Network News: September 2009
Welcome to the September Newsletter. This month the theme is Increasing Your Fund's Advocacy Potential. Join us for our Wake Up Wednesday Call as well as our September 15 Webinar to learn how to increase your fund's visibility and policy clout to improve women's lives.
Learning From the Women's Economic Security Campaign
Do you want to learn how to reframe the debate on improving our nation's economy to include greater support for programs and policies that create opportunity for low-income women and their children? Please join our September 9 Wednesday Wake-Up Call, Lessons from the Women’s Economic Security Campaign (WESC). Women's Funding Network is a core partner in this collaborative, and this call is an opportunity to learn more about this collaboration between WESC and the Women's Funding Network, the work done to date, and engagement strategies moving forward.
This fall -- together with the Chicago Foundation for Women, Washington Area Women's Foundation, the Women's Foundation of California, and the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis -- Women's Funding Network will launch a new campaign on policy advocacy around issues of economic security. This exciting campaign will provide all women's funds with tools that link their work to national legislation.
Join us on Wednesday, September 9 from 7:30-8:30 a.m. PT/10:30-8:30a.m ET/15:30UTC.
To RSVP, please contact us by e-mail.
Save the Date for the Women’s Funding Network 2010 Conference in Denver !
Please mark your calendars for the 2010 Women’s Funding Network Annual Conference -- Investment, Influence, Impact: Elevating the Power of Women’s Funds -- which will be held in the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado, from April 22-24. Hosting us in the breathtaking Rocky Mountain city will be Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Jewish Women’s Fund of Colorado, Chambers Family Fund and Urgent Action Fund for Human Rights.
Last year women’s funds had one of the best gatherings ever because of the direct involvement of our member funds. Please help us make this year just as stellar by joining a conference planning taskforce. Emerging leaders, board members and staff from communications, development, and program departments are encouraged to apply. In October we will release our requests for workshop design proposals. To participate in planning efforts e-mail Nicole Regalado at nregalado@wfnet.org.
Free Member Services Opportunities
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 a.m. Pacific Time. The training will
answer the question, what advocacy activities can women’s funds do and not do as a 501(c)3? The Webinar will also 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, e-mail Nancy Wan at nwan@wfnet.org.
For additional member learning opportunities, visit the Member Services Calendar.
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.
Like Social Change Film? Vote for Movies at The Good Pitch in NYC!
Women's funds are being encouraged to participate in The Good Pitch, a pitching forum that brings social-justice filmmakers together with foundations and non-profit organizations to effect change. The event, held in New York on September 24, is sponsored by The Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and The Sundance Institute Documentary Program.
This Good Pitch features eight projects that amplify the UN Millennium Development Goals. These films get behind the UN Millennium Development Goals, tell the stories of the people who want to change their lives and communities, communicate the issues for a broad audience and look at where the solutions may come from and what needs to be done to implement them at scale. For more information, go to http://britdoc.org/real_good/pitch/
or e-mail Sandi DuBowski, Outreach Director, at sandi@filmsthatchangetheworld.com.
Nicholas Kristof at International Museum of Women on October 14
If you are in San Francisco in October, plan on attending The International Museum of Women's program at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, as they host a conversation with Nicholas D. Kristof, co-author of "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide." This special event, co-hosted by World Affairs Council of Northern California, is presented in conjunction with the International Museum of Women’s forthcoming online exhibition, "Economica: Women and the Global Economy."
