The Philanthropy Connection

The Philanthropy Connection’s mission is to inspire and enable a community of women to learn, grow, and engage in collective giving to support nonprofit organizations that address systemic inequities impacting individuals and families within the greater Boston area. Connections are at the heart of what we do – we work hard to create opportunities for our members to connect and learn from each other as well as from the local organizations we support. How does collective giving work? To join The Philanthropy Connection, women choose, based on their ability to give, to make an annual membership investment of $2,500, $1,200, $600, or $300. Membership benefits are the same for each member, regardless of membership investment level. Members’ donations are pooled and awarded as grants to Boston-area nonprofits in the spring. The more women who join, the more money we have to invest in our grantees. At our eighth Grant Awards celebration we crossed the $1.85 million mark on the way to giving grants cumulatively to more than 50 exceptional nonprofits. We do not hold galas or fundraising benefits. We keep our administrative costs low by using a largely volunteer staff, tapping into the talent pool of our membership. The events we sponsor are educational and create opportunities for members to learn skills that help them become more informed donors (e.g., how to read nonprofit financial statements and assess grant proposals); to learn about issues in the local philanthropic landscape and to meet and partner with nonprofits addressing them; and to connect with and learn from each other. Each member decides for herself how involved she would like to be. Some members choose simply to write a check and attend our Grant Awards celebration to meet that year’s grant recipients. Others choose to become deeply involved – joining a grant team and learning how to evaluate applicants, volunteering for grantees or joining their boards, or being a part of a TPC committee.