Pittsburgh women, gathering once a quarter at Le Mont with the city skyline behind us. Three nonprofits present. Members vote. The winner walks out with the check that night.
Press play. Sound on.
The Downtown Pittsburgh Chapter is one of nine chapters in the Inspired Women Network. Eight across southwestern Pennsylvania, one in Chicago. Founded by Debra Dion Krischke in 2015. Over $900,000 collectively donated to date.
Join one chapter, attend any chapter's meeting as a guest.
Explore the Network at inspiredwomen.com →
Women who have the ability,
have a responsibility,
to take action on behalf of women who need it.
Read that again.
Each name below was chosen by this room. Local nonprofits one quarter. Global the next.
We do not draft mission statements. We do not run capital campaigns. We gather, we listen, we vote, and we hand a check to the nonprofit that won the room.
One hour, once a quarter, on Mt. Washington with the Pittsburgh skyline through the windows. Drinks. Catching up. Welcoming new faces. Every nonprofit serving women and girls is welcome to attend.
Before any pitches, every nonprofit in attendance stands and gives a 30-second introduction. No slides, no formality. The whole room hears who showed up.
Members write down one nonprofit they want to nominate on a ballot. Three ballots are drawn from a hat. Those three get five minutes each to tell their story. The hat decides.
Anonymous ballots. One vote per member. One hundred dollars per member, pooled, handed over that night. No grant cycle, no quarterly report, no waiting.
Every quarter we choose. Every quarter someone walks out funded. Here are the nonprofits this chapter has supported.
Eight quarters in. Every winner walked out with a check that night.
The last thing any of us need is another networking event.
Who can relate to doing incredible things in their professional careers, breaking every glass ceiling, but still feeling like something is missing? That's you searching for the thing that actually fuels you, which for many women is positively impacting other women and girls right here in their neighborhoods and around the world.
Every quarter, we gather at Le Mont. We eat together. We hear from an organization doing real work right here in Pittsburgh. And then we pool our resources, $100 each, and we give it all to one cause. 100% of that $100 goes directly to the chosen 501(c)(3) that quarter. No membership fee.
What I've learned is this is actually more than just raising funds. Yes, the money matters. But the proximity matters more.
When you're IN the room, hearing directly from the people doing the work, looking them in the eye, asking questions, feeling what they feel, that's when it clicks. Inspired Women means we don't just donate. We become connected to the impact.
Want to know a really amazing part of you as a human? When you give back, when you help someone who will never know your name, when you see your donation in action, your nervous system regulates. The endless hours you put into your work, every ounce of the grinding, instead of you burning out, you actually start glowing. You remember why you're building your business in the first place. To positively impact as many people as you can.
Inspired Women means you don't have to choose between building your business and making an impact. You do both. At the same time. In the same room.
That's what it means to me.
Members can bring a guest to any quarterly event. That is how most of us joined.
Come sit at the table. Come meet these women. Come be a part of something that when you talk about it, you cannot help but smile.
The Facebook group is where we share the next event, the nonprofits presenting, and the photos from the room. Quiet between meetings. Active when it matters.
