know that I feel like charities may be crying wolf too often. And sometimes I wonder to myself why these organizations haven’t planned for the unexpected, and that maybe they are just preying on my human reaction to want to help fix an emergent problem. And perhaps they are. But I think the story of The Julian Center demonstrates that it shouldn’t really matter. There was no way for them to know that they would lose that critical piece of funding. The non-profit world can be a fluid, unexpected place, with changes occurring all the time that give rise to critical situations that require immediate funds. From changes in laws, cold winters, economic shifts, and other unexpected events, non-profits have to be incredibly dynamic to meet the needs of its constituents.

This is why I urge you to consider planning to allocate some dollars next year to emergencies of the organizations to which you regularly donate. For me, I always give annually to Planned Parenthood, but I also will set aside some funds to ensure that when I get one of those letters explaining that a local clinic is facing closure, I will be able to help address that immediate need, just as Women’s Fund was able to help rescue The Julian Center this year.

The Best Method to Gift to Charity

The end of the year is a good time to consider donating to your favorite nonprofit organization and to take advantage of tax benefits. Today's post is from Elaine Bedel, Women's Fund Advisory Board member and financial consultant. We are grateful to Elaine for sharing her expertise with our readers.

By Elaine E. Bedel, CFP®
President, Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc.

If your objective is to maximize the tax benefit of your gifts to charity, I recommend you start early. Some of the best options will take time to complete.

Depending on the form of your gift to charity, you can receive tax benefits beyond the charitable tax deduction itself. To take advantage of these other benefits, you need to review your personal situation and plan ahead to allow sufficient time to complete the gifting process.

Gifting Cash is Easy….But Not as Tax Wise
Writing a check to your favorite charity is probably the easiest form of gift-giving. The gift is completed as soon as the check is received by the charity, regardless of when the funds are deducted from your account. Generally, the date on the check is assumed to be the date of the gift.

Gifting Appreciated Assets Provides Greater Tax Benefits
If you gift an appreciated asset, you receive the same tax deduction as you would for gifting cash. In addition, you avoid future potential capital gain tax. You would receive a tax deduction on Schedule A and eliminate the capital gain tax that would be incurred at the sale of the asset.

An appreciated asset is any property that you purchased for less that it is currently worth. If you sell an appreciated asset, you would be required to pay a capital gain tax on the difference between the net sale amount and your cost to purchase. An appreciated asset may be real estate, a work of art, an investment security, or any other property that you own that can be gifted to a charity.

Charitable Gift Funds Allow You to Front-Load Your Tax Deduction
A charitable gift fund, officially referred to as a "donor advised fund", allows you to contribute cash, appreciated securities, real estate, cash value of life insurance, and, in some cases, other forms of business ownership to your own charitable giving account. You can then request gifts to be made to charities through your account until your original contribution, along with any investment earnings, is depleted. You can establish a donor advised fund through a public charity. Many of the mutual fund companies have established public charities to offer donor advised funds. You can also create a donor advised fund through a local community foundation, such as Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Charitable Giving from your IRA
Anyone who is 70 ½ years of age or older can make gifts to qualified charitable organizations from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA). The benefit to the taxpayer/donor is that any funds distributed from the IRA to a charity are excluded from the taxpayer's taxable income for the year. Therefore, no income tax is paid on the IRA distribution. Likewise, the taxpayer does not take the contribution as a charitable deduction on Schedule A of the federal income tax return.

Priority of Giving Methods for Tax Benefits
The following represents the priority for methods of giving based on the greatest tax benefit:

1. Distribution from IRA (for those who qualify).
2. Gift of appreciated assets directly to a charity or through a charitable gift fund.
3. Cash or check.

Summary
Advice: Start early and seek professional advice if necessary.

Making a charitable contribution can be as easy as writing a check or as complex as valuing and transferring appreciated property. You will need sufficient time to complete the gifting method that can provide the greatest tax benefit for you. Since certain gifting strategies may impact other areas of your overall financial plan, you may also want to secure the professional assistance of a financial planner to analyze the appropriate method of giving for you.

Elaine E. Bedel, CFP is president of Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc., a fee-only wealth management firm providing financial planning and investment management services. For more information, visit their website at www.BedelFinancial.com or email to ebedel@bedelfinancial.com.

