Using potluck dinners to transform lives

>>> time for our making a difference report. here is the question tonight. what if you could help make the world better just by having dinner with your friends? that is the very simple idea behind the nationwide organization of women in this country helping women and girls half a world away . the story from nbc's kristen dahlgren.

>> reporter: it's girls night out in san jose , california. good food. giggles. some glasses of wine, but this ladies' night isn't this these women as much as these. a group of girls in guatemala living in extreme poverty.

>> basically, a group of people get together to share a meal and learn about a grassroots nonprofit organization .

>> reporter: dining for women started small, almost a decade ago.

>> i invited 20 of my friends for dinner and we raised over $700 and we started meeting every month.

>> reporter: there are now 8,000 members in more than 38 states. the women figured you would spend a lot for a spread like this in a restaurant. it's not required, but most make a donation, whatever they think they would spend for a night out.

>> the average donation nationwide is about $33. so it's not a lot, but when everybody does that, it turns into $42,000.

>> reporter: every month, they send that money to a new charity. they helped hundreds of girls escape sex slavery in nepal, save lives with sterile birth kits in tibet, support an embroidery business in afghanistan and sponsored a girls' school in kenya. they transformed the lives of up to 500,000 women and girls, and in empowering them, they do the same for themselves.

>> i learn a lot. i learn an incredible amount. it expands my life. that it's thing.

>> reporter: pot luck with a purpose.

>> together we continue to make a difference with each meal we as a group of friends share.

>> reporter: a simple meal making a significant impact. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, san jose , california.