Our sincere thanks to the hundreds of you who participated in our first member survey in September. You took the time to share experiences, opinions and suggestions about the Women's Fund and we are most grateful for your insights.

We conducted this survey because we are about to mark 10 years of "changing lives together" this spring. It was a perfect time to look back at our work and consider opportunities for improvement.

A summary of the survey results is on our website (click here). Here are a few highlights to peak your interest :

• Combining donations for a greater impact was by far the most frequently mentioned reason to be a member. The integrity of the rigorous research process was also cited by a majority of respondents.

• Members appreciate the varied levels of involvement available to Women's Fund members. Many are happy to be able to participate by simply writing a check---and trust that it will be used effectively. They appreciate that there are no required fundraising auctions or events to attend. On the other hand, half of the respondents expressed a willingness to use their skills to help with Women's Fund work.

• While the newsletter is widely read, the website needs to be more compelling.

• Suggestions for the future included engaging young and more diverse members to better reflect the mix of our communities and educating members about community issues.

And the consensus of advice for how the Women's Fund should approach the next ten years? A majority of you told us to stay the course, as reflected in this comment from a survey respondent:

"The model works! Just keep the focus on the original vision and mission! Reflecting on the past does not require a decision to change. Sometimes doing a great job is the right way to continue."

We are thrilled with the endorsement you gave the original mission of the Women's Fund and are listening to your thoughts on improvements. For example, we're redesigning the Women's Fund website and newsletter so they are more readable and interesting. We're building a member database that will make some of our volunteer work more manageable.

You also told us you'd be willing to pay your own way for the Presentation Luncheon in the Spring and since we no longer have a luncheon underwriter, we'll be considering how to present our new grantees when they are announced on Monday, April 28, 2014.

And we'll be following up on those of you who volunteered to get more involved in Women's Fund work.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts and comments.

If you have anything to add, please know we are always on the other end of info@womensfundsb.org.

Happy Holidays! And a healthy, peaceful 2014 for us all.

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