Being Thankful

It's approaching the end of the work day before Thanksgiving. Traffic on the street is moving by steadily as commuters get an early start home or elsewhere. I am in my office, wrapping up loose ends before going home for the holiday weekend. With tomorrow being a day to give thanks, I have paused to reflect on some things I am thankful for - big and small - in my role at Women's Fund.

I am thankful for...

• Donors who believe in Women's Fund's mission and the importance of investing in our permanent endowment, impacting women and girls for years to come through our grantmaking to nonprofit organizations.


• Advisory Board members and volunteers who work tirelessly to help women and girls in our community have a better future.


• GO: Give Back children and their parents, fostering our next generation of thoughtful philanthropists and community leaders.


• OPTIONS participants and alumnae, who have taken a step to learn about philanthropy, community needs, reflect on their values, and provide leadership to our community.


• Working with a team of committed staff and consultants who go above and beyond what's required of them every day, for the benefit of central Indiana's women and girls.


• The support of CICF to Women's Fund, and the dynamic resources they provide to assist us in our work.


• Nonprofit organizations providing services to help women access caregiving, have jobs and feed their families, and keeping them and their children safe.


• Women facing great obstacles and striving to overcome them, despite any barriers they have.

Although I could write much more, I will leave the rest to your imagination!

At this time of thanksgiving, what are you grateful for?

Volunteering as a Family

Teaching my children the importance of volunteering is something that’s extremely important to me. It’s something my parents me taught me growing up and something I hope to pass along to my children. They’re young now (and would probably hate this picutre being posted), but some small things we do make a big difference. Each birthday, they go through their toys and find some to donate to children who are less fortunate. We drop them off together at places such as Coburn Place, The Villages and The Julian Center. Each Thanksgiving, my family volunteers at a homeless shelter serving meals. While my kids aren’t old enough to go with us, they know and understand what we’re doing. These are just two things we’re doing to help them understand the importance of volunteering. I want volunteering to become a part of their life, no matter their age.

National Family Volunteer Day is Saturday, Nov. 21, which kicks off National Family Week. I had no idea. But I like it. I like the idea that families are encouraged to volunteer together. There are studies that show volunteering starts at an early age, so if kids see mom or dad doing it, chances are they'll do the same as adults.

Women’s Fund may not be the first organization that comes to mind when thinking about family volunteering, but in fact, they offer two philanthropy education programs that instill that same belief of giving back. The cool thing is their philanthropy education programs extend beyond a day or week of volunteering together, but focus on lifelong giving.

• GO: Give Back is a program that combines philanthropic education with charitable giving – teaching young people to make meaningful financial contributions to their community.


• Power of Girls is a one day mother-daughter event that teaches philanthropy, the challenges facing women and girls in our community and the value of granting dollars to an organization.

I appreciate Women’s Fund for the work they are doing to improve the lives of women and girls in central Indiana. I appreciate that they focus on lifelong impact through its permanent endowment. I appreciate that they provide opportunities for family volunteering.

I heard someone with Women’s Fund once say: When you help a woman, you help the entire family. When you help a family, you help the community. That’s something I will keep in mind as I find ways to volunteer as a family – and as I continue to think of ways to encourage my children to give back.

I truly believe that volunteering as a family is a great way to spend quality time together while doing meaningful work in the community. Does your family volunteer together?

OPTIONS Alumnae Reconnect

Tonight a dynamic group of 65 OPTIONS Alumnae gathered for an informative and social event. These women, from nine OPTIONS classes, represent a diverse cross-section of the community, including business and medical professionals, nonprofit employees, and community volunteers. As the ninth class of OPTIONS concludes and we head into the tenth anniversary year for this philanthropy education program, this was a fitting way to celebrate this year and launch into the next.

Some highlights from the event were:

• A presentation from two advocates from The Julian Center's Domestic Violence and Indianapolis Metro Police Department partnership. The advocates shared moving stories of real victims they have helped and encouraged everyone to offer support to anyone they think might be in a violent situation. If you are interested in a presentation for a group, contact the Julian Center at 317.941.2200.
  
• Kicking off the 10th Anniversary of the OPTIONS program, with appreciation to Jane Salentine for her leadership of the group in recent years, and welcoming Lindsey Rabinowitch as the 2010 OPTIONS Alumnae president.
• An announcement from OPTIONS Class Nine about the three grants they awarded in their final class session.
  
