How is the Everychild Foundation Organized?

The Everychild Foundation offers exciting and challenging opportunities for its members to become more involved in the foundation if they wish.

Everychild has no paid staff, so the work done by our volunteers is critical to our success. All members are welcome to join any committee. No specific educational or professional background is required. We provide training on each committee, and we value a diversity of experience, perspectives and backgrounds - it’s part of what makes us so effective.

Join a committee now! Read their descriptions below and then click here to sign up.

Grant Committees

Three important committees work together toward the awarding and overseeing of the yearly grant.

Grant Outreach Committee: This committee is responsible for contacting agencies that we have initially determined may have a proposal eligible for the Everychild Foundation grant. If an agency is interested and meets our criteria, committee members work with its representatives to prepare a Letter of Inquiry, the first step in our grant application process. Membership on this committee is limited to those who have already served on the Grant Screening Board. Chair: Kay Faguet

Grant Screening Board: The Grant Screening Board offers members the opportunity to work with other intelligent, philanthropically inclined women in a challenging, educational, and collegial environment. Its members act as foundation staff, performing the essential function of analyzing each applicant agency and its project for our members. Its goal is to narrow the applicant pool to the two candidates whose projects best address the critical unmet needs of children in that grant year. The Board works with a professional grant consultant who provides training and generally lends her expertise. The Grant Screening Board typically has a maximum of 20 members in addition to Executive Board officers. Chair: Mary James

Grand Monitoring Committee: This committee is responsible for monitoring the post-award status of funded projects. Under the terms of our grant agreement with recipient agencies, members of this committee usually visit the project site twice a year during its initial three years to assure that the project is being implemented appropriately. We have found that these site visits are an invaluable means of maintaining an ongoing relationship between our members and agencies we have funded in the past. Chair: Reese Relfe

Public Policy Committee

The Public Policy Committee offers the opportunity for Everychild members to educate themselves on specific children’s issues, receive advocacy training and act as a voice on behalf of at-risk local children by advocating for local or legislative changes which improve their lives. Membership is open to all who wish to learn or become involved in children’s advocacy and no prior advocacy or policy experience is required. The committee meets once a month for 2-hours for planning and reports on policy involvement. Workshops and other events are scheduled separately. Chair: Denise McCain-Tharnstrom

Membership Committee

The goal of the Membership Committee is to recruit and maintain membership in the foundation. In general, Everychild has very little turnover in its membership, which is capped at 225 per year. When openings do become available, the Membership Committee hosts informational coffees for potential new members at a member’s home. These coffees provide an opportunity for women interested in membership to meet with members of our executive board in a casual setting to learn more about the Everychild Foundation experience. The committee also plans other member-bonding events such as the new annual "Bingo for Old Bags". Chair: Tawny Sanders

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee produces the yearly Everychild Foundation Newsletter, maintains the Everychild website, and creates public relations materials related to the Everychild grant, public policy and the salon series. We are always looking for member volunteers who enjoy writing, design and website management. Chair: Karin Fielding

The Nancy M. Daly Salon Series Committee

Everychild members and their guests are invited to evening salons throughout the year featuring guest speakers about issues facing children in our community and other important topics. The purpose of the salons is to provide members with the opportunity to become better informed about issues and to enhance their experience as grant makers. Salons are held in the homes of Everychild members. The committee selects topics and speakers and publicizes and organizes the events. The salon series is named after Nancy M.Daly, an activist on children’s issues and member of the Everychild Advisory Board, who passed away in 2009.>br?>br? Co-chairs: Amy Sommer and Terry Hyman Hamermesh.

Officers and Advisory Board