During the holiday season, we cherish spending time with loved ones and gathering for private and public celebrations. It’s a time when our communities experience the joy of giving as well as the happiness and relief of receiving.

You may now be reviewing the past year and reassessing your goals for the next. The end of the year is a common time to review philanthropic giving and make those last-minute donations. This is particularly important in 2025, as there are tax changes occurring in 2026 for anyone who itemizes their charitable contributions. Please ask your tax adviser for guidance. It may be beneficial for you to make your donation to WIN – or better yet to increase your membership level payment in 2025, rather than 2026.

As part of our goal to reach $400,000 in annual giving, thereby increasing our capacity to make four grants, we will work to increase membership and transition current members to higher membership levels. Sponsoring another woman to join is a wonderful way to enjoy the experience of giving and introduce more members to our group and its mission. The three membership levels are Silver ($500), Gold ($1,200) and Platinum ($2,400). Please consider bumping up your level in the coming year, inviting others to join and sponsoring another member.

The reason we want to increase the number of grants we distribute is because the need is so great.  Did you know that WIN received 150 grant applications this year? There are so many great projects that could and should be funded if we had the necessary means to do so. To read about the 2025 grant recipients and the award ceremony held Oct. 9, see this press release.

We cannot express how much we appreciate our strong members who volunteer to review these proposals and attend site visits by serving on the Grants Committee. We would like to particularly encourage more members who may be interested in only reviewing the online applications to volunteer for that specific task. The more people we have participate at this early evaluation stage, the better we can represent our membership. Besides the Grants Committee, members are also welcome to join the Education Committee and/or Membership Committee.

Happy holidays and all our best wishes to WIN members for 2026.

Lisa Smith and Karen Linder

WIN Co-Chairs