On April 17, 2025, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida hosted a Donors Forum at the River Club to discuss The Impact of Collective Giving. The featured speaker was Michael Layton, Philanthropy Chair at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy. Collective giving is one of the top trends in the Center’s 11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2025. The Johnson Center has been releasing a report on philanthropic trends for the last nine years, with the first piece released in 2017. A link to Mr. Layton’s presentation is here.
A Q&A moderated by Mr. Layton about collective giving in Northeast Florida followed the presentation, with a panel of speakers: Martha Baker from the Beaches Community Fund, Courtenay Wilson from the Women’s Giving Alliance, and Velma Monteiro-Tribble from the A.L. Lewis Fund. In combination, the three Funds consist of about 700 people who pool their funds and have a significant impact, and in 2024 alone, they put back over $1 million into NE Florida communities. Below is a recap of the Q&A session of the event.
Overview of the panel discussion:
Women’s Giving Alliance
- Inspired by the Washington Women’s Foundation, the Women’s Giving Alliance (WGA) was launched in early 2001 as an initiative of The Community Foundation, with a steering committee of 20 women. Its mission, to inspire strategic philanthropy among women in NE Florida and improve the lives of women and girls through collective giving, has remained steady for nearly 25 years.
- Each member of WGA contributes $1,500 annually, with $1,100 going to grantmaking, $300 for operations, and $100 to an endowment fund that ensure long-term support. This endowment is rare among women’s funds.
- To date, WGA has awarded $9.6 million in grants to 74 nonprofits, and the endowment has grown to $6.3 million. The organization is volunteer-led and has 460 members. The members determine the focus areas for grantmaking.
- The appeal of WGA is that it is a group of women making a real impact together. No one else is focused on women and girls, and the group promotes deep friends and tackles critical issues. It is aiming for 500 members by the 25th anniversary.
- Some of the innovative ideas introduced by WGA include a youth member program supported by Dolores Barr Weaver, in which younger members pay a reduced first-year-fee, and a legacy membership — $25,000 paid over five years, which covers lifetime dues. The remainder goes into the endowment and keeps generating impact.
A.L. Lewis Opportunity & Impact Fund
- The Community Foundation brought a small group together to explore a giving circle, and it grew into 25 community leaders who helped form the A.L. Lewis Opportunity and Impact Fund. Its focus is on education, health care, and economic development — areas that can truly elevate communities in need through NE Florida.
- Last year, the fund awarded more than $300,000 in grants, and it expects to match or exceed that this year.
- To garner initial support, the founders gathered close friends and wined and dined them. Once people understood the vision, it was clear there was nothing like this fund in NE Florida, and that resonated. It is not just giving money — it is making a difference, especially in elevating the Black community and underserved areas.
Beaches Community Fund
- The Beaches Community Fund was initiated at the outset by the fact that, at the time, out of $250 million in funds, only $180,000 came to causes at the beach. Martha Baker, along with three other TCF members from the beach, asked the Foundation to research needs in that area. Five key issues were identified: basic needs, transportation, student support, nonprofit capacity, and early childhood education.
- The first informal meeting with friends and neighbors garnered a $14,000 check to support the Beaches Community Kitchen — before the fund even started. In 2014, the Beaches Community Fund began with 30 families, who each contribute $10,000 annually. The Fund has grown to 36 families, giving $2.5 million in total. This year, they expect to give another $300,000.
- Many of the members of the Beaches Fund are also fundholders at The Community Foundation, so that helps keep momentum and engagement going.
- In order to recruit members, Baker and others educate community members on real needs in the area: feeding the hungry, supporting kids, helping people afford to live there, improving transportation. Once people realize that addressing these is important to keeping the beaches lifestyle they love, they ask how they can help. Education is the key.
Continue the conversation on the Forever Forward Podcast! Join Wanda Willis as she chats with Tory Martin and Michael D. Layton, PhD, about key trends shaping the future of giving, including one close to home: collective giving. Listen Now.
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On April 17, 2025, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida hosted a Donors Forum at the River Club to discuss The Impact of Collective Giving. The featured speaker was Michael Layton, Philanthropy Chair at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
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