The new Give Where You Live Miami County is reaching out to those who want to support local nonprofit organizations.

Give Where You Live is based on the giving circles concept through which individuals wanting to help come together to make a larger impact on a selected nonprofit each quarter.

“This is a group of individuals – no businesses, not corporations – who have a desire to make a difference, to increase philanthropy here in Miami County,” said Maggie McKee of the Give Where You Live Miami County team.

The new organization provides a chance for those who want to be involved in philanthropy to do so with a $100 commitment each quarter.

The organization was born following a late 2014 visit to a meeting of the 100 Plus Women Who Care of Dayton giving circle. That organization has been running several years and now has more than 200 members.

“We thought it was the most dynamic concept we have ever seen,” McKee said.

At the meeting, which lasted just under an hour, $20,000 was collected for the selected organization. “There is nothing else you can do that can make that kind of an impact that you can be a part of,” she said.

As of the end of October, the Miami County organization had 57 members. Its goal is 100 members. With that number of members, $40,000 total would be raised and distributed to four nonprofits each year.

Give Where You Live Miami County will hold a meeting on the second Thursday of the month four times yearly. The next meeting is Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Zion Lutheran Church on the corner of Third and Main streets in downtown Tipp City.

During each meeting, members are invited to put their name in the hat for a drawing in which three members will be selected to make a five-minute presentation on a charity. The organizations proposed for funding must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

The group can ask questions after presentations before a vote is held. Each member writes a personal check for $100 to the charity receiving the most votes.
At subsequent meetings, the recipient charity of the previous quarter will be asked to provide information on how the money donated was or is being used.
Members do not have to make presentations on a charity. They can come, listen, vote and write their check, McKee said.

“There is nothing else of its kind in our area, nothing else that can get so much done in a short period of time and also be part of a larger gift. The $100 is a doable gift for most people,” McKee said.

Give Where You Live Miami County is seeking members from across the county and also is reaching out to charities.

For more information, visit the organization’s web site at: www.givewhereyoulive.wix.com/miamicounty. Calls also can be made to 937-634-6696 and emails can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..