"Changing Lives Together" is what the Women's Fund is all about. For 8 years, we have been combining our charitable dollars to make larger donations in our community than most of us can give on our own.

Together, we have donated $3.6 million to local nonprofits focused on the critical needs of women, children and families in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria.

Thanks to a generous matching grant from Women's Fund member Betty Elings Wells, every dollar donated to the Women's Fund in 2012 (above $350,000) will be matched 2-for-1, up to $250,000.

And today, we're announcing a new feature to Betty's matching grant:

• As a special incentive, any woman who joins in 2012 as a first-time Individual Member ($2,500) will have her contribution matched 3-for-1 instead of 2-for-1.

• The 3-for-1 match will also apply to any previous or current Group Member who becomes an Individual Member ($2,500) in 2012.

As you know, funds raised in 2012 become the grants pool Women's Fund members vote to award to local nonprofit agencies in the Spring of 2013.

Although the deadline to join the 2012 Women's Fund is Dec. 31, please join now to help us reach our threshold to trigger Betty's match - making more dollars available to donate into the community.

Thanks to our members who voted in May to determine the issues the Research Committee will explore for our Women's Fund ballot next Spring. The areas of community need selected by our members include:

• Basic needs (housing, food, healthcare)
• Family support services (counseling, parenting resources, senior support)
• Youth engagement (arts, culture, recreation, academic enrichment)

Our volunteer Research Committee, led by co-chairs Sallie Coughlin and Nancy Harter, are already hard at work researching local agencies who are doing good work in these issues areas.

So join the Women's Fund today so you can vote for our next grant recipients next Spring.