Finding Oneself:
Helping Women and Girls
When Barb Siegel retired from teaching in 2018, one of the first things she did was join The Associated’s Jewish Women’s Giving Foundation (JWGF). She had heard fellow retired teachers talk about the foundation and she wanted to be part of it.
“I’ve lived here almost all my life,” says Siegel. “And yes, I know there are people that are in need. But when my friends would start talking to me about the organizations they were supporting, I was blown away. I had this realization that I am in a position to help.”
Once she joined, Siegel saw how dedicated the women in JWGF were. “It’s their calling, their passion. It’s been a great experience.”
Giving circles such as JWGF allow women to pool their resources to support organizations they believe in. They also teach women to be successful philanthropists. While they have always existed, giving circles have grown in popularity, especially with women philanthropists. In fact, the number of giving circles in the U.S. tripled between 2007 and 2017.
“JWGF has a two-stage, annual grantmaking cycle that runs from September to May,” says Jennifer Millman, JWGF Director. Grantmaking is limited to organizations that support women and girls, and the foundation aims to allocate 50% of its funds to the Jewish community.
Unlike Seigel, Julie Newman isn’t a native Baltimorean. She says becoming involved with JWGF helped her meet like-minded women and get to know Baltimore’s Jewish and secular communities. JWGF presents her with a unique opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of girls and women in need.
“I’ve always tried to make individual donations, but I can only do or give so much,” says Newman. “I mean, we’re not in the financial position to give millions of dollars a year or even tens of thousands of dollars a year to one specific organization.
When I got engaged with collective giving, it was awesome to see how a pool of money contributed by a large group of women could translate into grants in the range of $10 to $20 thousand, which can really make a difference in some of these organizations.”
While many of the women in JWGF are empty-nesters or retirees, others are newlyweds and young professionals. Millman says the pandemic, and the need to hold virtual meetings and events, has made it easier for women at all stages of their lives to get involved.
“We now understand that we will always be hybrid [live and virtual] because we have women who have nine to five jobs; women participating from a different city; women babysitting a grandchild or taking care of their own child, and they can’t be in our actual room,” says Millman.
“And we have now learned that we can engage you fully as a participant, if you need to be virtual. We want you to come and participate with us and to share your perspective, because it makes us all better. Together, our funds are amplified, and the impact is then amplified in the community on behalf of women and girls.”
Allison Zippert Abarbanel, a Baltimore native, works full-time as a senior account executive for MCI U.S. Though busy, she appreciates how JWGF finds ways to accommodate her schedule.
Abarbanel joined because her mother-in-law Sima Abarbanel was a member. “She would just tell me about all these different organizations she was supporting, and I wanted to get involved,” she says. “In the past, I have focused on one organization at a time, and I like that you can support like 10 or 12 or however many we decide on each year.”
Abarbanel says JWGF is an “amazing organization, and I love how even though I am new and one of the younger women in the group, everyone was open to my feedback. I never felt like my opinion didn’t matter. I also love being exposed to so many different and impressive women who make it a priority to give back to others in a meaningful way.”
To learn more, go to associated.org/jwgf.
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