• Fantastic food, Barefoot wine, and great giveaways from Saks (for more information about a December 3rd Women's Fund event at Saks, click here).
• Women's Fund updates from Jennifer Pope Baker, including highlights of the leadership OPTIONS Alumnae members are providing in other areas of Women's Fund, such as Julie Manning Magid as Advisory Board Vice Chair in 2010 and Chair in 2012.
• An opportunity to complete a survey to guide next year's activities.
• A drawing to win an OPTIONS Alumnae "Favorite Things" basket, with gift certificates, a candle, picture frames, clips, and more! See the picture, right, for a peek at the basket.
• Sign-ups to become a 2010 Alumnae member. If you are an OPTIONS Alumnae and would like to join, click here to donate online.
  

The buzz was all around the room, as women reconnected with former OPTIONS classmates and met women from other classes. Thanks to the OPTIONS Alumnae Committee for putting on another great event!

Lessons for a Lifetime

Power of Girls participants had a great time last Saturday at this ninth event hosted through a partnership between Women's Fund, The Julian Center, and Indianapolis Power & Light (for more information, click here to go to Ann Murtlow's recent blog post, or here to go to our website).

What did participants learn at Power of Girls? How were they impacted? So many of the "take aways" from this program go well beyond the day of the event... and even the responses we received that day are pretty powerful! Here are reflections from both girl and adult attendees:

"What one thing sticks in your mind from the Healthy Relationships session?

• "How, when I was in two abusive relationships that the cycle would go again and again, and how I can recognize the signs." - Local 13-year-old girl

"Do you feel that your participation today has made a difference in the life of your daughter?"

• "I think the participation in today's event has made my daughter more aware of women's needs in the community and the lessons learned in the healthy relationships seminar will make a strong difference in her life; it will open doors for healthy relationships now and in the future." - Mother attending with her 14-year-old

"What was the most valuable part of the day for you?"

• "Seeing my daughter be a part of the process to learn of needs and experience the process of allocating donations." - Mother attending with her 15-year-old

"Do you feel you made a difference in the lives of others today? How?"

• "Just seeing the happiness and joy of the mothers and children (at the Julian Center) made you feel like you accomplished something great." - Ninth grade girl

Do you know someone who could benefit from this meaningful program focused on learning about healthy relationships, needs of the central Indiana community, and philanthropy? Our next event will be in 2010; contact me at abigailc@cicf.org if you would like us to send you information!

Discovering “Did You Knows”

I truly have had a great time getting to know Women’s Fund better over the past few months. Yes, I went through OPTIONS several years ago. Yes, I know several of the organizations who benefit from Women’s Fund grants. Yes, I have a few friends on committees and/or the board. But I’ve discovered some new things I didn’t know (or maybe didn’t remember). Take, for example, some of these “did you knows” that I’ve discovered – or rediscovered.

• Grants: I was familiar with the fact that Women’s Fund supports women and girls in Central Indiana. However, I didn’t recall their primary focus on caregiving, domestic violence and insufficient income. The even greater “did you know” … Women's Fund has awarded a total of 236 grants totaling $3,244,077 to 89 different organizations since its inception in May 1999. This year alone they granted over $330,000 to 13 organizations. Wow!


• Programs: I was familiar with OPTIONS because I went through the program, but what I didn’t know was some of the specifics about their other philanthropic educational programs, such as GO: Give Back and Power of Girls – programs specifically designed to teach youth about philanthropy and giving back to the community.


• Research: I was familiar with their “Still On Shaky Ground” reports, but I find the work, passion and commitment to research on the critical issues facing women and girls in our community remarkable. Again, my “did you know” moment was realizing that the research and key findings help form Women’s Fund priorities when making grants.


• Funding: This isn’t a “did you know” defining moment, but it was a great reminder, Women’s Fund continues to fund programs that improve the lives of women and girls in our community, but in order to do so, they need our help. They can’t continue to fund at the level they have been if we don’t continue to fund them. “Did you know” you can donate online now too?

I look forward to discovering even more about Women’s Fund -- about the organizations they support and the programs they develop; their research and key findings; and how Women’s Fund will continue to make an even greater impact in the work they do throughout the community.

OPTIONS and Impact

We all have options to give money where we like: church, museums, not-for-profits, etc. My OPTIONS class number four had the opportunity to give money as a group. That is what I love about Women’s Fund. It takes all the money we give, pools it all together and gives it where it is needed.

