Network News August 2009
Welcome to the August Newsletter. This month the theme is Finance: Managing Through the Economic Crisis. Join us for our Wake Up Wednesday Call with Liz Schaffer, CFO, Women's Funding Network for a peer discussion on best practices and strategies for navigating these tough financial times.
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Finance: Managing Through the Economic Crisis
Women's funds are taking action to increase revenue and cut expenses amid some of the most challenging economic downturns ever. Join your peers to share ideas about cost cutting and revenue generating strategies. This peer-to-peer session will focus on creative ideas, best practices, and budgeting processes.
Are you unsure about what it means to be in a recession? Do you still have questions about what your nonprofit should do during the financial crisis? The Nonprofit Finance Fund offers A Guide to Navigate the Recession on their website that answers some of the questions that commonly come up for nonprofit organizations during a troubled economy.
Liz Schaffer, CFO of the Women’s Funding Network, will lead our Wednesday Wake-Up Call scheduled for August 5, 2009 from 7:30am PST to 8:30am PST. To RSVP to the Wednesday Wake-Up Call, please contact us by e-mail.
Member Spotlight: Women's Fund of the La Crosse Foundation and the White House Rural Tour
On July 16th, the White House Rural Tour - a series of events featuring top Obama Administration officials discussing how communities, states, and the federal government can work together to help strengthen rural America - stopped in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Women's Fund of the La Crosse Foundation was there to welcome Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Trasportation Secretary Ray LaHood to La Crosse and ensure that the well-being of women and girls was included in the day's discussion. CONTINUE READING HERE.
Congratulations to The Women's Fund of the La Crosse Foundation for making their voices heard and seizing this unique opportunity to raise the visibility of women's funds and the plight of women and girls during the economic downturn!
Free Member Services Opportunities
For more information on our upcoming member learning opportunities, please go to the Member Services Calendar on our website.
August Wednesday Wake-Up Call - Wednesday, August 5, 2009 from 7:30am PST to 8:30am PST. Financial Planning for Greater Impact: Managing through the Economic Crisis, facilitated by Liz Schaffer, CFO, Women’s Funding Network. Join other women’s funds to share ideas about cost cutting and revenue generating strategies. This peer-to-peer session will focus on creative ideas, best practices, and budgeting processes. Contact us by e-mail to RSVP.
Smart Growth© - Women's funds often grapple with unique organizational development opportunities and challenges. To take the mystery out of planning, Women's Funding Network offers Smart Growth: A Life Stage Model for Social Change Philanthropy. The model provides a road map for organizational growth and effectiveness. Click to watch an audiovisual presentation to learn more about Smart Growth. For more information, contact us by e-mail.
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Upcoming Executive Director Retreats
Retreat for Leaders of Large and Mature Funds - Monday November 9, 2009 – Wednesday November 11, 2009. The retreat is geared towards executives administering organizations in Smart Growth stage 6. These leaders are typically managing larger staffs and maintaining budgets over $1.5M and making grants over $1M a year.
Retreats provide a unique space for peers to gather for reflection, networking, skill-building and visioning. Click here for more information, and for additional information about participation criteria and logistics contact Amy Zucchero at azucchero@wfnet.org. Registration ends September 1, 2009, space is limited.
The success of our executive director retreats is supported in part by our Official Airline, Southwest Airlines. With our leaders flying in from all regions of the U.S., we are proud to have their generous partnership in transforming the lives of women and girls everywhere. Vouchers are available on a limited basis.
Upcoming Donor Retreats at El Sueño del Corazón in Abiquiu, New Mexcio
Chris Grumm with the Women’s Funding Network is pleased to ask you to save the date for these two upcoming donor retreat weekends, which will be hosted by Helen LaKelly Hunt at her hacienda in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Donor retreats offer an excellent opportunity for donors to come together with their peers for the purpose of examining and excelling their philanthropy. Designed for individual donors giving $25,000 and more annually, we invite you to attend or refer the women in your network who would enjoy taking part in the retreat. Space is limited.
The retreat will be October 2 to 4, 2009 and January 22 to 24, 2010. Inquiries and RSVPs to Megan Cayler, 415.441.0706 or mcayler@wfnet.org.
