Do I need to be invited or can I just join on my own?
No formal invitation is needed.   You can join and get involved immediately.    Just complete the membership form to join.  Once you submit the membership form and pay your dues we know you are committed.    OR come to a meeting and complete the quick membership application there.    Joining is simple!

Can I join the club for less than $80 a year?
To be a club member you must commit to writing a $100 check at each meeting to the chosen nonprofit AND pay an annual $80 membership fee.    We want our members committed to our giving philosophy.

What can I expect to see and experience at a meeting?
Upon arrival you’ll pick up your name tag, nomination form and voting card.   Then it is time to greet old friends and meet new ones.   It is also during this time, if you wish, you will want to write the name of the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit you wish to nominate on your card and drop it in the bucket.    Around 6:00 everyone moves to the meeting room.   There three nomination cards are randomly selected from the bucket.   Then we learn about the three selected 501 (c)(3) nonprofits (a quick two minute presentation each) and a few minutes for membership comments or questions and then a written vote is taken.    You are asked, that night, to write a check (or put cash into an envelope) to the chosen 501 (c)(3) nonprofit.  

How can I find out if the nonprofit I want to nominate is a 501(3)(c)?
The quickest way to determine a nonprofit’s status is to go to the Colorado Secretary of State’s webpage and do a charity search.  Enter the nonprofit’s name and click.   When it appears, click on the name to make sure it is in good standing and still eligible to receive donations.   If it does not appear, go to the business page of the website and try there.   Your nonprofit might be a Nonprofit Corporation.   The difference between a nonprofit corporation and a 501(c)(3)  is the ability of a donation to be tax deductible.  Donations to a corporation are not tax deductible while donations to a 501(c)(3) are tax deductible.    Another place you can check the status is to go to the IRS website for charity searches.

 After a couple of meetings what if I decide this club isn’t for me?
First of all, we’ll be disappointed you are quitting and hope you take the time to provide us with any feedback as to what we could improve in order to keep you a member.    Joining is a commitment we hope members take seriously.   Since you committed to writing a $100 check to the chosen nonprofit per meeting we’ll hold you to that commitment until the end of the cycle year.   With that said, you can always stop attending, but we’d like you to stick around forever!

I have a friend who might be interested in joining.  Can she come as my guest before deciding?
We love having guests attend.   If you have a chance let us know, via the RSVP sent out a couple weeks prior to the meeting, that they are coming so we can have a name tag ready.    Guests can attend one meeting, enjoy our drinks, appetizers and dessert and check us out.    They cannot nominate nor vote though.   But they can write a check to any of the 501 (c)(3) nonprofits presented that night if they so desire.   We do hope that guests will eventually join.

How should I dress for the club meetings?
Our mantra is simplicity so wear what is comfortable.   Ok, I take that back, none of us have yet to show up in our pajamas!    Many women come directly from work so they are dressed in business attire yet others arrive in casual clothes.   It is Grand Junction so don’t worry about it!

Will the club accept credit cards for donations?
Our mantra, as you have read, is simplicity and although credit cards might make your life simpler, it turns out taking them is not so simple for the club.   Therefore we are asking everyone to bring either a check or cash to the meeting or to prepay for the entire year ($400 plus $80 in membership dues) and have us write your checks for you.  We also accept VENMO as your payment source.   You can sign up for this app for free and transfer money from your bank account to ours (for free) using the account: 

@judy-vanderleest   (6140 last four of phone number if asked)

 I never seem to remember my checkbook.   Can I just write one check, per year, for $400?   
In fact that is the preferred way these days.     Simply write your $400 check to The Giving Club and then every meeting we will write a check to the chosen nonprofit for you.   We will let the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit selected know the check coming from The Giving Club represents your contribution.   You will receive a thank you which should include tax donation acknowledgment from the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit.    Do be aware The Giving Club itself is registered with the State of Colorado yet not a 501 (c) (3).

What if I can’t make one of the meetings?
If you don’t make the meeting you are still committed to making the donation.   You will receive an e-mail within the next day or two after the meeting letting you know  which 501(c)(3) nonprofit was selected.    We’ll then ask you to write a check payable to that 501(c)(3) nonprofit and have you mail it to THE GIVING CLUB, P.O. BOX 1382, 81502.   OR VENMO your donation to @judy-vanderleest.    Our goal is to collect all donations  within the week so we can present the nonprofit with all donations at the same time.

I dislike awkward socializing.   Can I skip that part of the meeting?
We too dislike awkward socializing therefore we are going to make this part of the meeting fun and very un-awkward!   If you still aren’t interested, feel free to arrive around closer to 6:00 when the socializing part is winding down.

I love the networking aspect.   Is it ok to put my cards around so people know of my services?

Our focus is on 501(c)(3) nonprofits and we have a place where they can leave their brochures or fundraising posters.    Remember we want to keep things simple so we ask for members to focus on the nonprofits and not on their own businesses.     Thus please do not place your cards around or hand them out without being asked for your card.

Must I nominate a local 501(c)(3) non-profit at the meetings?
Simplicity is our mantra so we won’t make you do anything you don’t want.   Thus you are never required to nominate any organization.   It is fine to sit back, enjoy, listen and learn.

What happens if I don’t care for the 501(c)(3) the group votes on?
There are many great organizations to support and we realize you might not  care for the charity chosen.    However it is a Giving Club and club members support each other right?    By joining you participate in selecting the charity by voting.    As a club we all totally support the 501(c)(3) nonprofit who receives the most votes that evening.

What exactly will the $80 membership fee cover?
Your fee covers wine, beer, well and soft drinks along with heavy appetizers and desserts at each meeting (and yes you can have more than one dessert).   In addition it covers our minimal overhead costs (ie banking, webpage, notecards, meeting site, etc).    

Can I nominate a nationally recognized nonprofit?
Yes – since many of our local 501(c)(3) nonprofits are nationally recognized!!  If you meant can you nominate a non-local charity the answer is no.  The Giving Club would like to support local nonprofits only.

Ok, are there any other limits on the nonprofits I can nominate?
They must be an active 501(c)(3) nonprofit which has a direct impact in our community.  Although some religious and political groups meet this qualification we are going to limit our support to non-political and only religious entities if their mission excludes preaching the good word (i.e. Catholic Outreach with their soup kitchen or a church housing the homeless of all denominations).   Lastly if the 501(c)(3) nonprofit has received the quarterly donation from The Giving Club in the past they are not eligible to be nominated until three full years have passed.   A list of these organizations is displayed near the nomination bucket.

Can we tell the nonprofit how we want the money spent?
One of the things we love about this club is … simplicity!!!   So we are not going to require the nonprofit to spend the donation in any specific manner nor will we require they complete any 6 page report!     The process of having members vote should largely provide the “protection” the club will choose a worthy group.