Karin Verlo Rose

I never thought I’d be sitting around talking about money with women I didn’t even know - but that’s what SWELL has done for me. It started with a phone call with Julie, who shared her vision of women coming together, making their donations count more, and changing the world. That stopped me. Men talk about money all the time and use it to shape the world - what if women did the same? For the better. That felt like such a powerful shift.

When I had my own gathering, it was amazing how quickly strangers felt like sisters once we began opening up. We came from different walks of life with different views, yet we all agreed… we coud make a bigger difference if we were more intentional with our giving, no matter the size. We left not just inspired, but eager to keep the conversation alive.

Later, I had the chance to bring it to a Girl Scout World Center in Mexico, where I listened to women who had built their whole lives around giving. That experience stirred something in me. It made me wonder if this is the work I’m meant to lean into more deeply someday.

SWELL has been exciting in ways I never saw coming. I’m not just listening - I’m growing, too. I’ve realized I can give more than I thought, because when money goes to the right place, it doesn’t just leave you, it grows.

And now I keep thinking… if we keep talking, if more women join in, if this pool keeps expanding - then speaking openly about money won’t just be talk, it will become a higher purpose, one rooted in what women, deep down, have always known how to do. 

painting by Julie Dawson