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Advocacy Training with the Alliance for Justice
In an effort to further assist members interested in advocacy work, Women’s Funding Network has scheduled a webinar featuring Alliance for Justice on September 15 at 11 PT. The training will answer the question, what advocacy activities can women’s funds do and not do as a 501 (c) 3 organization? For more information on the Alliance for Justice, please go to their website.
The webinar will cover:
- What is the 501(h) election?
- How much lobbying can a 501(c)(3) do?
- What is the definition of lobbying?
- May a 501(c)(3) group endorse or oppose a ballot measure?
For more information and to RSVP for the webinar, please RSVP to Nancy by email.
Resources for Board Leadership Development
The Women’s Funding Network has been spending this summer acquainting our board members with their role as leaders in the organization. In light of the conversations, trainings and webinars, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some resources that have been helpful in this process.
- Women’s Funding Network Board Member Tuti Scott and fund leader Jennifer Pope Baker write about Catalysts for Growth and Board and Donor Leadership. Read the article here. Check out Tuti Scott's website - Imagine Philanthropy.
- The Stanford Social Innovation Review offers a great question and answer with an expert dedicated to Board Development. Read the Q&A here.
To learn more about the basics of board governance and leadership, Compass Point offers webinars and trainings regularly. For more information, go to their website. If you are in California, please attend their The Fundamentals of Nonprofit Boards class.
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Special Funding Pool for General Operating
We recognize that given the current economic climate, general operating support is necessary for your fund to continue to support women-led solutions. At the same time, in 2008 and early 2009 through the Cell Phone Recycling program, we recycled nearly 40,000 phones generating close to $25,000 in revenue. As a result, Women’s Funding Network is proud to announce a special $25,000 Consumer Philanthropy Grantmaking Fund. Member Funds can apply for $2000-$5000 grants for general operating support. Priority will go to member funds that have:
- Dedicated time and resources to the consumer philanthropy initiative.
- Are actively investing in strategies to build economic security for women, their families and in turn communities.
Applications must be received by Women’s Funding Network Office on Sept. 30, 2009 at 5:00 pm (PST). Notification of grant awards will be made by Nov. 15, 2009. For more information and for the application, click here.
Relaunching Cell Phone Recycling
We are pleased to announce we are relaunching our cell phone recycling program as a way for member funds to engage communities in philanthropic action for women and girls.
On August 10 we will launch a dedicated online portal your fund can link to that allows your fund to track recycling efforts in your community. Member funds will receive 90% of the revenue you raise through the recycling campaign to use as they see fit.
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News Coverage, Job Openings and Upcoming Events at Women's Funds
New daily news round-ups of coverage of the issues that women’s funds work on can be found on our Daily News Page. If you would like to receive the daily round-up by email, please contact Marcel at mreynolds@womensfundingnetwork.org.
For more news on women’s funds, please go to our News Page. Read recent news articles from the Women’s Funding Network and member funds, including:
- Women’s Media Center - What’s Behind the Rise of Women’s Philanthropy? by, Deborah Richardson
- Jackson Free Press – A Man’s World, an opinion about having more women write Op-Eds, by Jamie Holcomb, Director of Programs, Women’s Fund of Mississippi
- Society Magazine (India) – An Interview With Kavita Ramdas, CEO of Global Fund for Women
- Washington Post – A Broken Promise, by Eve Ensler, Founder and Artistic Director of V-Day
- Washington Area Women's Foundation Blog - Donna Callejon reflects on her service on the WAWF board and looks ahead to her tenure at the Women's Funding Network.
- Women's eNews - Dear Lynn: Women's Safety Needs You to Safeguard, by Chris Grumm, Women's Funding Network and Kelly White Chicago Foundation for Women
- Dallas New.com - Dallas Women's Foundation is a Worldwide Force in Philanthropy.
For news, opinions, and updates on the work of women’s fund, follow our blog, The She Change. If you would like to write for The She Change, please send an email with your blog post to Marcel, at mreynolds@womensfundingnetwork.org.
Learn about events you can support and attend by going to our Events Page at the Women's Funding Network site. Go to the Jobs Page at the Women's Funding Network site to see the latest job openings at member funds.
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