In the June 2020 issue

• It’s Time to Start Again
• Member Survey Coming Your Way!
• The Work Continues
• Volunteer Corner:
  Meet Five Women Who Are Making a Difference
• Membership Corner: It’s Renewal Time
• Thanks for Your Feedback on Celebration of Grants

It’s Time to Start Again

Last month, we celebrated the presentation of $685,000 in grants to nine deserving local nonprofits our members selected in March. This celebration marks both the end of one year of Women’s Fund grantmaking and the beginning of another.

This summer our volunteer Research Committee begins identifying issues and local agencies to be considered for the Women’s Fund ballot we receive next March. And we want your help – so please take time to respond to our member survey. Then, read on about our upcoming Grants in Action events.

Member Survey Coming Your Way!

Here’s your chance to make your voice heard – next week you will receive an all-member survey asking your opinions on the Women’s Fund. What issues and local agencies would you like the Research Committee to consider researching? What most inspires you about the Women’s Fund? How do you want us to communicate with you? This is your chance to share your thoughts.

On June 16, you’ll receive the survey via an email from Survey Monkey. (Check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive in your inbox.) Please take 5 to 10 minutes to complete the 15-question survey and help shape the continued work of the Women’s Fund.
 

The Work Continues…

As our new grantees put our funds to work, we start planning our Grants in Action events – Site Visits and Educational Forums. This annual series of events enables our members to connect with our grantees, better understanding their work and the complex issues they are addressing.

Next month, you’ll hear more about what to expect for this year’s Grants in Action, which we believe will be presented virtually. Interested in volunteering? Contact Linda Burrows here.

In case you missed them, videos of last year’s Educational Forums are available on our website video gallery look for titles that start with 2019 GIA.

And of course, throughout the year we are all renewing our Women’s Fund memberships for 2020 – building our grants pool for distribution next spring. Click here for a look at the Women’s Fund process and grantmaking calendar.

Volunteer Corner: Five Women Who Are Making a Difference

All five women joined the membership committee (click here to get to know them) and shared why they volunteer with the Women’s Fund.

Caryl Bowman, Group Captain Liaison: "I saw the power the grants from the Women’s Fund have in our community, and knew it would be a perfect fit for me. Once I am in an organization, I like to see if there is a way I can help on a larger scale."

Deana Hyde, Group Captain Liaison: "If by participating in the Women’s Fund I can help improve the lives of those around me, then I am actively engaged in helping make our community a better place."

Sofia Langhorne, Member: "The impact of the Women's Fund is as incredible as the women who have come together to research, present and vote on how to support nonprofit agencies in our community."

Sandy Nordahl, Member: "I like giving my time to an organization that is so efficient and well-run. My ideas have been welcomed, and I’ve been impressed with the headway we’ve been making."

Lauren Trujillo, Younger Member Focus: "I decided to get involved because the organization is full of remarkable women leaders changing the fabric of our community; I am thrilled to work alongside them."

Want to give back to the community? Build your network and make new connections? Volunteering with the Women’s Fund is a great way to start. You can learn more about volunteering by contacting our Volunteer Liaison, Jacki Belt at volunteer@womensfundsb.org and by visiting our website.

Membership Corner: It’s Renewal Time

How are you staying busy as you socially distance?

Some Women’s Fund members are biking and hiking, and spending more time with four-legged family members. Some are cleaning closets, or enjoying uninterrupted time in the garden, or getting creative in the kitchen. Some depend on Facetime and Zoom to keep in touch with friends and family near and far. Some are reading more, meditating more, writing more. At least one is taking advantage of reduced traffic to learn to ride her motorcycle.

Best of all, some of you have also renewed your Women’s Fund membership. Thank you! We know that charitable giving may be a little different for our members this year, and we also know that the next 12 months will be especially challenging for our nonprofit community.

Renew Now!

Renewal email reminders will begin to go out this month, based on the anniversary of when you joined or renewed in 2019. You will get a reminder in June if you joined or renewed in the first half of last year. But you don’t have to wait for your reminder – renew anytime!

Renewing early makes a difference:

• It helps the Research Committee anticipate the size of the next grants pool.
• It helps Women’s Fund volunteers avoid the year-end avalanche of renewals.
• It means you won’t be getting renewal reminders!
• We earn interest on our dollars throughout the year.

It’s easy to join or renew. Just click here.

We thank you for your generous support of the Women’s Fund and the women, children and families who rely on the nonprofits we fund. We wish you and your family good health and good spirits.

Thanks for Your Feedback on the Celebration of Grants

Nearly 500 people attended the Virtual Celebration of Grants last month. We received a number of positive comments via email as well as good reviews in the survey we sent following the event.

From the emails:
“AMAZING job! You all rocked/nailed it! And each of the recipients gave a good and moving presentation – and I think seeing them up close on the computer screen increased their effect.”

“Thank you so much for the very professional production of the Celebration of Grants yesterday. I was able to watch it with two friends and it was just like being there in person. It was an excellent program, and the speeches from the grantees were very meaningful. We felt very proud to be members of this worthwhile organization.”

Thank you to all the members who filled out the survey – you gave the overall event high marks – 80% of responders said it was “Excellent”; the rest of you rated it “Good”.

When asked: “What did hearing directly from the grantees allow to you to do?” you answered:

• Learn more about the individual organizations.
• Gain a stronger understanding of each program/project the Women’s Fund grants will be supporting, and
• Be inspired by our grantees' missions and passion.

Here are a few comments from the survey:

"You heroes did a fantastic job. The pace was perfect and it was almost as good as being live in person.”
"This was the first Women’s Fund event I attended. It was my introduction to your group. I am very impressed."

If you missed it, you can view the celebration in the website video gallery.