#YWomenCount Officially Launched!
On Wednesday, January 8th, our #YWomenCount 2020 Census campaign officially launched. We released toolkits, downloadable posters, fact sheets, stickers, and many other tools to make your census campaign as successful as possible.
It’s not too late to join us. Check out the official campaign website YWomenCount.org and get involved today.
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2020 YWCA USA Delegate at CSW64 Scholarship Application
The sixty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from March 9 - 20, 2020. As a nonprofit organization in consultative status with the United Nations, YWCA USA sends five delegates to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women during the first week of activities.
The YWCA USA is now accepting applications from staff and volunteers to serve as YWCA USA delegates during CSW64. The deadline for applications is Thursday, January 16, 2020. Delegates will receive compensation not to exceed $1,200 to cover the cost of travel and lodging for CSW64. For additional information and to complete the application, please click here. Questions? Email kedwards@ywca.org. |
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Join Us for the 2020 Women’s March
YWCA USA is partnering with the Women's March this year. We are joining a press conference on January 17th and participating in the National March in Washington, D.C., on January 18th.
As the Women’s March approaches, we are excited to help you prepare for your local YWCA to turn up and turn out on January 18! Check out YWCA USA’s 2020 Women’s March toolkit to get started with tips to keep in mind as you prepare for the march and guidance for how to follow up the march with continued action in your community.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for regular updates from the Women's March.
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Announcing YWCA USA’s Design-a-Scarf Contest
We are thrilled to announce a competition that is sure to blow your socks (err, scarves) off! We invite you to submit original artwork for the design of a YWCA silk scarf. All entries will be judged by an unbiased YWCA USA panel. The winning design will be available for everyone to purchase.
The dimensions for the scarf are 8" x 45". When designing, keep in mind that we are big fans of persimmon. Please use our logo and use our new brand story language.
The contest is exclusively open to association staff and the winner will receive a complimentary entry to LCBI this June in Chicago (plus a few other YWCA goodies)!
Submissions must be received by noon ET on Monday, January 20th. You can submit your high-resolution art design entry here |
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Stand Against Racism: Online Registration Opens January 20
Stand Against Racism is an annual campaign of YWCA USA, designed to build community among those who work for racial justice and to raise awareness about the impact of institutional and structural racism. Our annual campaign provides an opportunity for communities across the United States to highlight a special issue or cause that inspired them to take a stand against racism, as well as to unite their voices as they educate, advocate, and promote racial justice.
During YWCA’s annual Stand Against Racism campaign – on April 23 - 26, 2020, – we invite YWCAs and allied groups to organize events around racial justice issues that pose barriers to civic engagement for communities of color. Most importantly, we encourage you to explore how the tools of civic engagement can be used to advance the work of justice in your community and to empower people of color.
Here are two links to help you prepare for SAR 2020:
SAR: Getting Started Guide
SAR: Civic Engagement Checklist
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Stand Against Racism 2020 Launch Webinar
Join us for the Stand Against Racism 2020 Launch Webinar on Wednesday, January 22nd at 3 p.m. ET. Attendees will learn about the registration process, this year’s theme (civic engagement), materials and resources, the social media engagement strategy, and much more!
Register today to learn how you can raise awareness about the impact of institutional and structural racism and by building community among those who work for racial justice. Register Today! |
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Get Ahead for Advocacy in 2020!
YWCA USA’s Public Policy and Advocacy team relies on strong local leaders and grassroots advocates, like you, to effectively advocate for federal policy priorities. YWCA USA looks to Advocacy Points of Contact to disseminate advocacy materials and action alerts, provide valuable advocacy information from your YWCA in the field, and assist with advocacy on crucial federal legislative issues. Advocacy Points of Contact have their finger on the pulse of the crucial work we do at YWCA USA and across the network.
Each local association is required to have a designated Advocacy Point of Contact. Start off the new year right; take two minutes and update your YWCA’s Advocacy Point of Contact NOW!
Don’t know who your current Advocacy Point of Contact is? Email Lily Eisner, the Policy and Research Analyst at leisner@ywca.org. |
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2020 Quarterly Training
There are several webinars available to support YWCA staff and leadership in 2020! Live Quarterly webinars are available for the following, and recordings of these sessions can also be found on the intranet. View full descriptions and dates on the YWCA Intranet.
- YWCA 101 for New Staff Members and Volunteers. Our YWCA 101 webinars area a great opportunity for local association staff and board members to learn all about the YWCA in just sixty minutes.
- Governance Fundamentals for YWCA Board Members. All YWCA new and existing board members are encouraged to join us for one of our quarterly introductory webinar sessions on governance fundamentals to learn more about roles and responsibilities as a YWCA board member.
- YWCA Board Chair/President Strategies for Success. This webinar is designed for existing or new board chairs/presidents to instill confidence, share strategies, and build skills for those who have or will step into this position.