Our group had $3,500.00 that we chose to give to Planned Parenthood, Hawthorne Community Center, Girls Inc., the Julian Center and the OPTIONS Scholarship Fund. I could have given a donation to each of these groups initially but my small gift probably would not make as big as an impact as the bigger gift we gave as a group. Don’t get me wrong... in today’s economic time, any donations are welcome. I know that giving money to Women’s Fund makes an impact that I cannot make alone.

There are now nine OPTIONS classes, each having the opportunity to give money to various organizations. It is amazing when we see the difference we have made in the community. If you are in OPTIONS or an alumni of the group think about the impact your donations will make. A little bit of money can go along way!

Power of Girls: A Life-Changing Experience

Power of Girls is a one-of-a-kind program providing a unique opportunity to learn lessons that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Since March 2004, Women’s Fund of Central Indiana has partnered with Indianapolis Power & Light Company and the Julian Center to host eight Power of Girls events. Power of Girls IX will be held Saturday, November 7, 2009. Over the course of a six hour period, participants:

• Learn what constitutes healthy relationships, recognize the signs of abusive ones, and learn how to get out of a destructive relationship before it’s too late.
• Learn about all forms of philanthropy and how to help.
• Hear a summary of current research about problems faced by women in our community and how Women’s Fund is helping in a very special way.
• Understand what the Julian Center does, how it is funded and the cost of providing its services.
• Hear how the Julian Center is changing the lives of many women in our community that simply have no where else to go.
• Meet and do a project with shelter residents and tour the facility.
• (Girl participants) Grant approximately $3000 to the Julian Center for purposes that they decide based on what they've learned about the Center during the day.
• (Adult participants) Watch girls present the grant and explain their rationale for choosing particular services or programs to support.

There are several things that make this event so special:

1. It targets teenage girls, ages 13 to 16, at a critical time in their journey toward relationship building and teaches them some very valuable and practical lessons about healthy and not‐so‐healthy relationships.
2. 17 adult/girl couples participate, making this an intimate and interactive session.
3. Although a girl can attend with her mom, she may also attend with an aunt, grandmother or other special woman in her life.

The cost per couple is $250. While this may sound pricey, I assure you this program provides tremendous value and an unforgettable experience ; the fee is also tax deductible. For full details and to register, please download the brochure by clicking here or calling 317.634.2423. Spaces are limited and are first-come, first-served, so register soon.

I can’t recommend this program highly enough. I attended with my daughter in 2004 and I encourage you to participate with your daughter or special teenage girl. You won’t regret it – in fact, it just may change your life… and hers.

Becoming Passionately Pink

During October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wear more pink than normal; I eat pink M&Ms and I eat Yoplait and save the lids. For several years I have walked in numerous breast cancer walks locally and even 60 miles in San Diego for the 3-Day Walk. I’ve attended fundraisers and made donations. In a way, I hoped that would make me exempt from breast cancer ever affecting me – or my friends. Not so. Last year was a year when breast cancer became more than a “cause” and more of a “personal passion”.

Last year, my best friend from college was diagnosed, fought –and beat breast cancer. While I celebrated her survival, I mourned the loss of another friend’s mom who lost a long battle with it. With all of the money raised, research being done, innovative programs established, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

As I’ve become more “passionately pink”, my interest in organizations supporting breast cancer has increased. In my attempt to learn more, I decided to explore the work of Women’s Fund and find out what they’ve done to support breast cancer. I was pleasantly surprised by what I learned. Once again, I was introduced to new organizations and new programs through the organizations and programs they support. Some of the organizations I wasn’t familiar with; some of the needs I wasn’t aware of – all of it will be things I will further explore as I continue my passion for pink.

Here’s what I discovered. Over the years, Women’s Fund has provided dollars to and for:

• Gennesaret Free Clinic and Shalom Health Care Center: for breast exams, screenings and breast health education for women.


• Indiana Women in Need Foundation: money to help women going through cancer treatment pay for non-medical services, such as housecleaning and childcare.


• Little Red Door: to pay for garments, hats, bras, breast prostheses and other items so cancer patients can get them for free.

During October – and all year long, I hope you will celebrate the survivors, remember the fighters and find your own way to support the cause. One new thing I'm doing this year is chairing the 2010 Komen Indianapolis Race for the Cure. What ways are you becoming "passionately pink"?