CityView Magazine

54 | March /April 2019 "We invited 100 community leaders and organizational heads, and we were astounded to have 87 people show up," she said. "Our topic was, if money was no issue, what would you spend it on to best help the homeless in Cumberland County? e top recommendation was to open a day resource center and that is how Connections of Cumberland County was born. e nonprofit center became a reality in 2014." In addition to starting Connections, the giving circle has instituted many other solutions directly relating to issues impacting homeless women and children in our region. e issues are identified every two years and correlate to updated scorecard findings. ese focus areas translate next to grantmaking and have touched on everything from food insecurity and education to health care and cultural enhancement. Surprisingly, unlike many charitable institutions, the monies granted and invested by the giving circle do not come by way of fundraisers. Instead, each member contributes financially, paying annual dues of $550. Of that, $400 goes towards grant fulfillment, $100 is added to the circle's endowment, which is managed by the Cumberland Community Foundation, and the remaining $50 goes to the operating fund. ere is also a junior membership so those aged 18-35 can pay a reduced rate: $275 with $250 of this going to the grant making and with $25 used for administration. Each member contributes; hence the group name. In addition to giving, members can also roll up their sleeves and work on various committees, in leadership positions and in event planning, if desired. Opportunities abound on the grant, marketing and membership committees, as well as in conducting community research and publishing the biennial scorecard report. e giving circle meets three times a year as a full circle, while committees and leaders meet monthly year-round except during the summer. e circle's hard work was recognized in 2015 with a national award. e Spotlight Award for transformational grantmaking was presented to the circle that year by the Women's Collective Grantworker's Network national conference. In 2018, the circle celebrated an important milestone – its ten-year anniversary. Members were lauded along with the $500,000 in grants their contributions had funded over the years. irty-nine total grants were given to 25 different organizations, which helped more than 27,000 local women and children. Going forward in 2019 and beyond, the circle's effects will continue to grow – and ripple outward. Susan Barnes, who manages the circle for the Cumberland Community Foundation, said the group is much more than facts and figures. "It has been wonderful the way the circle has brought women together to give collectively," she said. "On top of this, however, is the fact that the circle has educated women about the power of giving and the importance of philanthropy." e circle's focus areas for 2018-2020 are child abuse, foster care, life skills and literacy. e current scorecard Rock Without The Hard Edge for Fayetteville. And Local News updates throughout the day.

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