Blogs

2020 Leadership & Capacity Building Institute – Registration Opens Monday

Registration for the 2020 Leadership & Capacity Building Institute, taking place June 17 – 20, in Chicago, Illinois will open on Monday, February 24.

Join over 400 YWCA CEOs, board members, and local association staff members for a three-day conference filled with interactive plenary sessions, workshops, and network meetings designed to strengthen and enhance the capacity of all our YWCA associations. 

Free Webinar from Stanford Innovation Review: Nonprofit Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities with Technology

Nonprofits operate in an increasingly volatile world with a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Organizations of all sizes are facing growing expectations to use technology and data to meet the demands of constituents who crave personalized and real-time experiences.

Monthly Public Policy Webinar - February 26

Join us for the February Public Policy webinar on February 26th at 3 p.m. ET. We will discuss recent updates from Capitol Hill and the federal administration, highlight some ways to use our new field engagement technology, share important census engagement opportunities and days of action, recap Black History Month, and preview all that is to come in Women’s History Month.

Fundraising Fundamentals Webinar: The Art of Email Outreach

Please join us for the second Fundraising Fundamentals webinar, The Art of Email Outreach, presented by Kathryn Greenberg of KG Consulting, on Thursday, February 27th at 2:30 p.m. 

One of the most important tasks in fundraising is getting the meeting. Significant time and energy often go into making a connection, getting an introduction, making the case, and ultimately scheduling a meeting. This webinar will provide concrete strategies and examples for successful email outreach, ultimately helping you secure meetings with prospective funders. Register today!

YWCA USA Welcome Reception at CSW64!

Will you be in the New York City area on Sunday, March 8, 2020? If so, please join YWCA USA and the World Service Council for a welcome cocktail reception following the NGO Consultation Day at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

31 Days of Women's Impact and Women's History Month

This March, in honor of Women’s History Month, we will launch our 31 Days of Women’s Impact Initiative, during which we’ll highlight the achievements of women past and present in a wide range of industries while highlighting how we’re continuing the work of empowering the women of today and tomorrow.

Follow along on social media and engage with us as we celebrate women in law, finance, sports, and more, while empowering women and girls through such programming as trauma-informed care, entrepreneurship, and STEM. #WomensHistoryMonth #31DaysOfWomensImpact

Stand Against Racism

Have you seen our Stand Against Racism ad in USA Today's Black History Month Special Edition stand-alone publication? Make sure to check it out on page 71.

The publication will be distributed on newsstands nationally for the entire month of February, right next to the daily USA Today newspaper. If you are interested in using this ad design, please email communications@ywca.org.

Check out StandAgainstRacism.org to learn more about this year’s theme, access new tools and resources, register your events, and get more information on how you can get involved with this year's campaign.

Organize Your Butterflies Podcast

Episode 29
A Brand New You: Gaining Exposure for Your Business

In this week’s episode of Organize Your Butterflies, listeners will discover the true meaning of branding a business.

This episode showcases the power of technology in business as Ronne Brown, CEO of Girl CEO Inc and Tina Bonner, Founder and President of The Entrepreneurial Institute chat with Host, Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO of YWCA USA about branding strategies in the areas of social media, digital/e-marketing, market research analytics, and media. #YWCAButterflies

Organize Your Butterflies is available wherever you subscribe to podcasts, including:
APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY |  STITCHER |  SPOTIFY | TUNEIN | RSS

Register for the Next Association Network Meeting

Did you miss the February Association Network Meeting? Now is the time to register for the next Association Network Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 1 - 2, 2020.

Association Network Meetings are held to to bring us together in person to discuss current initiatives, share and support each other, and to connect on ways we can all work together to strengthen our entire network.

New Map Feature: YWCA Opportunity Zones

Have you seen the latest update to the YWCA Opportunity Zones map? The map now shows 85 YWCAs headquartered in Opportunity Zones across 33 states that serve over 680,000 women, girls, and their families.

Check out the map, which aims to connect Opportunity Zones stakeholders with YWCAs serving Opportunity Zones residents nationwide.

Help us spread the word about the map by sharing this video infographic via your social media networks. Please use the hashtag #YWCAOZ so that we can we uplift social media postings from our network.

