Give T/E will launch 2021 Giving with a Spring Meeting.  On March 9, 2021, Give T/E members will gather virtually for the group’s Spring Give. Give T/E is a local organization created to give Tredyffrin/Easttown women a chance to make a huge charitable impact in a short time. Each member commits to giving $100 twice a year to a local charity selected by majority vote at a one hour meeting. Members give directly to selected charities, allowing for matching gifts and tax deductions. Give T/E sponsors cover the group’s operational and meeting costs so that 100% of members’ funds go to the charities.

Give T/E, a member of the 100 Who Care Alliance, launched on March 10, 2020, just prior to the pandemic shut-down. The March 9 meeting will be the group’s third meeting and first anniversary. In a year rife with disappointment and heavy with need throughout our community, Give T/E has much to celebrate:

•       $27,605 given to the community, with the majority going to Community Volunteers in Medicine and Berwyn Fire Company, the charities selected in March and September 2020, respectively

•       129 active members, and a 94% member retention rate

At the March 9 spring meeting, Give T/E members will select a charity to receive the group’s third round of collective giving. Three charities, which will have been selected blindly prior to the meeting, will provide a 5-minute, virtual presentation about their work. Give T/E members in attendance will use Zoom software to vote for their favorite charity, and the charity selected by the majority will receive a $100 from each member of Give T/E, for a total of nearly #13,000. Many members also choose to support the other presenting charities, as well.

This spring’s selected charity will have an opportunity for additional support that is new to Give T/E in 2021. Give T/E was invited by the Richard M. Schulze Foundation to submit the group’s selected charity for a 50% matching grant from the Foundation. The Foundation has identified groups like Give TE as powerful ways to support local communities surrounding Best Buy stores. (Schulze is the founder of Best Buy.) Give T/E is grateful to the Schulze Foundation for this opportunity to increase our impact in our local community.

Give T/E members will also learn about the results of their Fall 2020 giving to Berwyn Fire Company at the March 9 meeting. A representative from the fire company will provide a presentation on the use of Give T/E funds for additional AED equipment.

Give T/E’s impact on our local Tredyffrin-Easttown community is driven directly from the group’s membership size. So, the group has established a goal in 2021 to increase membership to 150 women. Doing so will provide at least $15,000 to the selected charity each fall and spring. Women interested in learning more and joining should visit https://www.givete.org/join- give-te.html and follow Give T/E on Facebook.

Give T/E members are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to make an impact as part of the group.  Member Domenica Rafferty of Devon recently said: “”It is an honor to be able to join together with women who passionately care about our community… Give T/E offers us an opportunity to make a profound difference in a simple, straightforward way.”