When Amanda David, Michele Lowe, and Karen Gadson of St. Michaels decided to found Women Who Care Talbot County in September 2023, they set an initial goal of finding 80 women in Talbot County who would be interested in the idea of collective giving.  In three years, the group has far surpassed that, with over 210 women believing in the power of collective philanthropy to create positive impact in Talbot County.

The goals of Women Who Care, modeled after a giving model which began in 2006 in Jackson, Michigan, are for women in Talbot County to meet and get to know other women who have a shared interest in the health and vitality of our community; learn about different local nonprofits; experience the satisfaction of being a philanthropist and make a difference; and participate in something that’s high impact, low effort, and inspiring to others.

This year, I joined Women Who Care to see how my philanthropic dollars could be multiplied by the group to help nonprofits in our community succeed in their missions. I wasn’t disappointed. My experience with the group is that the model is brilliant. There is an ease and simplicity to the process, the meetings are run efficiently, the voting process is fair, and there is little administrative overhead.

Women Who Care Talbot County brings women together for one hour three times a year, although you need not attend in person to be a fully participating member. Each member who joins commits $100 per meeting for a total of $300 annually. Women aged 35 and under may contribute a lesser amount of $50 three times a year. Members submit nonprofit names into a fishbowl for each of the three annual meetings, and three are randomly selected and vetted.

To be eligible for funding, nonprofits must be located in and serve Talbot County, have a 501(c)(3) designation, and they need to have been in existence for at least two years and demonstrate fiscal stability.  Each nominated nonprofit must then complete and submit a Nonprofit Fact Sheet & Application, which is shared with all members in advance of each meeting. The three nonprofits are then invited to attend the next meeting and make a brief presentation sharing why the group’s contribution should go to them and how they will use the funds. Members can ask questions of each organization at that meeting. Following the presentations, the members of Women Who Care Talbot County vote by ballot for the nonprofit they find most compelling. Members not in attendance can vote with absentee ballots. Votes are then tallied, and members are asked to write a $100 check or donate online directly to the nonprofit receiving the majority of votes (all contributions are 100% eligible for an income tax charitable deduction). Three nonprofits are funded each year.

“We have grown by word of mouth. We make the meetings fun by having wine and crudité for our members and allowing mingling time before the meeting starts. Women want to belong because it’s a great way to learn more about our community and to have an impact on the incredible community service that is happening in the county,” shares Amanda David.

Members not only learn more about each nonprofit’s mission at the three meetings, but many members then choose to volunteer for the nonprofits that present and continue to donate to them on their own afterwards. In addition, some of the nonprofits presenting end up collaborating, forging new partnerships to serve the community after a meeting is over.

Once a nonprofit is selected, there is a five-year waiting period before it can be considered again, but the nonprofits that are not chosen can be put back into the fishbowl again and again. Each funded nonprofit is asked to share an update on the impact of the members’ giving at a future meeting, which not only is great stewardship but also an important opportunity for members to learn about the range of work being done to support community needs.

“While there are many groups like Women Who Care Talbot County all over the country, we seem to be among the largest using this giving model. Contributing $100 just three times a year is a manageable commitment, while the collective impact is significant. With 210+ members, selected nonprofits receive over $20,000, and that can create a lot of good,” comments Karen Gadson.

Businesses have also gotten involved with the organization by sponsoring their employees to be a part of Women Who Care. BSC Group is one of the first organizations to do this.

“Having businesses participate like this is a model for other companies to teach their employees about philanthropy and collective giving. It can be a powerful tool in meeting the community’s needs,” shares Michele Lowe.

“For more than 50 years, BSC Group and its predecessor firms have strongly believed in supporting the community we are privileged to call home. When Women Who Care Talbot County was first organized, I saw an opportunity to introduce all the women in our firm to the concept of pooled philanthropy.   We offered to make the monetary contribution on behalf of each employee who would agree to attend the meetings three times a year.   In this way, our employees were introduced to nine nonprofit organizations annually, and the selected organizations were able to benefit from corporate-type sponsorships,” Debbie Walsworth, Managing Partner, BSC Group, LLC.

To date, Women Who Care has funded eight nonprofits in Talbot County. In 2026, Women Who Care selected Talbot Community Connections and the Neighborhood Service Center as beneficiaries of its funding. At its September 24 meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Talbot County Free Library, members of Women Who Care will vote on funding one of the following three organizations: Talbot Hospice, the Avalon Foundation’s Children’s Programs, and The Phillips Wharf Environmental Center.

I have loved being in the room with other women and watching the storytelling that unfolds at these meetings. Expressions on the members’ faces as they hear the compelling needs in our community really exemplify the importance of the work being done behind the scenes to meet the needs of our citizens in Talbot County.

“It’s so refreshing with all of the negative things happening on social media and in our political world, to create a sense of community and belonging, and a sense of common interest. We all want the same things. We all want to live in a community where everyone can thrive, and everyone has what they need. We are just setting the stage for this to happen – a rising tide lifts all ships,” concludes Amanda.

The future goals of Women Who Care Talbot County include making more non-profits aware of the group so that they can get their own board members, staff, and constituents to join and participate, as well as getting younger women involved in collective giving.

Women Who Care Talbot County members meet in September, January, and May of each year. For further information, visit www.100womentalbot.org or email 100womentalbot@gmail.com.