Donor Profiles - Individual Donors PDF Print E-mail

This year the Women’s Foundation was able to grant $519,000 to 29 organizations that assist women and children. We would not be able to do this necessary gift giving without the generous donations of our corporate sponsors and our individual donors. We asked the following women, who give generously to our organization, why they choose to assist the Women’s Foundation and how they believe it helps to improve the community by supporting programs that assist women and children.

ImageTeresa Cheeks
Administrative Assistant – Public and Community Affairs
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Memphis Branch

Q: What does philanthropy mean to you?

A: Philanthropy is the act of donating money, goods, time, or your efforts to support a charitable cause. To me, it means giving of myself or pouring out what has been deposited into my heart into the lives of others. Giving starts within your heart and extends to your purse.

Q: Do you consider yourself a philanthropist?

A: Yes, I feel that for many years I have been a philanthropist. It hasn't always been monetary, but I have given of my time and effort to help others in my church and community.

Q: Why give to the Women’s Foundation?

A: "What you make happen for someone else, God will make happen for you." I truly believe that statement because I have experienced it. Through the Women’s Foundation, I was given a chance to gain wisdom, learn valuable lessons, and develop professionally. Sometimes, all a person needs, or desires, is an opportunity to be propelled into the next level in their life. Also, it was time for me to give back.

Q: What advise would you give others considering becoming donors in the future?

A: My advice is to "start where you are." Although some philanthropists are often very wealthy, you can perform philanthropic acts without possessing great wealth. Giving of your time (volunteering) is valuable.

Q: What do you see in the future for the Women’s Foundation?

A: I see the Women’s Foundation as a larger presence in the City of Memphis. Due to this, I see a great increase in the number of philanthropists and larger grants given each year.

ImageJennifer Oswalt
Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Family Office Services
Sovereign Wealth Management, Inc.

Q: What does philanthropy mean to you?

A: To me, Philanthropy means giving of your resources-- time, money, skills-- as well as influencing others to give of their resources.

Q: Do you consider yourself a philanthropist?

A: I believe I am a Philanthropist-in-Training. I have a strong desire to give back to the community the skills and resources that I have been blessed with, yet I always feel that I have more to give.

Q: Why give to the Women’s Foundation?

A: When I moved back home to Memphis from Atlanta, I really wanted to get involved in a community group that was working to make Memphis a better place, and I have always had a desire to volunteer for programs that benefit women. I found exactly the group I was looking for and more with the Women’s Foundation. The Women’s Foundation continues to educate me and inspire me each year. The Women’s Foundation works diligently to fund programs that reach the greatest number of women and children in the most need by selecting programs that work towards a long term solution rather than a short term "fix". The Women’s Foundation also strives to educate the giving community on the needs that exist and the programs in place to aid these needs, as well as increase philanthropy, especially among women. In the long run, I believe these are key to achieving the goal of enabling women in Memphis to achieve and maintain economic self-sufficiency.

Q: What advice would you give others considering becoming donors in the future?

A: Use the Women’s Foundation to educate yourself on the local organizations that benefit women and children. From this education, choose which ones to devote your time, energy and charitable donations to. You might just find that, like me, you aren’t able to choose only one, and you might feel that giving to the Women’s Foundation is the best way to continue to help the programs with the most potential and impact.

Q: What do you see in the future for the Women’s Foundation?

A: Recently, the Women’s Foundation has taken the work they do to a higher level with the Memphis H.O.P.E. project and other long-term planning and outreach projects. I am proud to be involved with Young Women Philanthropists, a group working to build the next generation of the Women’s Foundation. I see a future of corporate support on a grand scale and world class programming and funding.

Barbara J. Williams
Retired Educator

Q: What does philanthropy mean to you?

A: Philanthropy is seeing a need and being able to assist in the solving of the problem. My short philanthropic experience is based on two cases: a student needed to finish 2 more years of college under adverse family and financial conditions. I helped out financially and with general advice, and she graduated. A junior high school student with a middle class background and income needed the balance of the cost to enroll in a university prep program. This young lady appealed for assistance in such an adult manner that I thought I was helping a future woman US presidential contender!

Q: Do you consider yourself a philanthropist?

