EVERETT — In the quick-flash span of two hours, a group of women makes short work of giving thousands of dollars to a local nonprofit. They’ve been doing this three times a year for nearly six years now.
And on May 12, they’ll be doing it again at 6:30 p.m. at the Normanna Lodge, 2725 Oakes Ave., Everett.
The grassroots effort is called 100+ Women Who Care About Snohomish County. The idea is 100 or more women give $100 to a charity selected by a group vote that night.
“Our superpower is kind of being a conduit of people who want to help and people who need the help,” cofounder Janet Bacon said.
Last time around for February’s gathering, the collective gave $23,000 to an agency called Work Opportunities based in Lynnwood. The impact is from pooling together funds.
100 Women Who Care groups are in many cities.
The local one’s genesis, though, was after cofounders Bacon, Susan Rieke of Everett and Dani Hixon of Lake Stevens were driving back from a 100 Women Who Care event in Seattle.
‘Why are we driving from Seattle, why isn’t one here?’ Rieke asked in the car. ‘Why not?,’ the three pondered. They brainstormed around Bacon’s dining room table about a month later in February with friends and coffee.
The group was born. The first fundraiser was April 2019. “Here were are six years later, $370,000 raised for our community, it’s pretty cool,” Bacon said.
At a gathering, three randomly selected local nonprofits are invited to give a five-minute pitch. The finalists were picked from a hat ahead of time. No, really.
The group votes on slips of paper. The winner is selected. The group collectively opens their wallets. Those who couldn’t attend send money, too.
About two weeks later, the recipient receives a bag of money — a literal bag of checks written out to their organization plus cash.
100+ Women Who Care has no bank account, Bacon said. It’s just a through-put. And it’s worked.
On average, lately they give about $19,000 per event to a nonprofit based in Snohomish County. Recipients in 2024 and 2025 were the Everett shelter house Esther’s Place, the Assistance League’s Operation School Bell and a group called The Soup Ladies, a volunteer group who feeds first responders during disasters.
The recipients are invited to come back three months later to tell how they used it for the community.
If you go
100+ Women Who Care will hold its Giving Circle Meeting Monday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Normanna Lodge, 2725 Oakes Ave., Everett.