OVW Listens to YWCA Feedback 

In two new grant solicitations, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has heeded YWCA leaders’ call to split the “Consolidated Grant Program to Address Children and Youth Experiencing Domestic and Sexual Assault and Engage Men and Boys as Allies” into separate solicitations:

1. Grants to Prevent and Respond to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Against Children and Youth and 
2. Grants to Engage Men and Boys as Allies in the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Program. 

Both solicitations contain a priority area allowing YWCAs to specifically address rural communities’ response to survivors, as well as an area to address stalking and/or cyberstalking. The former also contains a priority area to support empowering victims to become survivors. Apply through March 30th if your YWCA is prepared to address these challenges. Sign up now to continue learning more about these (and other) opportunities!

YWCA USA is Taking Action to Address Childhood Trauma - And We Need Your Help

YWCA USA is excited to join the National Trauma Campaign to address childhood trauma and build resilience through educating and engaging Congress. The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) is a grassroots campaign working to engage advocates in efforts to prevent and address trauma throughout a lifetime. As a part of this coalition, YWCA will be asking for your help to communicate the importance of trauma-informed policies with elected officials and other leaders.

YWCA USA’s Voter Registration Page is Live

YWCA USA is partnering with When We All Vote to register voters all across the country. Check out our new YWCA voter registration webpage. You can use this page as a quick and easy way to register voters in your community.

YWCA Spotlight: YWCA Central Carolinas to Build New Affordable Housing

YWCA Central Carolinas will turn one-third of its 10-acre Park Road campus into affordable apartments. The nearly 10 acres of former farmland were transferred for $100 from a Charlotte couple to the YWCA in 1962. For years, the sprawling green space around the main building never was intended for development, but the dire need for affordable housing presented an opportunity.

“Over the last couple years, it’s become more and more challenging for women and their families to find affordable housing. People are moving outside of the city and they are commuting in,” said YWCA Central Carolinas CEO Kirsten Sikkele. “They should be able to live in Charlotte if they work in Charlotte.”

YWCA Retirement Fund

Elliott Buchholz, executive director for YWCA Retirement Fund joined our Association Network Meeting in San Diego this week to help educate YWCA staff and leadership on the invaluable employee benefit provided by the YWCA Retirement Fund and your YWCA. 

The sole purpose of YWCA Retirement Fund (YWCARF) is to provide retirement benefits for employees of participating YWCA associations in the United States. YWCARF is one of the oldest pension plans in the country, the first pension fund for women, and it predates Social Security. We are proud to support YWCA’s mission by allowing its workforce to complete careers of service then retire with dignity.

Bayer Fund Grants

The Bayer Fund awards grants for projects focused on our four priority giving areas: Food & Nutrition, STEM Education, Health & Wellness and Community Development.

Bayer Fund’s primary focus is to achieve maximum impact by assisting families in under-resourced rural communities such as St. Louis, MO, Northern New Jersey, Pittsburgh, PA, and Berkeley, CA.

Atlantic Council - Millennium Fellowship Accepting Applications

There are only a few weeks left to apply for the 2020 Atlantic Council Millennium Fellowship. The Millennium Fellowship is the Atlantic Council’s flagship initiative for future leaders. The fellowship is a two-year, part-time program requiring three weeks of in-person activities supplemented with virtual convenings and distance learning, executive coaching, and optional events that take place around the world and throughout the year. 

Subscribe to YWCA: We Do the Work, A Monthly Update

Last month, YWCA USA released the first issue of YWCA: We Do the Work, A Monthly Update. Through this electronic newsletter, 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.

YWCA Employment Opportunities

Are you passionate about eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all? If so, we want you on our team! Check out all of the YWCA employment opportunities around the country listed in our jobs center.

• Director of Financial Capacity Building, Washington, DC
• Director of Member Services, Washington, DC
• Social Innovation, Investment and Impact Intern, Washington, DC

Important dates for your calendar

• February: Black History Month
• February 26: Public Policy Update Webinar
• February 27: Fundraising Fundamentals Webinar: The Art of Email Outreach
• March: Women's History Month; YWCA's 31 Days of Social Impact for Women
• 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.