A: If the image of a philanthropist as a person who gives large amounts of money annually, I’m not. I'm more of somebody who sees a specific personal problem and offers resources to help solve the problem.

Q: Why give to the Women’s Foundation?

A: Because it does what every woman would want to do. As long as women are treated as second class citizens in this country, there is a need for the Women’s Foundation.

Q: What advice would you give others considering becoming donors in the future?

A: Find your niche. When I can see issues which appeal to me, I will offer resources.

Q: What do you see in the future for the Women’s Foundation?

A: I see a plan that will look in every Greater Memphis nook and cranny to find women in need of additional resources. The foundation is like an over-all umbrella-- available to help any lady.

Ms. Williams attended a high performance philanthropy retreat in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Her thoughts on her experience are below.

What stood out to me was the dedication of these women—from their 20s’s to close to 70. Even though their money had been acquired from different sources –employment or inheritance--they worked hard to develop solid programs to help others. That level of personal commitment with huge sums of money was something that I had never before experienced. It moved me to get more excited about how my investments can grow more quickly so I can do more.

ImageBrenna Ragghianti
Graduate Student, University of Memphis
Development Assistant
Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis

Q: What does Philanthropy mean to you?

A: Philanthropy means giving your time, talent and anything else that you value to someone you feel needs it more than you. On a small scale, it’s a desire to help someone other than yourself. On a larger scale, it’s affecting change in the greater community.

Q: Do you consider yourself a philanthropist?

A: I don’t usually think of myself as philanthropist, but upon reflection I suppose I am.

Q: Why give to the Women’s Foundation?

A: For several reasons: 1. It’s a unique organization that was founded by women for women and their families. 2. The Foundation is addressing poverty on a large scale by focusing on the majority of those in poverty-- women and children. 3. By donating to the Women’s Foundation, you’re able to stretch your dollars into greater change. The Women’s Foundation researches their grantee agencies, monitors them, offers support, and insures that they provide measurable results. When I give money, I want to know the measurable difference that it is making. By giving to the Women’s Foundation, I ensure that my money is going to make a difference.

Q: What advice would you give others considering becoming donors in the future?

A: I would advise them to really look into the Women’s Foundation and see how much of an impact they are making in the community. Become passionate. Know what changes you want to see in the community and start working towards that change. Volunteer. The Women’s Foundation funds programs, new and existing, that are doing the work that needs to be done in the community. It’s not necessarily large gifts that make a difference. Give what you can. Begin to budget giving into your daily lifestyle and see what a difference just one person can make.

Q: What do you see in the future for the Women’s Foundation?

A: I see the Women’s Foundation becoming a model for other women’s funds across the nation because of the diversity of the projects that it undertakes and its ability to provide positive results.

ImageMary Bowen
Madison Group, Inc.

Q: What does Philanthropy mean to you?

A: The seed of philanthropy: narrowing your focus to a feature of this world that you wish to improve, and joining with others in that effort. Together we help to realize human potential in our circles of influence, in our communities and in our world.

Q: Do you consider yourself a philanthropist?

A: I am way too insignificant for such a title. Most of us live and work as supporters of grand schemes, with our contributions of time and effort and money all feeding into a much larger stream - and, frankly, aware of the fact that our consensus as givers carries far more weight than any of the individual gifts.

Q: Why give to the Women’s Foundation?

A: Because understanding is critical to the effectiveness of our gifts, what a tremendous advantage the Women's Foundation provides for all of us - donors and recipients. The research is already lighting a path, like minds are gathering, momentum is growing, and already the recipients of foundational aid are emerging from their own difficulties to offer encouragement and assistance to others. Our wonderful feminine short-hand allows each of us to move into effective service the moment a need arises, and I am convinced that my money is busy from the moment it leaves my hand. There's so much to accomplish in family support and in educating our children, and the Women's Foundation is aimed straight at those targets.

Q: What advice would you give others considering becoming donors in the future?

A: Picture the $10 check you might put in an envelope in return for the sheet of pretty return address labels someone sent you in the mail. After several such gifts (maybe when you begin to feel you will never, ever need another return address label) it occurs to you that one of the organizations would probably have appreciated getting $100 - and the rest will likely never miss your $10 gift. But which organization? And once you decide, how about two hundred dollars?