2020: Our Year in Review

Although 2020 was certainly not the year we all expected, our Women’s Giving Collective (WGC) were still able to accomplish and exceed goals as a Collective. Let’s take a look at all the amazing things that were accomplished over the past year!

First, how the Collective works.

For those that may not remember, members of the WGC give an annual amount which is then divided and applied to two Funds – An Endowed and Flow Through. The WGC Endowed Fund receives 60% of the annual contributions, which now has grown to just over $54,000 in two years. The second fund is a Flow Through Fund, which receives 40% of the annual contributions, and is the source of granting each year. This Fund has a balance of just under $8,000 to start 2021. With our members continued support in 2021, the WGC can ensure their third year of support for our first charity, HeartAche2Hope, while also looking to support a new organization for 2021 yet to be identified. Creating a permanent Endowed Fund will ensure future years of support will always be available for local granting to organizations that meet the WGC priorities – women in education, support networks and mental health.

WGC made its second year commitment grant to Heartache2Hope, which was $8,500! Combined with our first year commitment, we’ve provided a total of $16,500!
We managed to stay socially connected through the pandemic and used this time to educate ourselves and learn more about our local charities.
We discussed ways we can build our Collective, what we want our future to look like and what our focuses in philanthropy will be going forward.
We welcomed some new faces to our gatherings! We invited some new people to see what it’s like to be part of our Collective and even welcomed a new member.
We had three virtual gatherings in April, August and October:
- Our April gathering was a virtual “Happy Hour” where we heard from Flavia from Heartache2Hope who shared insights on their work, and how our granting dollars have been put to use. You can review a recap of the information Flavia shared here.
- Our August gathering featured a cooking session with Julia Hanna where we learned how to make her amazing pasta sauces. We also had an update on the Oakville Resiliency Fund and where and how these donations have been distributed in our community. Afterwards, we even got to enjoy a delicious dinner for two courtesy of Ritorno.
- Our October gathering had an update from Halton Women’s Place and then we learned all about the Oakville Resiliency Report and GIVEOakville.

We’re so grateful for each and every one of your contributions to our group. To renew your support please contact sarah@theocf.org. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2021!