The Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida

Together...We Learn

Founder's Message

In 2012, the Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida began as an experiment with just ten enthusiastic and like-minded women. Since then, our membership has grown exponentially every year. To date, we've awarded over $1,153,000 in grants to organizations that support women and their families in Collier and Lee counties.

Our grants benefit a broad spectrum of our community, aiding children, teens, and seniors, while focusing on critical areas such as education, healthcare, legal services, mental health, domestic violence, human trafficking, housing, and disaster relief.

Throughout this journey, we've met incredible, dedicated individuals who tackle these issues daily while sharing our desire to ignite positive change. As an added benefit, our members have forged deep friendships that extend beyond our organization.

We're immensely proud of our achievements to date. We're also deeply grateful to our passionate members who have helped us expand our initial dream far beyond expectations—to empower women and families while strengthening our community.

Filled with anticipation, we invite you to join us as we embark upon the next phase of this most rewarding journey!

Sincerely,

Nancy and Sue

WGC's History—OUR STORY 2012-2023

Sweet Beginnings:

How Dessert Sparked a Movement

Sue Guben's path to founding the Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida began with a delicious key lime mousse she served at a Naples dinner party. As guests praised her dessert, Sue shared that she had learned the recipe from women she met through her role in the Baltimore Women's Giving Circle where she monitored a grant for a Culinary Arts program at a homeless women’s shelter.

Nancy Cohen and Sue Guben

Original WGC Members back row: Karen Biernesser, Linda Penniman, Barbara Knepshield, Mana Holtz, Marty Howard, Diane Lepola, Nancy Cohen. Front row: Jane Doherty, Sue Guben, Sally Gleason.

Vision

To ensure women and their families who need assistance have the resources that provide hope for a sustainable future

"The Women's Giving Circle partners with the Collier Community Foundation to leverage their staff expertise, community knowledge, and internal processes. Our two organizations support shared priorities and are proud to partner in improving the quality of life throughout our community."

The Collier Community Foundation

Mission

To improve the lives of Southwest Florida women and their families through collective giving to organizations that support those in need

Caring deeply about our community, we help women by:

Giving grants to qualified organizations in Lee and Collier counties
Collaborating with community partners to seek meaningful opportunities to give, learn, and serve
Engaging and inspiring our members to focus on community needs and effective philanthropy

Values

Collective Giving We make a greater impact on the community by combining our individual contributions
Personal Connections We cultivate caring relationships based on integrity, respect, and communication
Volunteerism We are an organization run by volunteers and value the impact of people’s time and talents
Good Stewardship We oversee donations through a rigorous and transparent grantmaking process
Passion and Fun We share mutual interests that make collective giving a very rewarding experience!

Together...We Support Women and Their Families

"The Women's Giving Circle is different: it functions as a donor, and over the years, it has addressed varying high-priority community needs such as children’s wellbeing; at-risk teens; and seniors to name just a few. This ability to help SWFL families holistically and flexibly is one of the many special aspects of WGC that attracted me to become a member!"

Sheila, two-year member

The Women's Giving Circle SWFL Leadership Team

Philosophy

The Women's Giving Circle of SWFL (WGC) is an all-volunteer organization that uniquely empowers women to take an active role in philanthropy and community betterment. We believe that when women unite with a shared purpose, we create a profound impact on the lives of vulnerable women and their families.

At the heart of the WGC's mission is our dedication to education and outreach. We prioritize building personal connections, cultivating relationships among our members, and improving the broader community. By engaging directly with various nonprofits, we deepen our understanding and effectiveness in targeting pressing issues.

By pooling our resources, our collaborative model not only amplifies individual contributions, it also strengthens our bond with the community. We embrace the principle that all members have an equal vote, equal value, and equal opportunity for engagement. No member will have more influence than another based on financial or other contributions. We are committed to pursue equity and inclusion in our membership, grantmaking, programs, policies, and leadership.

Our approach to informed philanthropy ensures our giving is thoroughly researched, thoughtfully planned, and consistently impactful.

We are proud to be a Fund of the Collier Community Foundation and a member of Philanos.

The 2026-27 WGC Board of Directors

WGC Cochairs: Lesley Hill and Joanna McGee

Secretary-Candice Mill

Treasurer-Noreen Thomas

Development Officer-Carol Horowitz

Grant Research-Susan Bailey

Grant Evaluation-Laurie Sammons

Grant Impact-Natalie Fisher

Program-Melissa Frisvold

Membership-Christine Washburn

Communications-Celeste Campos

Community Engagement-Lillian Veri

Founder and Board Director-Sue Guben

Founder and Emeritus Director-Nancy Cohen

WGC Committee Leadership

Grant Research~Susan Bailey and Sue Guben Program~Melissa Frisvold and Susan Shtayyeh

Grant Evaluation~Judy Mehlman and Laurie Sammons Community Engagement~Lillian Veri and Julie Van Egmond

Grant Impact~Natalie Fisher and Melissa Frisvold Communications~Celeste Campos and Mirsa Fortune

Membership~Susie Trapp and Christine Washburn Finance~Kathy Morton and Noreen Thomas

Click here to contact members of WGC leadership.

How We Operate

Members Make a Yearly Tax-Deductible Contribution of $1,200

$1,000 of each member's yearly contribution is applied directly to community grants and $200 is applied to operating and mission-related expenses. Every member makes the same yearly contribution, and each member has an equal vote when approving grant awards and other key decisions.

Members Can Be As Engaged in WGC Functions As They Desire

We have Fall and Spring member meetings each year and recognize eight standing committees. Members are welcome to join the committee(s) that aligns with their interests. Committees include Grant Research, Grant Evaluation, Grant Impact, Membership, Programs, Community Engagement, Communications, and Finance. Committee meetings, educational tours of local nonprofits, and lunch bunch gatherings are planned throughout the year. We operate November through April, with limited off-season functions.

Experience Hands-on Involvement in Every Aspect of Grantmaking

Our three grantmaking committees provide opportunities to learn about the needs of our community, develop relationships with those on the front line of addressing these needs, and meet other women with similar interests. These committees, based on their good stewardship, recommend WGC grants awards to 501c3 nonprofit organizations whose programs promote self-sufficiency for disadvantaged women of all ages an their families in Lee and Collier counties.

Serving Lee and Collier Counties, Florida

1110 Pine Ridge Rd Ste 200, Naples, FL 34108

Contact Us

The Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida is a fund of the Collier Community Foundation.

Affiliated with Philanos, the leading national women’s giving circle network

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