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A recent member poll indicated that FAUSA members considered philanthropy to be an important aspect of their membership and that they supported the FAUSA Philanthropy Program. The philosophy behind FAUSA philanthropy is to select projects that benefit women and children and to concentrate support in the Americas (North and South America and surrounding islands).
Currently, FAUSA supports The FAWCO Foundation with a yearly sponsorship of both a Development Grant and the FAUSA Skills Enhancement Education Award. Our FAUSA Annual Philanthropic Grant (FAPG) is selected from projects that are nominated by and voted on by our members. The winning FAPG serves as our banner project for the year, allowing us to “top up” the $2,000 Grant with donations collected throughout the year.
The seeds of the FAUSA Philanthropic Program began in 1997 with donations of backpacks filled with books and school supplies for children in Bogotá, Columbia, and has evolved through the years to become a dedicated and reliable support for FAWCO Foundation’s Awards, DGs and special projects. Our growing relationship with The Foundation has given our members and their children greater opportunity to apply for the Awards and DGs. Our successful fundraising has encouraged us to investigate changing our 501c4 nonprofit status to a tax exempt 501c3.
Where do the funds come from?
Fundraising occurs thoughout the year via the fausa.org web site[JD1] . We dedicate a night to philanthropy at our yearly FAUSA Getaway, which utilizes silent and live auctions, as well as a quilt raffle, to fund our projects.
The funds come exclusively from the generous support of FAUSA members, friends, and families through their individual donations and as participants in the silent and live auctions held at our Annual Meetings. FAUSA does not receive corporate, or other, sponsorship.
Some of the worthy causes that FAUSA has actively supported over the years include the following:
- SafeHouse San Francisco
- Houston Rescue and Restore: Girls Prevention Program
- The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center
- The Eleanor Roosevelt Girl’s Leadership Program
- The Aleethia Foundation Secret Santa Program at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, MD
- The FAWCO Target Program – Tabitha-Cambodia Wells for Clean Water
- The FAWCO Millennium Goal Treated Malaria Net Project
- Science equipment for a new school in Ribralta, Bolivia
- The FAWCO Emergency Relief Fund
- Estancia Fraternidad in Oaxaca, Mexico
- El Maestro En Casa, a literacy program broadcast by Radio San Miguel in the Amazon region of northern Bolivia.
To make a contribution to the FAUSA Philanthropy Program, click here. For more information regarding FAUSA Philanthropy, contact Philanthropy Chair, Sue Ripps.
Making A Difference
A Note From Philanthropy Chair Sue Ripps
PHILANTHROPY: The following has been borrowed from Wikipedia: Philanthropy means “love of humanity” in the sense of caring, nourishing, developing, and enhancing “what it is to be human” on both the benefactors and beneficiaries parts.
Instances of philanthropy commonly overlap with instances of charity though not all charity is philanthropy or vice versa. Charity relieves the pains of social problems, whereas philanthropy attempts to solve those problems at their root causes.
Over the years dating back to 2002 FAUSA has supported members and members’ children through Scholarship Awards. Numerous members and children have had their educations supported by the generosity of the FAUSA membership. FAUSA has also supported numerous charities located in the Americas. At our yearly Annual Outing we kick off our fundraising with a quilt raffle which is generously made and donated by Kay Miller. It is quite an honor to win one of Kay’s quilts! With our Annual Grant we have supported United Against Human Trafficking, in 2013-2014. Currently we are supporting Safe House for Women in San Francisco, 2014-2015.
We have also sponsored a FAWCO Foundation Development Grant, along with support for the 2 year Target project and we participate in funding the FAWCO Emergency Relief Fund .
Many FAUSA members have been long supporters and donors to the FAWCO Foundation.
Referring back to the Wikipedia definitions of charity and philanthropy in which category would you place FAUSA? I think we belong in both! And I am happy and honored to be the Chairperson of such a charitable and philanthropic group!!
Sue Ripps
