Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida

What Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida does

Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida is a nonprofit collective giving organization founded in 2013 and based in Naples, Florida, that pools voluntary contributions from 140+ women members to fund grants for local nonprofit agencies serving women and families in Lee and Collier Counties. The organization's stated mission is to improve the lives of Southwest Florida women and their families through collective giving to organizations that support those in need, with a 93% pass-through rate to local grantees and cumulative awards of $1,153,450 across 78 grants since inception. Member engagement is structured around biannual meetings, Lunch Bunch gatherings, agency tours, and committee-based grant evaluation, with no paid staff and full reliance on volunteer labor.

The organization operates as a fund of the Collier Community Foundation, which provides administrative and financial infrastructure, and is affiliated with Philanos, the national women's giving circle network. Its core technology stack consists of the Wild Apricot membership software platform, which powers the website, member management, donation processing (general, grant fund, and tribute donations), and member communications. There is no proprietary technology product, and the organization does not develop or resell software; technology is purely an internal administrative enabler.

Its business model is a member-driven donation model: revenue consists entirely of voluntary contributions from individual members and outside donors, with no fixed pricing, contracts, or product sales. Members self-select contribution levels, and funds are aggregated into a collective grant pool awarded through a structured committee-driven process. Go-to-market is community-led and referral-based, with prospective members introduced primarily through personal networks, community events, and agency tours rather than paid marketing channels. The geographic footprint is regional, limited to two Florida counties, and the customer base comprises two distinct groups: contributing members (individuals) and grant recipient agencies (local SWFL nonprofits).

Name

Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida

Legal name

Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida

Website

https://womensgivingcircleswfl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida is a volunteer-run, member-funded nonprofit that pools donations from 140+ women to award grants to local agencies supporting women and families across Lee and Collier Counties, Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Women's collective giving
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community foundation fund
• Women's giving circle
• Local nonprofit grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Naples

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Donations: The organization raises funds entirely through voluntary donations from its 140+ members. Members contribute to a collective fund that is then distributed as grants to qualified nonprofit organizations serving women and families in Southwest Florida. The organization awards 93% of its revenue directly to local nonprofits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida is a collective giving organization that pools voluntary donations from its 140+ women members and redistributes them as grants to qualified local nonprofit agencies serving women and families in Lee and Collier Counties, Florida. Since 2013, it has awarded $1,153,450 across 78 grants, with 93% of revenue going directly to local nonprofits in areas such as education, healthcare, domestic violence, housing, food insecurity, and mental health.

Product overview

Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida is a philanthropic collective giving organization, not a technology product company. The organization operates as a giving circle focused on collective philanthropy to improve the lives of women and their families in Southwest Florida through grants, volunteering, and community engagement. The organization uses Wild Apricot membership software to manage its operations, but this is an internal administrative tool, not a product offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women's Giving Circle Membership
• Collective Grantmaking Program
• Donation Program (General, Grant Fund, and Tribute Donations) Accepts monetary donations from members and the broader community to support the giving circle's grantmaking mission. Donations can be designated as general donations, contributions to the grant fund, or tribute/memorial donations to honor individuals. Donations are accepted online via the Wild Apricot website and by mail to the Treasurer.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Collier Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Women's Giving Circle of SWFL operates as a fund of the Collier Community Foundation, which provides administrative infrastructure, financial management, and institutional backing for the giving circle's operations.
• PhilanoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with Philanos, the leading national women's giving circle network, providing access to resources, best practices, and connections with other women's giving circles across the country.
• Local SWFL Nonprofit AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with community partners including local nonprofit agencies that receive grants and provide services to women and families in need across education, healthcare, domestic violence, housing, food insecurity, and mental health.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Lee Community Foundation: A regional community foundation serving neighboring Lee County with charitable funds and grantmaking; directly comparable in model and SWFL geography but does not specialize in women's-focused giving.
• Community Foundation of Sarasota County: Another Florida Gulf Coast community foundation administering charitable funds and grants; comparable regional infrastructure but outside SWFL's core service area and without the women's-focused giving circle specialty.

Others

• AAUW (American Association of University Women): A national nonprofit advancing equity for women and girls through programs, research, and grants; adjacent thematically through its women-focused mission and grantmaking, though not structured as a collective giving circle.

Broad incumbents

• Philanos: The national women's giving circle network that WGC SWFL is affiliated with; serves as an incubator and resource hub for hundreds of giving circles nationwide, providing peer learning and best-practice frameworks directly relevant to the subject company.
• Women's Funding Network: An international network of women's funds and foundations; comparable as an ecosystem umbrella for women-focused philanthropy, though it operates at a meta level rather than as a direct giving vehicle.
• Collier Community Foundation: The parent host organization of the Women's Giving Circle of SWFL fund; comparable as a regional community foundation administering charitable funds and grants in the same SWFL geography, with a much broader portfolio of giving vehicles.
• United Way of Collier and the Keys: Established federated giving organization operating in the same SWFL geography; represents the broader federated giving category that WGC SWFL sits within, with broader programmatic scope across health, education, and financial stability.

Direct peers

• Impact100: A national network of women's collective giving circles using a high-impact pooled grant model very similar to WGC SWFL; directly comparable in structure (members pool donations, award large grants to nonprofits), though typically with larger chapter sizes.
• Women's Foundation of Florida: Florida-focused foundation dedicated to improving outcomes for women and girls through grantmaking and advocacy; shares the women-and-girls funding mission and Florida geographic footprint, though operates with paid staff rather than as a volunteer giving circle.
• Women's Giving Alliance (Jacksonville): A Florida-based women's collective giving circle; highly comparable structure (volunteer-led, pooled member donations, grantmaking focus on women and girls), serving a different Florida region as a peer model rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments8 records

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Frequently asked questions about Women's Giving Circle of Southwest Florida