Project & Mentoring Circles
We provide strategic advice on capacity building to grassroots women’s focused organisations.
Giving Women is not a grant maker and we do NOT support our projects financially. We rather make an impact on the lives of women and girls in need through project support and mentoring, recognising the value of capacity building. Our members contribute their time, expertise and knowledge to re-enforce the work of our selected projects. These areas may include capacity building, technical support, practical advice or other forms of non-monetary support such as developing a fundraising strategy.
By professionalising our projects, their work becomes more sustainable and impactful.
How we support projects
Giving Women support is provided by our diverse and engaged membership on a voluntary basis. Through Project Circles, members offer their time, expertise and skills to the selected projects. A Project Circle (PC) is a group of Giving Women members who collaborate to support a project sourced, screened and presented at a Giving Women project evening.
Sounding Board & Mentorship
We provide an opportunity for the project owners to articulate concerns and challenges that they are facing in a safe and caring space. We then accompany them in a process to define how they can address these concerns and challenges.
Organisational & Strategic Development
Projects we work with are often at a cross-roads where they need to re-evaluate their strategic direction and strengthen their organisational structures. We help in this process which helps them to grow and become more sustainable.
Communications & Marketing
Often, lean and under-resourced projects lack a clear communications and marketing strategy which is essential for them to articulate their mission and thus attract funding opportunities. We help them craft this strategy by asking the necessary difficult and pertinent questions resulting in clear and concise communications.
Governance Structures
Good governance supports the efficiency and sustainability of an organisation. We come in and evaluate their current structures, helping to identify what is not working and where needed, restructuring and reactivating the governing board.
Fundraising Strategy
Giving Women does not provide funding or fundraising services to any of the projects we support. We do, however, help our projects to optimise their fundraising strategies and activities.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Core to any social impact driven organisation is a strong monitoring and evaluation process. We encourage the projects to go through tried and tested processes to help them develop a robust monitoring and evaluation process essential for donor reporting and assessment of the project’s impact.
Apply to become a GW Project Circle
Organisations are invited to submit their projects, if they would like to receive professional support from Giving Women. We organise a selection round once a year. Please note that we are not a funding organisation nor do we carry out fundraising activities.
Please read our project selection criteria below and if you think you meet our selection criteria, please submit a one-page motivation letter with a description of your project and how you think Giving Women members can be of assistance.
Once our Project Selection Committee has evaluated the letters of motivation and they feel the project fits into our criteria, we will then invite you to send in a full application form.
Submission deadline for letters of motivation to our next project round will be: 29 December 2023.
Please note: If your project does not meet our criteria listed below, we cannot guarantee a response to your submission. If your letter is successful, we will contact you by 5 January 2024 and invite you to fill out a more comprehensive application form.
Giving Women Project Selection Criteria
PLEASE NOTE: The membership of Giving Women offers its time, expertise and skills to the selected projects. It also provides an access to networks of philanthropists and funders but, at the present time, does not make direct grants.
To be eligible to present a project for review by the Giving Women project selection subcommittee, the organisation and project should meet the following selection criteria:
The Project:
- The project has a direct impact on the lives of women and/or girls in need.
- The project has been implemented for a minimum of 12 months and aims at financial sustainability.
- Possible project themes include:
- empowerment of women and/girls through education (including vocational training)
- empowerment of women through technology
- livelihood creation for women leading to women’s economic empowerment
- improved access to health for women and girls
- innovative project outside themes 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4.
- The project is looking for input or support from GW members in the following ways:
- capacity building (transfer of knowledge, skills or technical procedures to reinforce staff capacity to reach project goals),
- technical support (e.g. collaboration with the Project Owner to develop business or communication strategies, to design promotional or other communication materials, to review or to develop M&E tools or systems, etc.),
- practical advice (e.g. governance issues, legal queries, networking support, etc.), or
- other forms of non-monetary support and/or (reasonable and feasible) fundraising support (e.g. advise or collaboration on grant application writing, events or sales).
The Organisation:
- The organisation has been legally registered for a minimum of two years.
- The organisation is non-denominational and non-political
- The organisation is open to a constructive debate around the pre-mentioned areas as well as medium and long-term vision and strategy.
- Availability of the founder/director to respond to the Giving Women evaluator, present the project at the Giving Women Project Evening (May or November) and represent the project in the Project Circle that would be formed.
Submit your Letter of Motivation
Past Giving Women Projects
Some of the Current Projects We Are Supporting
