Giving Together Committees*
Grants ⧫ Community Service ⧫ Education ⧫ Social ⧫ Membership
Communications ⧫ Racial Equity
GRANTS
The Grants Committee evaluates proposals from area non-profits, conducts site visits and recommends the finalists to the GT board and membership, who choose the awardees at GT’s Annual Meeting each fall. The committee’s actions are currently divided between two groups. The Thematic subcommittee considers non-profits for single- and multi-year grants according to an annual theme chosen by the GT members, such as housing or health care. The Accelerator group considers grants for black-led, black-benefiting non-profits – a category often overlooked by funders.
Co-Chairs:
Christine Kessides (Thematic) - ckessides@gmail.com
Susan Alberts (Thematic) - susanalberts@gmail.com
Marea Hatziolos Grant (Thematic) - Marea.hatziolos@gmail.com
Courtney Dinsmore (Thematic) - courtney.dinsmore@gmail.com
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Charla Rath (Accelerator) - charla.rath@verizon.net
Nancy Ebb (Accelerator) - ebbford@verizon.net
COMMUNITY SERVICE
GT’s community service activities expand the impact of our grants. Committee members volunteer with GT grantees in a variety of ways that help these non-profits serve their clients in need. In this way, we stay connected to all our grantees, as well as to our Greater Washington community.
Co-Chairs:
Pam Feinstein - feinstep@gmail.com
Harriet Shugerman - hshugerman08@gmail.com
EDUCATION
The Education/Social Activities Committee arranges programs on topics of interest to our members.
Co-Chairs:
Heather Kaye - heather4604@gmail.com
Nedra Weinstein - nedra@ardenconsults.com
SOCIAL
Activities include book discussions, holiday parties, wine and cheese hours and museum visits.
Chair:
Ester Kurz Scheibel - ekurz33@gmail.com
MEMBERSHIP
The Membership Committee identifies new ways to recruit members, formulates better ways to introduce new members to GT’s work (for example, instituting a more formal on-boarding process) and continues to improve how we track and communicate with our members through GT’s database.
Co-Chairs:
Sheryl Donaldson - donaldson20015@aol.com
Paula Norwood - pn1153@gmail.com
COMMUNICATIONS
The Communications group is charged with disseminating information to members and the public about GT’s mission and ongoing activities, raising the profile of Giving Together in our community. Vehicles include emails, newsletters, social media and the website (www.giving-together.org).
Co-Chairs:
Karen Gilgoff- kgilgoff@gmail.com
Christine LaPaille - lapaillec@gmail.com
RACIAL EQUITY WORKING GROUP
In reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement, the GT Board voted to broaden our mission statement in 2020 to include the goal of “racial equity and social justice.” Creation of the REWG followed, giving members a vehicle to discuss grantmaking, education programs and other activities with that goal in mind. The Accelerator grants program was one of the REWG’s first recommendations to GT.
Chair:
Renee Licht - renee.licht@gmail.com