Gift-givers

One hour, as much as $7,000 and one nonprofit. The River City Givers are a charitable force to be reckoned with.

In just two years, the River City Givers group has gifted nearly $50,000 to eight different nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations, according to Jane Odberg, one of the group’s six founding members.

The Henrico Education Foundation’s Leader In Me program earned the River City Givers’ gift last January, and the contribution allowed the academic program to reach 500 new students.

River City Givers was founded in 2017 based upon the model of the popular charity group known as 100 Women Who Care (which has chapters nationwide), according to RCG founding member Angie Strickland.

The concept is designed to allow women who live fast-paced lives to four times a year for one hour each time, learn from and teach their peers about local charities and commit to giving $400 apiece annually to organizations that they select as a group.

“A member can come and spend no more than four hours in an entire year and be able to gift very large amounts of money within a group to an organization and have a say as to where that money goes,” Odberg said.

In 2017, Strickland approached her friends and proposed the idea. The proposal was well-received, and from there she, Fran Bolin, Linda Lyell, Diane Schriewer and Odberg began working together to make the idea a reality.

“I thought it was simple way in an hour or less that a group of women can come together and collectively make a much larger impact on a community,” Strickland said.

The River City Givers first met in January of 2017, and like many initiatives during their genesis, had challenges getting the word out and attracting members.

“It was hard to explain how it works without having our own local successes,” Odberg said. “Once you have your first recipient, it’s easier.”

Today, with eight successful monetary gifts behind them, The River City Givers have a membership of about 64 women who regularly attend the quarterly meetings in January, April, July, and August, Odberg said.

During the meetings, members enter into a fishbowl their nominations of nonprofits in the Richmond region. A group member then selects three slips at random from the bowl, and the nominator has five minutes pitch the organization and three minutes to answer questions.

Then, all members vote to choose which of the charities will receive that quarter’s donation money.

While the votes are being tallied, a representative from the organization that received the money during the previous quarter gives a brief presentation about how the money has been used and how it has impacted that organization.

By the end of the one-hour meeting each member has given $100 to the newly selected organization.

“I really believe in giving back to the community,” Strickland said. “And there are so many 501(c)3s that are in the greater Richmond area that are lesser known but still doing great work, so it’s been a great way to support them and educate myself.”

The River City Givers meet in a space at the Shady Grove Methodist Church in Glen Allen, provided free of charge by the church. The River City Givers are not a nonprofit; it merely functions as a conduit for the donation of money but doesn’t actually collect any funds itself, Odberg said.

Looking back on the eight organizations that the River City Givers have donated to in the past two years, Strickland recalls the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust as one that she has been most excited about.

“They were just getting started and hadn’t acquired any houses or land yet,” Strickland said. “The funds that we gave them helped them hire a part-time advocate, which helped them get off the ground.”

A year later, the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust recently received awarded a $1-million grant from the Community Foundation to make a difference in affordable housing in Richmond, Strickland said.

“It’s pretty amazing when you think about the substantial difference these women have made with their combined giving, all done by attending only eight meetings for a total of eight hours,” Odberg said.

The River City Givers’ next meeting will be held Jan. 15 at the Shady Grove Methodist Church.

To learn more, visit rivercitygivers.com, e-mail rivercitygivers@gmail.com or search River City Givers on Facebook.