When The Women’s Network — a membership group for professional women in Birmingham — voted to disband in 2022, its members were committed to finding a new way to carry on the organization’s mission of empowering women and girls in Jefferson County. They found a way to do just that by using the group’s remaining assets to start a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. With that, The Women’s Network Giving Circle was born.
“A unique thing about community foundations is that they can host giving circles and you can really leverage the power of collective giving,” said Ginger Jefferson, a past president of The Women’s Network who is currently at the helm of the giving circle.
Jefferson knew how the Community Foundation could help the group because she worked at the Foundation for more than 10 years as the director of marketing and communications, before retiring in 2023.
Forming a Sisterhood
The Women’s Network was founded in 1978 as a professional membership organization for executive women at a time when women weren’t invited to join organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis Club. Meeting twice a month, the club offered luncheons featuring inspiring speakers – women who were doing the work to empower other women. The club’s tagline became “Women Helping Women.”
“We loved the opportunity to get together a great group of women,” Jefferson said. “And we had fabulous programs.”
But after women were welcomed into Kiwanis and Rotary, membership began to slowly decline. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“People’s lives changed,” Jefferson said. “Carrying on as a club, as an organization, with two meetings a month, was really a challenge for everyone’s very busy lifestyles and the way that things had changed after COVID.”
But the bonds between the members proved unbreakable.
Joyce Shevin, a former president of The Women’s Network and next up to lead the giving circle, said the club did much more than help expand her professional network when she served as the Jewish Community Relations Director for the Birmingham Jewish Federation and as Executive Director of Magic Moments.
“It was a sisterhood,” Shevin said. “It is a sisterhood,” she reiterated.
Shevin recalled how the group celebrated with her after she got married and how, when she confessed that she was bored after retirement, the group got her connected with exciting opportunities, including partnering with local activist T. Marie King on civil rights initiatives.
“It really changed my life,” Shevin said.
Making an Impact
The Women’s Network Giving Circle has 25 active members from various backgrounds, including Jefferson, Shevin, local writer and artist Audrey Atkins and Nicole King, City Attorney for the City of Birmingham.
With the giving circle, the friendships forged through the club can continue to be nurtured as the group gathers to discuss how best to award grants from the donor-advised fund.
“Our leadership group decided this was a good option for us to keep that camaraderie and that networking and that getting together with women with shared interests and turn that into an opportunity to leverage our giving and what we can do in the community,” Jefferson said.
By establishing an endowed donor-advised fund through the Community Foundation, the members of The Women’s Network could avoid navigating the rules, regulations, and red tape that would have come with trying to start a foundation of their own. And they can do more with less.
“I could give my $250 somewhere, but if I pair mine with Joyce’s and with Nicole’s and Audrey’s and this whole group, then not only does it gain interest because of how the Community Foundation’s invested it, but it becomes much more,” Jefferson explained. “Instead of my $250 gift, it’s a $2,500 grant to an organization.”
A minimum annual donation of only $100 is required to join the giving circle. Not only does the Community Foundation invest the money from the donor-advised fund so that it can grow, but the Foundation also offers guidance on how best to award grants.
“They vet the organizations that we consider, and that’s so important,” Shevin said.
So far, The Women’s Network Giving Circle has awarded grants to two organizations – Woman of Worth and Women Under Construction Network.
Founded by Nikkie Pittman, Woman of Worth, Inc. provides services and self-development programs for women and girls, including mentorship, financial literacy classes, leadership training and personal development classes.
The Women Under Construction Network, founded by Shellie Layne, teaches girls and women of all ages how to do basic home repairs while also teaching important life skills.
“We want to make sure we are making an impact,” Shevin said, explaining that the group is prioritizing organizations that would benefit most from small grants.
The giving circle is also hoping to help in ways beyond money.
“We have a variety of skill sets in this Women’s Network Giving Circle,” Shevin said, adding that members are, for example, eager to help organizations like Woman of Worth with their website, social media, and other communications.
There are also plans for King to take the girls of Woman of Worth on a tour of City Hall and a courthouse to learn more about local government and the court system. The group also purchased items for the girls to use to make toiletry bags to distribute to unhoused residents and fellow students in need.
“We don’t want to just make grants,” Jefferson said.
To learn more, visit The Women’s Network Giving Circle.