I shared the post on the 9 women gifted for 30 years with our gifting circle via email, and gifter Brian sent me back this note:
“Thanks for sharing, Ann — good to have these inspiring examples. Another interesting activity I learned of recently (since my sister-in-law intitiated one where she lives in Michigan) is “100 Women Who Care”: a quick way for people to spend relatively little money of their own and an hour of their time to raise $10,000 for a charity of their choice. It seems to be spreading across the country!”
Apparently, it was started back in 2006 by a woman in Michigan.
I googled “100+ women who care.” Ommigod! There’s one here in Bloomington!
The Bloomington group’s “commitment form” asks interested women to commit $500 per year: $100 to our local Community Foundation, and four quarterly $100 donations to four local charities chosen by the group. Such a quick and easy way to raise money for local needs while keeping the money circulating locally rather than bleeding out to big banks or national non-profits top-heavy with administrative costs.
That I hadn’t heard of this iteration of the gifting economy until now makes me wonder: what else don’t I know about organically organized gifting that’s already going on? Very exciting!
Wow, I just stumbled upon a website called localgiving.com . . .
To let go of scarcity, let us train our attention to see abundance . . .
And of course, in a more perfect world, a world more in touch with Nature, there would be no need for charities or money to fund them.
Let’s go there. Let’s nourish a future where everyone has what they need to not only survive, but to thrive. Where everyone feels so full of him or herself that he or she just naturally and generously shares the abundance of the soul’s gifts pouring forth, unhampered, full of joy and wonder. Like trees. And the sun’s rays. And bird song. And us, when we’re in love. Let us be love.
