Shining from Gahanna, a light is landing on central Ohio nonprofits.
Since the spring of 2024, Gahanna GLOW (Giving Local 1OO+ Women) has been holding volunteer-run quarterly meetings to pool member resources and donate to central Ohio nonprofit organizations.
Described by founder Kate Koch as “‘Shark Tank’ for nonprofits meets speed dating,” the women’s giving circle was based on the idea of “100 women who care,” after the Columbus chapter of the philanthropic group was discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The club that now has 145 committed women, about 80% of which are Gahanna-area residents, completed its sixth Gather to Give philanthropic giving event on July 23. Each member committed $100 to a pooled Impact Award that would be donated to one of three finalist nonprofits after a majority vote.
A representative from each of the three nonprofits, including Mission Warmth, Gahanna Jefferson Education Foundation’s GEAR Gardens Project and Colony Cats (& Dogs), gave a five-minute pitch to the group of women, and the vote commenced. At each meeting, the nonprofit organizations are nominated by a member before being selected to share the work they are doing with the group.
“There’s 145 women that are sitting there, laser-focused on you sharing your mission and story, who did not know about you before. It’s the awareness factor, bringing attention to needs in the community and the various groups that are out there providing a solution,” Koch said.
“I hear that nonstop from our membership, ‘I had no idea they existed.’ Every single time, that is said over and over. Or, ‘I had no idea that was such a big problem in our community.’ I also love hearing so many people say that.”
Gahanna GLOW gathered 145 women and their guests at Edison Brewing Company in Gahanna to vote for a nonprofit to support with pooled resources. Since the spring of 2024, the local philanthropic group has organized six Gather to Give events.
Elaine Damo, a founding member of Mission Warmth, a nonprofit that serves homeless individuals across central Ohio through planning “missions” from December to March each year to provide aid in the coldest months, said the financial award would help her team increase its inventory of warming items and expand its daytime outreach in the next season.
“What I like about their program is that their members nominate nonprofits that resonate with them, so I think the reach of their generosity is pretty vast,” Damo said.
“Prior recipients have been like the charitable beekeepers of central Ohio. I had never even heard of them. They’re hitting some niche nonprofits that may otherwise not be on anyone’s radar for giving.”
Prior to the group’s Summer Give, the organization had raised $78,725.
With several gifts now pending atop the $14,500 pooled and awarded to Mission Warmth at the July meeting, including several matching gifts from a private family foundation, Koch said she estimates the group has raised over $100,000.
“That puts our running total at about $110,000 in a little over a year — which is certainly more than any one of us could do alone — and (it’s) all immediately put back into the community uplifting others. That’s the impact of collective giving,” Koch said in an email describing GLOW’s financial impact.
(From left to right) Katherine Pfander, Windy Steiner, Elaine Damo and Colleen Kelley, of Mission Warmth, accept the Gahanna GLOW Summer Give Impact Award on July 23. The nonprofit organization that serves the homeless was awarded $14,500.
To date following the July meeting, GLOW members have learned about 18 different central Ohio nonprofits, which have all received some level of funding.
“As long as we maintain some levels of continued growth — we gain about 10 members every cycle — then I’m expecting every give to go over $20,000 each time,” Koch said. “So, four times a year, over $20 grand. It’s really simple.”
According to Koch, the group’s biggest need moving forward is for community philanthropic organizations or corporate foundations to help sponsor grants for the two runners-up each quarter.
The group’s next Gather to Give is scheduled for Oct. 22.
The Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation.
This article was made possible by support from the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation, which has partnered with The Columbus Dispatch to profile those making our community a better place. Help us inspire kindness by suggesting people, initiatives or organizations for Reporter Sophia Veneziano to profile. She can be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com. Learn more at Dispatch.com/Kindness. The Dispatch retains full editorial independence for all content.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gahanna GLOW holding volunteer-run meetings to support Columbus nonprofits
