In November of 2024, Donald DiMonda began recruiting for his new chapter of the “100 Men Who Care Nature Coast,” a group of volunteers committed to donating to local non-profits.
They seek out 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations in Hernando and invite three to every quarterly meeting. Each charity is allowed a five-minute presentation detailing what they would like to do with the money that they would potentially be donated.
Afterwards, a secret ballot vote is taken amongst the members to decide which non-profit will receive the donation, and each man then writes out a $100 check directly to that charity. This process is known as a giving circle.
“There’s no middleman. There are no expenses. There are no deductions. You write out your personal check to that charity, we gather the checks, hand them to the charity, they go home, we go home, and next quarter we do it all over again,” DiMonda said.
This allows DiMonda and company to keep things very simple and very transparent. There is no record-keeping necessary. Their group does not have to be chartered, they do not need to be a non-profit organization, and they do not even participate in fundraising efforts.
It is the male counterpart to, and similarly named as, the “100 Women Who Care Florida Nature Coast,” which has been in operation since 2016. The men’s Nature Coast chapter began when one of the 100-plus women asked DiMonda to start the men’s branch. According to the 100 Who Care Alliance, there are 795 “100 Who Care” type chapters across the country.
At 77 years old, Donald has had the opportunity to engage in various volunteer efforts throughout his career. However, after moving to Florida seven years ago, he had not found anywhere he could become involved in such efforts until now.
DiMonda then attended one of the women’s meetings and contacted the leader of the men’s Pensacola branch to get an idea of what the organization was like. “The more I learned about it, the more I was interested in doing it.”
He began by reaching out to a pair of gentlemen by the names of Roger Ciliberto and John Dougherty, who form what DiMonda calls the “steering committee.” Though 100 is in their name, they still number just 25, but DiMonda is pleased considering the newness of his chapter.
The Nature Coast chapter has held two quarterly meetings so far: one in January and the other in April. The Marine Corps League Guardian Foundation was the first charity to receive the men’s funding, which amounted to roughly $2,500, and Catholic Charities was the second.
DiMonda and company plan to hold their next (and every subsequent) meeting in the Oak Room at the Wellington Restaurant at the Wellington Community. The next gathering will take place on July 21. PACE is one charity who will be presenting that day, and the “100 Men” are actively soliciting non-profits in Hernando County that would like to be considered for donations.
On Thursday, DiMonda and April Spence (100 Women Who Care Marketing and Leadership Team Member) spoke about what makes this philanthropic work so gratifying.
“I think we all consider it a privilege to be able to make a contribution to deserving charities, and these quarterly meetings provide that opportunity,” said DiMonda.
“Knowing that 100 percent of the money, plus we get a match, so our money goes even farther, goes directly to the non-profit without a bunch of restrictions so they can use it for really what they need,” said Spence. “We vet all the non-profits ahead of time. So, we know that they are really good, effective non-profits in the community, truly helping people.”
Those wishing to learn more or get involved can visit the organization’s website at 100mwcflorida.com.
