Dining For Women

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• published: 25 Apr 2007
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Dining For Women is a national giving circle which reaches out to women and children living in some of the poorest countries in the world. The Mission of Dining For Women is to empower women living in extreme poverty by funding programs fostering physical, emotional, and economic self-sufficiency, and by inspiring individuals to make a difference through collective giving. History: Founded in January 2003 with the original Greenville chapter, Dining for Women attained nonprofit status in June 2004. As a result of all the publicity, women from around the United States and in Europe have established nearly fifty active chapters, and another twenty are in the initial organization process. In one year, the average monthly donations grew from $400 to well over $5,000 and, instead of educating twenty women a month on the plight of women living in developing nations, hundreds are being enlightened. Method: Dining for Women's unique fundraising model is based on educated "collective giving," whereby chapters hold monthly potluck dinners and combine their "dining out" dollars to give to a predetermined charity. All chapters' "dining out" dollars are pooled, allowing them to make a larger impact than they would be able to do by giving individually. The research standards used are stringent, making certain that the chosen program has a U.S. reporting base, that it operates efficiently, and that it can measure its success. A critical part of the Dining for Women mission is the education of its members about the plight of women living in extreme poverty. In order to meet the goal of educating its members and making the chapter dinners fun and informative, resources are available for chapters to use during their gatherings. The Program Fact Sheet introduces the selected month's program. A second resource, a program guide called Making Connections, provides information about the month's selected organization, the country and the culture, as well as the issues faced by the women and children living there. Making Connections fosters lively discussion among members and deepens the connections that allow for the possibility of mutual enrichment. Programs: Dining for Women chooses small grass roots organizations working in the areas of education, healthcare, vocational training, and micro credit. Each program is evaluated on its mission, fiscal prudence, and measures of success. One hundred percent of all chapter dinner donations are directed to programs. Each year we give to many different third world countries and try to spread our support to every corner of the globe. Some examples of the affect Dining for Women has had include helping: -Women and babies in Tibet survive childbirth. -Widows in Afghanistan receive micro-loans so they can support their families. -Young girls in Africa, who could not otherwise afford to go to school, receive an education and a future. -Women from war torn countries receive assistance as they seek to rebuild their lives. Vision: Dining for Women's dream is to establish chapters all over the globe, harnessing the power of collective giving to change the world....one dinner at a time.