By Kathryn Reed

In two weeks the Tahoe Women’s Community Fund has raised $20,000 to be invested on the South Shore and has signed up 125 members.

This nonprofit entity was launched last month with the goal of securing money from members that will then be doled out to entities roughly from Glenbrook to Meyers to Camp Richardson. While the members may come from anywhere, the money is staying on the South Shore.

Kathy Haven took the reins to start the fund after hearing a talk last spring by the leader of the El Dorado Community Fund. Bill Roby spoke about the different funds that come under his foundation’s umbrella, and told Haven for some time he has wanted to develop a fund specific to this side of the county that would be similar to the women’s found in El Dorado Hills.

Women’s funds have existed for decades. They were born at a time when women didn’t have as much of a voice as they do today. It was a bonding, a way to help one another.

While these types of funds in many ways have the same purpose, today members are also men and boys or men may be the beneficiaries. Businesses may also join, but would still have just one vote.

A big difference from a fund like this compared to a service organization is there aren’t regular meetings, no lunches one has to attend and really no work. It’s about raising money, deciding where to allocate it and then writing the checks.

The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund has three annual membership levels — $100, $250 and $1,000. A percentage of each of these will go into an endowment fund to help sustain the organization. A portion – probably 5 percent – of the endowment will go toward the overall pot that is available each year to be distributed.

The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund will have the El Dorado Community Fund be its fiscal agent so it doesn’t have to go through the whole process of becoming a 501(c)3, but still has the benefits of such a nonprofit. There is a 1.5 percent annual fee to El Dorado Community Fund for this agreement.

In addition to Haven, the founding members of the local fund are Wendy David, Anita Eades Castles, Greta Hambsch, Jamie Orr, Sara Pierce, Cynthea Preston, Delicia Spees, Jennifer Stafford and Tere Tibbetts. They are the initial leadership team. The intent was to bring together a diverse group who would represent varied interests.

Everyone who joins has been asked where they think the money should go. There have been 75 responses ranging from focusing on homeless, to children, to poverty. In the next few weeks the founding members will whittle the ideas down to about 10 areas. (Ultimately a grants committee will be formed.) Anyone who is a member by Nov. 15 will have a vote in the first allocation that will be distributed in late spring or early summer.

After the first of the year the community fund will put out a request to nonprofits, including schools, for them to apply for the grants. It will be up to the leadership council to decide how many grants and of what value will be distributed each year. The members get the final vote.

The plan is for the members to gather twice a year – for a dinner like what was convened last month as a celebration and opportunity to build community, and when the money is distributed. Organizers envision people who will benefit from the donation telling their story and not just the leader of the nonprofit. While it’s not written in stone yet, there is talk of limiting beneficiaries to every other year.

“It’s a collective giving unit. We hope to make a big impact in this community,” Haven told Lake Tahoe News.

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Notes:

·      Tahoe Women’s Community Fund has a website.

·      Here is the membership form. It is possible to pay in monthly installments.

·      The email address is: TWCF@eldoradocf.org.