Six months ago, the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective brought together women and allies from across our region with a shared vision: to create a fairer future for women and girls through collective giving.
Since then, more than 100 Collective Members have come together to support the Collective’s inaugural Geelong Women’s Impact Grant, with funding awarded to McAuley Community Services for the Safe at Home Program. More importantly, that investment is already beginning to make a difference in the lives of women and families across our region.
As Geelong Community Foundation looks ahead to growing the Collective in 2027, this milestone has prompted reflection on what has been learnt so far.
Recently, Catherine Brooks from Equitable Philanthropy published a thoughtful article reflecting on the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective and the Foundation’s approach to building meaningful philanthropic partnerships. Drawing on conversations with Foundation CEO Amy Waters, the article explored a simple but powerful idea: while capacity and inclination are essential ingredients in philanthropy, lasting relationships are built through investment.
Six months on, that conversation feels more relevant than ever.
A simple truth
The first six months of the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective have reinforced a simple truth: the strongest philanthropic partnerships are built when people see their values reflected in a shared purpose.
While philanthropy is often measured in dollars raised or grants awarded, those outcomes are only possible because of something much deeper.
People choose to invest when they feel connected to a cause, understand the change they can help create, and believe they can be part of something bigger than themselves.
That sense of shared purpose has shaped the Collective from the very beginning.
Listening before inviting
Before inviting anyone to become a Founding Member, the Foundation spent months listening.
Conversations with women from across Greater Geelong explored the issues they cared about most, the barriers facing women and girls in our community, and the change they wanted to help create.
Those conversations didn’t simply inform the Collective.
They shaped it.
Rather than presenting a finished concept and asking people to support it, the Foundation worked alongside the community to build a model that reflected shared priorities and local aspirations.
That process created something much more meaningful than a fundraising campaign.
It created a community of women and allies united by shared values and a commitment to creating lasting local impact.
“What we heard very clearly through those early conversations was that women wanted to do more than simply make a donation. They wanted to understand the issues, be connected to the work and have a genuine voice in where their collective investment could make a difference.
Taking the time to listen first helped us build something that reflected what women in our community were telling us they wanted. To then see more than 100 women and allies come together around that idea has been incredibly affirming — and I think it shows there is a real appetite in our region for a more connected and participatory way of giving.”
— Amy Waters, CEO, Geelong Community Foundation
From generosity to partnership
One of the most valuable insights highlighted in Catherine Brooks’ article was the progression from Capacity → Inclination → Investment.
Capacity tells us someone has the ability to give.
Inclination tells us they are motivated to support a cause.
Investment is something different.
It is the point where generosity becomes partnership.
When people feel genuinely aligned with a purpose, they contribute far more than financial support. They bring their ideas, experience, networks and leadership. They remain engaged because they feel connected to the outcomes and invested in the success of the work.
That has been one of the defining characteristics of the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective.
The Collective was never intended to be simply a fundraising initiative.
It was designed to build a community of women and allies committed to creating meaningful, lasting change together.
Turning purpose into impact
The true measure of collective giving isn’t found in membership numbers alone.
It’s found in what those members make possible.
The inaugural Geelong Women’s Impact Grant is helping McAuley Community Services for Women strengthen the next phase of its Safe at Home Program through funding for a Specialist Children and Young Person’s Practitioner.
Safe at Home is a three-year trial operating across Geelong and the Barwon region in partnership with Meli, designed to provide earlier, coordinated support to families experiencing family violence, with a focus on improving safety and preventing homelessness.
In its first year, the broader Safe at Home program supported 29 households and 117 participants, including 61 children, and delivered more than 3,650 hours of support. Importantly, 97% of women supported remained in their home of origin or within their local community.
The program’s first year also identified an important opportunity to strengthen direct engagement with children and young people experiencing family violence. The next phase will respond to that learning through the introduction of a specialist practitioner — the role the Collective’s inaugural grant is helping to fund.
For the Foundation, this is an important example of what thoughtful local philanthropy can enable: responding to what frontline organisations are learning and investing in the capacity they need to strengthen their work.
“This is the point where the idea behind the Collective becomes very real. Our members came together because they wanted their giving to contribute to meaningful change for women and girls here in our region, and only six months on, we’re beginning to see what that can look like.
For me, that’s incredibly powerful. It’s not simply about the grant we were able to make; it’s about what that funding enables for women and families in our community. And this is only the beginning of what this group of women and allies can make possible together.”
— Amy Waters, CEO, Geelong Community Foundation
Looking ahead
Looking ahead, the Foundation is focused on growing the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective into 2027. Inviting new members on board, creating new opportunities for women and allies to connect, learn and invest in local solutions that improve outcomes for women and girls across our region.
In October, Collective members will be invited to come together for an exclusive impact event, hearing directly from McAuley Community Services for Women about the early outcomes of the inaugural Women’s Impact Grant, alongside a lived experience perspective that highlights why this work matters.
These opportunities are about more than bringing people together—they’re about deepening understanding, strengthening connections and continuing to build a community committed to creating lasting change.
Every new member strengthens the Collective.
Every conversation expands the network.
Every investment contributes to lasting local change.
As Catherine Brooks observed in her recent article, the progression from capacity and inclination to investment changes the nature of philanthropy.
The first six months of the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective have shown why.
When people see their own values reflected in a shared purpose, philanthropy becomes more than generosity.
It becomes partnership.
And when communities invest in shared purpose together, lasting change becomes possible.
This reflection was inspired by Catherine Brooks’ article, “What the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective taught us about alignment,” published by Equitable Philanthropy. We thank Catherine for highlighting the Collective’s journey and contributing to the broader conversation about building meaningful philanthropic partnerships.
While our Founding Member chapter has now closed, the Geelong Women’s Impact Collective continues to grow.
New members are welcome to join the Collective and become part of a growing community of women and allies investing together to create lasting change for women and girls across our region.
With more opportunities ahead to connect, learn and see the impact of collective giving in action, we invite you to be part of what comes next.
