Jacqui Empson Laporte seeks members for local 100 People Who Care chapter

BY SCOTT STEPHENSON

They say it takes money to make money, but should that sentiment be as true for worthy causes like local charities as it is for individuals and corporations just trying to turn a buck? 

 

Those who have dedicated themselves to the global social movement - 100 People Who Care - believe that they’ve found an innovative new way to make life easier for all of the local organizations out there that work so hard to improve their communities. The goal is for each local chapter of 100 People Who Care to form a collective of 100 people who are each committed to donating $100, four times per year, to whatever local organizations they believe makes the best case for themselves.

 

Jacqui Empson Laporte from the Auburn area had already been one of the local 100 People Who Care group members for a few years when she decided to step into a leadership role. “I took over from the previous organizers, Deb Shelley and Gwen Devereaux, just this year, so my first meeting was in April,” she explained. As soon as Empson Laporte first heard about the concept from Shelley, she knew it was something with which she wanted to be involved. “The idea is that a lot of the non-profits and the charities spend a lot of time and effort on fundraising, and running events, and selling things, and doing all that stuff, and that takes away from their work with the people that they actually help with their organization.”

 

Making it easier for organizations to earn community support doesn’t just make sense to Empson Laporte on a grand scale, it also complements her personal perspective on giving. “I don’t need to buy more stuff,” she said. “We live in a consumer culture, and there’s lots of businesses offering things. I don’t need to buy things to support an organization, but I am fortunate to be in a place where I can donate to an organization. And there’s lots of other people like me, who are kind of tired with all of the fundraising activities. We just want to know a little bit more about your organization, and then we want to, potentially, provide funding to it. And we want to make it as easy for the organizations and nonprofits as we possibly can.”

 

All that 100 People Who Care Huron wants from applicants is a little bit of information. “At our meetings, we just ask for a 15-minute presentation by the organization. We don’t care if you use slides, or if you recycle something you already have. That’s even better, because we don’t want them to spend time doing new things just for our group. We just want to know what you’re fundraising for.”

 

Even those organizations not chosen to receive funding gain valuable exposure. “There’s all these groups - social groups, like the Women’s Shelter, and environmental groups, like Hullett Marsh... we give them an opportunity to talk about their work and broaden their audience about the things that are going on. It creates a stronger sense of what’s going on in the community, because we don’t always know. It’s hard to find a venue where you can find all that information.”

 

The model for this community-driven fundraising concept is based on a donor group of 100 people, which would mean the chosen fundraising organization would be potentially walking away with $10,000 following a winning presentation. Currently, 100 People Who Care Huron has about 40 members, which still means an impressive potential collective donation of $4,000 to a deserving cause. “That’s a great return on investment,” Empson Laporte pointed out.

 

“What we’re trying to do is just get to that 100 people. We truly believe that there are 100 people in Huron County that are able to make this commitment. It’s just $100, four times a year.”

 

Their fall meeting took place Sept. 5, which means that now is the perfect time to get involved. The group is still working towards its goal of 100 donors, so if you feel like becoming a part of a no-fuss organization that’s still committed to community betterment, you can reach out through the group’s social media or come out to their next meeting. If you’re interested in presenting your organization to 100 People Who Care Huron, you can e-mail them at 100peoplehuron@gmail.com.