ANNUAL GIVING: HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Atlantic County Women’s Center is seeking ways in which individuals and organizations can help us as we grow to meet the needs of this community. The Annual Giving Program outlined in this folder will provide you with a variety of ways to show your support and care. Through your sponsorships, contributions or gifts, you will become a part, truly a partner, in the shaping and developing of our future.

What is Annual Giving?

An Annual Giving Program provides a year-round opportunity for community friends to show their support by helping us raise unrestricted, renewable operating funds. Welcoming gifts of all sizes, it creates awareness about our services and programs and impacts immediately upon our growth, new initiatives and ability to sustain the level of service offered. It is an integral way for our community to help us fulfill our mission and demonstrate their support for our future endeavors.

Why is Annual Giving Important?

The ACWC relies heavily on the generosity of the community we serve to meet its important needs and enhance or showcase our services. Annual Giving contributions help us to solve day-to-day problems and seize unexpected opportunities as they arise. In short, they allow us to continue our good work and look toward the future. Participation in an Annual Giving Program is so important because it a measure of the strength of our community commitment and support and may mean the difference between the ACWC successfully meeting a new challenge or opportunity or delaying our growth or until a source of funding can be found.

Why is this Important to Me?

By supporting our Annual Giving Program your rewards will be more then just the potential tax savings. As a favored donor to the ACWC, you send an important message that you value the mental and physical health of the women and children of your community and visibly express your concern for an important cause. Your gift today will help others for a lifetime. This act of responsible citizenship can yield many rewards. A 1999 study of consumers indicated that 75% would switch brands or retailers to one associated with a good cause, when price and quality were equal. The same study reported that 87% of employees feel a stronger sense of loyalty to a company with philanthropic programs. Beyond the emotional fulfillment, your donation will be recognized as a commitment to a source of social change and may expose your employees to new ideas, new opportunities and resources, as well as contributing to a more livable, economically stronger community.

Every Donation Counts

There are many ways in which you or your company can build a partnership with the Atlantic County Women’s Center. Depending on your interest and goals, we can work with you to develop a plan that suits your needs. Needless to say, your participation at any level is most welcome. The following are just some ways in which you can help us to turn endless possibilities into realities.

The Atlantic County Women’s Center’s Radiance Circle is the cornerstone of our Annual Giving Program. It offers corporate and individual sponsors a vested interest in our future and a place of honor in our recognition society. With annual donations starting at $2,500, the Radiance Circle entitles our partners and friends to receive invitations to all private and special events, educational programs and seminars, as well as the benefit of discounts on all promotional items. All gifts will be acknowledged in our quarterly newsletter and published on “The Radiance Circle” portion of our website. Most importantly, donors will be provided with periodic updates on how their gift impacted, and continues to touch the lives of so many women and children in their community.

As a way to further acknowledge the generosity and goodwill of our community sponsors, the ACWC’s new administrative offices in Linwood, will house “The Radiance Circle” Wall of Appreciation. For annual contributions of $5,000 or more, engraved sun disks will line the wall with a larger plaque explaining their significance. A small public ceremony can mark the installation of each disks, with photos of the event published on our website, in our newsletter and in any follow-up media.

Statistically, in the United States, one in four women will experience domestic violence or sexual assault in their lifetime. As the Atlantic County Women’s Center strives to empower and support survivors, it also seeks to acknowledge those in this community who have lost their lives from these crimes. The Giving Garden will be a memorial to those nameless victims and a way to further community awareness and education. (“Giving” in this instance has several meanings; giving a voice to those victims, giving an oasis for reflection and calm to the community and giving a sense of purpose to our mission.)

With a projected groundbreaking in 2006, the Giving Garden will be built near our news administrative offices in Linwood and will provide corporate and individual sponsors with another way to partner with the ACWC. Different levels of contributions will entitle our sponsors to receive recognition for their gifts with plaques, flagstones or a flower bed or tree named in their honor. A small public ceremony will mark the installation of garden item, with information and photos displayed on our website, in our quarterly newsletter and in any follow-up media.

“The Skylark Fund”

One goal of the ACWC’s Home To Work Program is to empower women by helping them to become financially self-supportive. With the Skylark Endowment Fund sponsors will have the opportunity to send a HTW client to school to further her education and help her achieve her employment and life goals. Education could concentrate on a few, specific classes not offered by the ACWC’s WomenSource Institute, or an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree.

The advantages of the Skylark Fund to a corporate sponsor are two-fold. Not only will they be given quarterly updates on the client’s progress and understand its profound impact as a catalyst for change, but the sponsor also has the option of considering the client as a possible intern or new hire. After the successful attainment of their degree, the client and sponsor will be invited to an annual reception which will receive recognition in our newsletter, on our website, and in any attendant media.

Matching Gifts Program

In addition to awarding cash donations to a non-profit organization, many corporations, law firms and other businesses will encourage charitable giving by matching their employee’s contributions. Some businesses will match gifts made by their directors and spouses of employees. A Matching Gifts Program is one way for both you and your employees to share equally in our success and future. Included in this program is the opportunity for your employees to volunteer their time or organize workplace giving programs, (federated funds), on behalf of the ACWC. Matching Gifts can be through payroll deductions, a bi-annual campaign or annual campaign/drive, or separate program.

Whichever way you decide to implement this program, the rewards, shared satisfaction and goodwill extended between you and your employees will be immeasurable.