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Rooting Your YWCA in Change Webinar
Join us for the Rooting Your YWCA in Change: Building Powerful Organizations through the Sanctuary Model and Beyond webinar on Friday, January 17th, 2 p.m. ET.
Ready to implement significant change, expand programming, or deepen your association’s mission alignment? Look at your organizational culture. This training invites association leaders to assess your present organization’s capacity for change and identify strategies to build a cohesive culture that can support authentic transformation. We will also be offering a primer in the Sanctuary Model, a Trauma-Informed and Trauma-Responsive Model of Organizational Change. Learn more and register here. |
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Registration is Open: Association Network Meetings
YWCA USA will host two Association Network Meetings to discuss current initiatives, share and support each other, and to work together to strengthen our entire network. This is especially critical as we implement YWCA USA’s Strategic Business Plan and intentionally moved toward reciprocity and increased synergy. 2020 is an important year for YWCA and participation at these Association Network Meetings allow us a moment to pause and set our intentions. Learn more and register today!
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Planning Big Things for Women’s History Month? We Want to Hear About It!
YWCA USA is looking forward to celebrating Women’s History Month in March to recognize the great contributions that women have made to our nation. Is your Association planning a luncheon, town-hall, march, or other initiative? We’d love to hear about it!
Please let us know what you are planning in the month of March for Women’s History Month by emailing communications@ywca.org.
YWCA USA is working to build a calendar of 31 Days of Women Social Impact for the month of March. Each day, we will promote activities, events, messaging, etc. that recognizes and celebrates women leading local action for change in economic opportunity and empowerment, women’s political participation and public engagement, gender-based violence and human rights. |
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Spotlight on YWCA Northern New Jersey
Congratulations to YWCA Northern New Jersey CEO Helen Archontou for being making The Powerful Women of New Jersey list. Helen's focus has been to guide YWCA Northern New Jersey with expansion into Essex, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties with continued commitment to Bergen. Read more about Helen and the other amazing women who are being recognized.
Please join us in congratulating Helen for her commitment to living our mission and inspiriting us all to create a greater impact in our work for those we serve. |
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Subscribe to YWCA: We Do the Work, A Month Update
Next week, YWCA USA will release the very first issue of YWCA: We Do the Work, A Monthly Update. Through this monthly update we hope to elevate and increase awareness of the YWCA brand; increase clarity about YWCA’s work to drive real change; and increase support of our mission to eliminate racism and empower women. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter today and share with your colleagues, friends, and others in your network.
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Organize Your Butterflies Podcast
Episode 26
Secure the Joy: Making Time to Live
Your Best Life
Why are we so obsessed with being busy? When do we make time for joy? How can we further incorporate play into hectic lives that demand caretaking, jobs, and other obligations?
Brigid Schulte, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, the director of the Better Life Lab, and this week’s guest on Organize Your Butterflies seeks to answer these questions throughout her work and life every single day. Schulte, the New York Times bestselling author of Overwhelmed, Work, Love and Play when No one has the Time, offers her perspective on work-life culture, the art and science of living a full and healthy life, and incorporating more than just productivity tips to help manage it all.
Organize Your Butterflies is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts, including:
APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER |
SPOTIFY | TUNEIN | RSS |
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Charitable Giving is Down, and Nonprofits are Being Hit the Hardest
In the article, Congress Should Allow Everyone to Get a Tax Break for Giving to Charity, Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO, YWCA USA, and leaders of other nonprofits discuss how the removal of the charitable-giving tax deduction for millions of Americans in the 2017 tax law has caused a significant drop in donations to nonprofit, community-based human-service organizations. Read the full article here. |
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YWCA Employment Opportunities
Make sure to check out all of the YWCA employment opportunities around the country listed in our jobs center.
Check out these opportunities:
Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board Liaison |
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YWCA University Winter Quarter Dates
Registration opens: Monday, January 13th, 2020
Course begins: Tuesday, January 21st, 2020
Registration closes: Monday, January 27th, 2020
Course must be completed: Saturday, April 18th, 2020
Be sure to register for YWCA University on the
YWCA Intranet.
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Important dates for your calendar
- January 13: YWCA University Winter Quarter Registration Begins
- January 14: Windows 7 End Support
- January 16: Rooting your Organization in Change: Building Powerful Teams through the Sanctuary Model and Beyond Webinar
- January 20: Stand Against Racism Campaign Launch
- January 14: YWCA University Winter Quarter Course Begins
- February 20 – 21: Association Network Meeting - San Diego, CA
- April 1 – 2: Association Network Meeting - Charlotte, NC
- April 23 – 26: Stand Against Racism
- June 17 – 20: YWCA LCBI in Chicago
Questions about what you read today? Contact communications@ywca.org.
Be sure to follow YWCA USA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. |
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