100 squared equals $10K for area nonprofits

Local women forming 100 Women Who Care in Shawano County
By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

SHAWANO — A new organization in the community is looking for a few good women — 100, at least.

Of course, if more than 100 women come forward to help, organizer Jeannie Otto won’t mind at all.

Otto is part of a core group of women forming the 100 Women Who Care organization in Shawano County. Once solidified, this group of women will come together for an hour four times each year and give a combined $10,000 to an area nonprofit.

“Right now, we’ve already got 43 people who have signed up,” Otto said. “We’re hoping for at least 100 because the more we have, at $100 per person, then we can raise at least $10,000.”

For those who haven’t heard of the 100 Women Who Care, it’s not surprising. Otto herself had not heard of the organization — which has 650 chapters, include those in Green Bay, the Fox Valley, Iron Mountain and Door County — until after a death in the family.

Otto said her father was admitted to Bellin Health in February for a complication from a medical procedure and had to be hospitalized for a lengthy period of time. While he was in the hospital, Otto and other family members stayed close by at Altrusa House, a 12-bed Bellin facility for families of those who are receiving long-term care.

“We stayed there for 2½ weeks at no cost,” Otto said.

A few weeks after Otto’s father passed away, she was asked by the house’s director if she could give a testimonial about Altrusa House and how it helped her family during its time of need, being told that it was a “possible fundraiser opportunity.” She did so; then after she spoke, representatives from several other nonprofits gave talks to try and persuade the women in attendance to give to their organizations.

“I thought I was just sharing my testimony, but I found out that it was a competition,” Otto said.

Otto’s testimonial succeeded, as the Green Bay 100 Women Who Care voted to give $11,000 to Altrusa House. Shawano County’s 100 Women Who Care would operate under the same principles, where several nonprofit representatives would come forward, talk about their organization and try to convince the local women to give to their cause.

“I drove back to Shawano, and I contacted Wendy Crawford (the coordinator for Leadership Shawano County) and told her, ‘How did this happen?’” Otto said. “We’ve brought in the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and it’s so hard to raise $10,000. I gave one speech and got $11,000 for Altrusa House? I couldn’t figure it out.”

Once Otto decided the county needed a 100 Women Who Care chapter, she contacted a number of women to form the steering committee that would look into how to recruit 100 people with giving souls and the money to back it up.

“I picked people from different age populations and different experiences in our town,” Otto said, noting that one of the women from the Green Bay chapter is helping the committee to get established.

The local 100 Women Who Care hopes to hold its first giving event in February at the Four Seasons Resort. Otto said three nonprofits would be selected from an extensive list to speak. The two organizations who don’t win the money can try again at subsequent events, but the winning organization would not be able to seek additional funding from the group for at least two years, according to Otto.

Giving the money is only part of the benefit for 100 Women Who Care, she noted.

“It’s also a way of networking for women, just four hours a year and $100 each meeting,” Otto said, adding that she wants to see women from all over the county, not just the Shawano area, come together and offer help.

There are no baskets passed around for donations, and there is no committee work for the women who are not already on the steering committee. It’s a learning opportunity for the women who participate to discover the unsung nonprofits in the area, Otto said.

There’s also the possibility that, if the group blows right past its goal of 100 women and winds up with 150 to 200 or more, the group could give $10,000 to its top pick and possibly split the remaining money between the other two organizations, Otto said.

“That’s kind of what Door County is doing, because they have 180 members,” she said. “It’s up to the steering committee on what they want to do. We haven’t crossed that bridge yet, but we’re halfway to our goal … in literally a month.”

The recruitment process to this point has been word of mouth. The group’s Facebook page was just activated this week.

Otto noted that, if women can’t give $100, 100 Women Who Care could pair two women together who could each give $50, but they would only count as one vote.

While the organization is geared toward women giving to those in need, Otto noted that there are similar organizations for men and youth.

“It started with the power of the women’s circle,” Otto said.

There’s little doubt in Otto’s mind that she’ll be able to find 100 women in a county of more than 43,000 who are willing to help out nonprofits.

“I’m confident that this community and this county have so many giving people that would love to support this and give it a shot in the arm financially,” Otto said.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com