Women of Tocqueville Focus

Households living below the ALICE threshold are experiencing working or extreme poverty. ALICE represents our family, our neighbors, and our friends. ALICE could be educators, health care professionals, front line workers, retail associates and other professions that keep our businesses and economy running. Unfortunately for many, the cost of living outpaces wages, meaning that many families find themselves struggling to make ends meet and one emergency away from a potential financial crisis.

Women of Tocqueville is more than a giving circle. In addition to providing critical financial resources to support programs and priority projects to improve the well-being of children and families in central and northeastern Connecticut, members have the opportunity to create sustainable positive change and impact in the lives of households living below the ALICE threshold through engagement opportunities to address the root causes of issues and ignite systemic change.

Through gifts of wisdom, service and treasure, the collective power of Women of Tocqueville members helps facilitate and enable the change necessary for all local families and children to succeed.

How to Become a Women of Tocqueville Member

Membership in Women of Tocqueville is exclusive to women who donate $10,000 or more annually through the United Way Community Campaign, of which a minimum of $5,000 is invested in United Way to support programs and priority projects to improve the well-being of children and families in our community.

Membership Benefits

• Be part of a group of like-minded women coming together to network and build community both locally and nationally through the United Way Tocqueville Society and Women of Tocqueville global network.
• Engagement opportunities focused on ALICE, including opportunities to inform funding recommendations and advocate for public policy to create systemic change to improve outcomes for local ALICE households.
• Invitations to exclusive member receptions.
• Priority access to United Way signature events aligned to Women United, including Power of the Purse.
• All benefits granted to Tocqueville Society members.
• All benefits granted to Women United members. 
• Membership in Women United or Emerging Leaders Society (ELS) for a child or grandchild.
• Special recognition into perpetuity as a Women of Tocqueville Founding Member for first 50 members.

Women of Tocqueville Founding Members:

The first 50 women to become a Women of Tocqueville member will be recognized as Women of Tocqueville Founding Members into perpetuity. Founding members will be recognized in both online and print media, including, but not limited to, United Way’s Annual Report and United Way Women United signature events’ programs.

We would like to recognize those women who have joined this new society:

Step-Up Program:

To ease the financial burden of becoming a Women of Tocqueville member, a three-year Step-Up Program is available for women wishing to become a member but are unable to immediately fulfill the total annual gift requirement of $10,000 for membership.

Under the three-year Step-Up Program, membership is granted to women who make a personal donation of $5,000 in Year 1 and $7,500 in Year 2, of which all dollars are invested in United Way’s Women of Tocqueville. In Year 3, a total donation of $10,000 with a minimum of $5,000 invested in United Way is required to retain membership.

After the Step-Up period, a minimum donation of $10,000 or more annually through the United Way Community Campaign, of which a minimum of $5,000 is invested in United Way, is required to retain membership.

The three-year Step-Up Program is offered only once to any woman interested in becoming a member of Women of Tocqueville utilizing the program. A Women of Tocqueville member participating in the three-year Step-Up Program will be recognized as a Women of Tocqueville Founding Member once she has fulfilled her Year 3 commitment and providing there is less than 50 Founding Members already recognized.

Membership Donation Fulfillment Options:

United Way offers Women of Tocqueville members a variety of ways to fulfill their annual donation, including establishing a Philanthropy Fund or a United Way Private Label Donor Advised Fund which are offered exclusively to Tocqueville Society members.