Local Organization Celebrates Raising $1 Million in Charitable Donations

Hundreds of women, 14 years, 59 donation drives and immeasurable impact on charities in Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties. This is what can happen when people who care take action.

On Sept. 17, Greater Lansing 100+ Women Who Care will select a charity to receive its quarterly donation. With that donation, the group will have given more than $1 million to local nonprofit organizations.

The group was founded in 2010 by Donna Oade and Rose Zack, who passed in 2018. Longtime member, Barb Dunlap carried on Zack’s legacy as cofacilitator with Oade. 

Inspired by the first 100 Women Who Care, which was conceived by Karen Dunigan in Jackson, Michigan, Oade and Zack decided to start a group in East Lansing. 

“Backing up to the summer of 2009, my good friend Rose Zack, we’d known each other for ages, called me and said she had visited a group in Jackson that she was so excited about,” recounted Oade. “She had just retired from owning Wild Birds Unlimited and she wanted to get into something that would make a difference. I mean, she was just stunned, this was exactly what she wanted.

“She asked me, is it really as simple as it sounds?”

The system is surprisingly simple. Four times a year, 100+ women meet and vote on a local 501c3 nonprofit organization to give to. Then each woman donates $100 dollars to the selected charity. That’s it.

And despite some small hiccups, it really was that easy.

“We went into it really blind, thinking, ‘well, if it works, it works,” Oade said. “So we sat down that summer at my little kitchen table and made a list of every single woman we knew. I can’t tell you how many people we sent that original letter to. We were biting our fingernails, ‘who’s going to come?’”

“41 people came that night and we were ecstatic.”

That first meeting, they raised over $4,000 for Caring About Kids, an Ingham County nonprofit organization that supports children in foster care. 

After a few years, the group hit 100 members and it took off from there. At its peak, the group reached 254 members. 

“We lost some members through Covid, now we stay right around 200, which is a good sized organization,” Oade said.

The system proved effective. 

“That’s what appeals to me as a member,” said Judy Putnam, who joined before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everything we donate is to a local nonprofit. So it’s all work that’s being done in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton county with all local people. We’re not mailing checks across the country, we’re spending that money locally.”

Adding to their efficiency is the low administrative cost. This is not a social club and all the money raised goes directly to nonprofit organizations.

“I think that’s one reason why we’ve been really successful,” said Barb Dunlap, the group’s cofacilitator. “We’re not asking our group to ever contribute for any kind of administrative cost.”

While the group has greatly expanded, it has its roots in East Lansing.

“The seeds were in East Lansing,” Dunlap said.

The group first held meetings at the Hannah Community Center, then at Beggar’s Banquet. When they outgrew that space, they moved to the University Club, Dunlap said. 

“We are very fortunate in that the University Club allows us to meet free of charge, that is so gracious on their part and we so appreciate them doing it,” Dunlap said. 

“This is secondary, but it’s a nice place to meet women who you would not ordinarily have an occasion to get to know. Usually you stay in your own area of influence, here you get people from all different walks of life and all different ages.”

It’s hard to pick favorites, but some of the charities are particularly meaningful.

“I have a son who is no longer living,” Oade said. “He suffered from mental health issues. So my favorite charity is NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness). I’m thrilled that it was presented and won. It helps people and their families who suffer from mental health issues and right now that’s a huge thing in our community.”

Several of the selected nonprofit organizations advocate for mental health. After the shooting at Michigan State University on Feb. 13, 2023, the group raised money for the Listening Ear, a crisis center in East Lansing. The group had been scheduled to meet that night, but instead they asked members to send money to the Listening Ear. 

The long list of past recipients shows just how many people are working to improve their communities.

“There’s so many people out there trying to help,” Oade said.

“I am just so impressed by the number of volunteers in our community that make these 501c3 charities viable,” said Dunlap. “We have so many giving people who are so generous with their time.

“I’m really proud of not only what 100 Women Who Care does, but also of the over 50 charities listed on our site and the many others in our community,” she said. “It’s really nice to know that we have such a giving and generous tri-county area.”

The celebration will be held at 6 p.m., Sept. 17 at the University Club. Anyone interested in learning more is invited.