Blogs

Congressional Update: YWCA USA Responds to COVID-19 on Capitol Hill 

YWCA USA is working diligently with Congressional offices and our coalition partners to ensure that federal responses to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are responsive to and inclusive of the needs of YWCAs and the nonprofit sector. Our message is clear: nonprofits like YWCA are the backbone of essential community services throughout the country and must receive the federal support that our communities need. Your testimonials are essential components of our outreach with federal policymakers. We greatly appreciate that almost 150 YWCAs have completed our recent survey. Read our results to date and continue contributing!

On Tuesday, March 18, Congress passed and the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201), the second of multiple stimulus packages in response to COVID-19. This most recent bill provides an expansion of critical coronavirus testing and additional relief to working families. A summary of the bill analysis can be found here. YWCA USA staff have also been in contact with federal agencies to receive updates on grants and how they will directly affect local association recipients. A list of updates are provided here and we will continue to update you as information becomes available. 

COVID-19 Network Impact Surveys: Thank you!

YWConnect: COVID-19 Town Hall

As part of our effort to support YWCA local associations during this challenging landscape in response to COVID-19, we invite you to join us for a special edition of YWConnect on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020, beginning at 3 p.m. ET.

We will be providing the latest information and departmental updates related to COVID-19 as well as offering associations the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have. 

Fundraising Fundamentals Webinar: Perfecting Prospect Research

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, we would like to repurpose the upcoming Fundraising Fundamentals webinar on Thursday, March 26th at 2:30 p.m. ET to be an open discussion around COVID-19 fundraising. Katie Brennan, Director, Development at YWCA USA, and Kathryn Greenberg from KG Consulting will facilitate the session and are prepared to offer advice, answer questions, provide feedback on funder outreach strategies, and share a few materials that may help participants navigate fundraising challenges.

We welcome anyone interested to send any specific questions or materials in advance that you’d like to discuss or review during the webinar. If you have materials -- such as fundraising communications or ask language -- that other associations may find helpful, we would also love to share them during the session. If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact Katie Brennan, Director of Development.

Organize Your Butterflies Podcast
Keeping Up With COVID-19: What You Must Know

COVID-19 has rapidly taken mainstage in the United States. As the country navigates the best management of the virus, Alejandra Castillo, CEO of YWCA USA, chats with Dr. Meg Doherty, Director at the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes at the World Health Organization. Dr. Doherty is a specialist on infectious diseases and epidemiology, and has the inside scoop on what you need to know about COVID-19 to keep you, your family, and your community safe. Dr. Doherty emphasizes the importance of social distancing, the integral role that young and healthy people must play to prevent the spread of the virus, and the deep sense of community that COVID-19 has instilled globally.

Tim Delaney, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, also joins us to discuss the impact COVID-19 has on the nonprofit sector in terms of fundraising, resources, and support. Tim and Alejandra also examine how the government, private corporations, and individuals can help nonprofits during this unusual time.

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

Even with Social Distancing, We Are Stronger Together!

COVID-19 is changing how we serve our communities but not our commitment to the YWCA mission and doing the work of justice every day.

Thanks to YWCA Silicon Valley for creating this “Fight the Virus, NOT the People" graphic to address the public fear being stoked and radicalized around the COVID-19 outbreak. We have also taken our own approach on this message with our "The Virus is the Enemy, NOT the People" graphic which can be shared from all of our social media pages.

Associations are also finding new and innovative ways of delivering services and programming to the communities we serve. YWCA Evanston-North Shore shared that they are offering virtual equity learning opportunities that include podcasts and short videos in order to continue to reach members of their community.

YWCA 2020 Census PSA - Now Available

#YWomenCount is YWCA’s national campaign to support the 2020 Census.

The Census matters especially in the wake of COVID-19 to ensure that your community receives the funding it deserves. Make sure your communities get counted by sharing the PSA. As a trusted voice in some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, YWCA is working to ensure those communities are informed and counted fairly and accurately in 2020.

Everyone counts, and together, we can ensure that everyone is counted in this year’s census. YWCAs will openly support the completion of a full, fair, and accurate census, and work with other community leaders to reach hard-to-count community members. Promoting an accurate census gets to the very heart of YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

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

If you are looking for a reason to smile, check out our list of inspirational and change-making women in comedy, featuring women who have brought the world greater laughter over the years. While on the site, you can also view our other lists of incredible women in law, science, business, and more.

Association Network Meetings Cancelled

As a reminder, YWCA USA has made the decision to cancel the upcoming Association Network Meetings in Charlotte. We believe this is a prudent and necessary step to ensure that everyone can take precautions to keep your organizations safe and secure.  

To facilitate the cancellation process, we highly encourage you to take the following steps to avoid or mitigate any financial costs:

1. YWCA USA will automatically refund registration fees.
2. Participants are responsible for cancelling rooms with the hotel. You must contact the hotel and make the cancellation. If you do not cancel, you will be responsible for your room charges.
3. Participants are responsible for cancelling other travel arrangements. If you have booked a flight, you will need to contact the airline to cancel. Request they waive the cancellation fees (many airlines have expanded their policies to waive fees during this time). If they will not waive the fee, you can submit for a refund for up to $200 to YWCA USA to cover the cost.

Thank you for your understanding. As you know, this is uncharted territory for each of us, so we thank you for your understanding and flexibility to adjust as we navigate these trying times. Clearly this is not the scenario we had envisioned and yet we all need to support each other to the best of our abilities. This is also a time when we put our reciprocity agreement to the test: YWCA USA support of local associations, local association support of YWCA USA, and support of other local associations. We will get through this together.

DOJ Grant to Address Child Trauma

The Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has released a new FY 2020 funding solicitation for Strategies to Support Children Exposed to Violence for $1 million over three years with an option to recompete. OJP will give priority consideration in three areas:

• Addressing the challenges of rural communities
• Benefiting individuals who reside in high-poverty areas or persistent-poverty counties
• Offering enhancements to public safety in Qualified Opportunity Zones

Applications are due April 27, 2020. Sign up for the advocacy and public policy intranet community or join the action center listserv to continue to learn more about this grant.

Ureeka: A Free Resource for Your Local Entrepreneurs!
We are pleased to have partnered with Ureeka to offer FREE resources, mentorship, and training to entrepreneurs across the YWCA Network. Encourage your local entrepreneurs to join Ureeka, a Community that enables unprecedented access for underrepresented entrepreneurs. At Ureeka, members get access to...

• Real People: Connect with peers, coaches, and mentors with expertise and experience in hurdles you face daily. Real people you can directly interact with and talk to, all within the Ureeka Platform.
• Robust Tools: Access curriculum and best practices; the how-to’s; and simple step-by-step formulas to help improve execution and drive growth.
• Curated Services: Not sure who to hire for a specific business task? Don’t sweat it, our Marketplace provides access to vetted specialists across all categories.

Join for FREE today using code ‘YWCAUreeka’

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

Check out these featured employment opportunities and all of the YWCA job openings around the country listed in our jobs center.

• Director of Financial Capacity Building - Remote
• Director of Member Services - Remote

Important dates for your calendar

• March: Women's History Month; 31 Days of Women's Impact
• March 25: YW Connect Virtual Town Hall Meeting
• March 26: Fundraising Fundamentals Webinar: Perfecting Prospect Research
• April 23 – 26: Stand Against Racism