Learn more about the Women's Giving Circle of Fayetteville

For the Women's Giving Circle of Fayetteville, one last-minute recruit led to a lot of money.

The group of women who pool their money to help the needy welcomed its 100th member on New Year's Eve. Their reward: a doubling of their available funds through the Cumberland Community Foundation.

"It was close, but our members really worked at it," said Alisa Debnam, one of the group's founders. "We find that once people understand what we're about, what we're trying to accomplish in the community, they're eager to help."

The concept is simple: we may not all be rich, but we can all be philanthropists.

"Each woman may not have $50,000 to donate," said Mary Holmes, executive director of the Cumberland Community Foundation. "But you may have 500 women able to donate $100 each. The result is the same."

The Women's Giving Circle of Fayetteville was inspired by similar groups around the country, Debnam said. It was the first group of its kind in the county. The Cumberland Community Foundation, in partnership with NCGives, provided the group with startup grants and organizational assistance...

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