Blogs

Weekly Association Survey to Assess Immediate Needs and State of YWCA Network

The Member Services team sends a weekly survey to YWCA local associations to assess the immediate needs of our local associations and the state of the YWCA network.

The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete. Respondents can skip questions that are not relevant to your association or your immediate needs. YWCA USA is working with an evolving list of potential funders and partners, and your survey responses will help to ascertain where best to deploy resources.

We ask each association complete the survey by 5 pm ET every Tuesday. If you have any questions or if your ED/CEO is not receiving the survey, please contact the Member Services team.

YWCA on the Frontlines: COVID-19 Response & Recovery Webinar

On Wednesday, YWCA USA hosted a special briefing titled, YWCA on the Frontlines: COVID-19 Response & Recovery, with Alejandra Y. Castillo, YWCA USA CEO, and four of our local YWCA Association CEOs who are on the ground supporting communities amidst the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The panel discussed YWCA’s emergency response strategy and the current, on the ground realities impacting communities, especially communities of color across our nation.

If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording here.

YWCA COVID-19 Updates by Department

Each department at YWCA USA is working to provide YWCA local associations with timely information and resources to help navigate these unprecedented times.

Below are links to the latest webinar recordings from various departments:

• Development - Thursday, March 26th
• Public Policy and Advocacy - Friday, March 27th
• Marketing and Communications - Tuesday, March 31st

All tools and resources provided can also be found in the COVID-19 Impact Community.

CERC Overview for COVID-19 Webinar

Monday, April 6th, 1 p.m. ET

CDC’s EPIC Team values the importance of our partners and the work that you do to inform your audiences and provide essential services. One of the functions of the EPIC Team is providing Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) training to health communicators, emergency responders, and others who share information about public health emergencies. This Monday, April 6, the CERC Program will be hosting a webinar titled CERC Overview for COVID-19 to provide tools to effectively communicate with the public about risk during these challenging times.

The right message at the right time from the right person can save lives. Health communication professionals, public officials, and others working to share information during the novel coronavirus outbreak can apply Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) principles to more effectively develop and share COVID-19 messages. Join CDC’s CERC program on April 6, 2020, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EDT to learn more about using CERC principles to help fight the spread of COVID-19. Closed captioning and continuing education will be available.

Pre-registration is not required. Join via Zoom or visit the web page to learn more.

From Sustainability to Survivability: Managing Uncertainty Amid Crisis
Financial Success Webinar with Steve Zimmerman
Tuesday, April 7th, 2 p.m. ET

As nonprofit professionals scramble to devise new operating plans designed to serve as many as possible while protecting and caring for employees, the thought of sustainability seems almost quaint. All revenue streams, from foundations to individuals and even fees for service, are under extreme pressure. For many executives, thoughts today are not on sustainability but survivability and, as always, it is at these times our constituents need us most. However, there are steps leaders can take to increase likelihood of success amid these challenging times. We’ll discuss these, offering tools and templates along the way that leaders can take back to their organizations and implement immediately.

Session Objectives
• Understand the organization’s cash position and assess damage to revenue streams.
• Use a framework for making strategic decisions that balance impact and financial considerations.
• Explore the art of decision-making in times of crisis to determine how best to communicate with stakeholders.

We hope you will log in to participate. Please let us know if you can join by registering today!

YWConnect

As part of our ongoing effort to strengthen communication and collaboration across the YWCA network, please join us for our next quarterly YWConnect on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020, beginning at 2 p.m. ET. We will be sharing exciting news and updates and discussing other upcoming priorities and initiatives.

We hope that all YWCA local association staff and leaders are able to participate. Please let us know if you can join us by registering today!

COVID-19 Update to Stand Against Racism Advocacy & Media Toolkit

During YWCA’s 14th annual Stand Against Racism — on April 23-26, 2020 — YWCA will be raising awareness around racial justice issues that pose barriers to civic engagement for communities of color. As our nation grapples with the unprecedented COVID-19 health crisis, it is essential that we transition from in-person events to virtual engagement with our communities. Moreover, in addition to our planned focus on the racial justice issues that pose barriers to civic engagement for communities of color, this year’s SAR campaign provides a timely opportunity to raise awareness about how the COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating the impact of systemic and structural racism.

This new Advocacy and Media Toolkit - COVID-19 Update provides virtual event planning tips and an updated social media and messaging guide. Please use this guide together with the SAR 2020 Advocacy and Media Toolkit that was released in January to inform your SAR 2020 efforts — and don’t forget to register your events on your Stand Against Racism dashboard. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act

This month marks one year since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 – legislation that includes critical, lifesaving protections for survivors and important updates to protect all survivors, particularly women of color and marginalized communities. But the U.S. Senate has failed to take action and survivors cannot wait any longer.

Join us on Tuesday, April 7th for a national VAWA day of action. We’ll take to social media and mark this milestone with a massive call to action. Resources are now available here and through the action center.

Survivors have waited long enough. It’s time the Senate passed VAWA (S. 2843) today.

2020 Leadership & Capacity Building Institute (LCBI) Has Been Cancelled

Due to the ongoing increase of COVID-19 outbreaks in communities across the country, we regret to inform you that the 2020 Leadership and Capacity Building Institute (LCBI), scheduled to take place June 17-20, 2020 in Chicago, IL is canceled.

While this decision comes at a time of local, national, and global uncertainty, we remain committed to finding innovative ways to provide the tools and resources critical to your work as you support your communities. Additionally, by using various online platforms, we will provide ways for the network to stay connected until we can safely host another in-person gathering.

Refunds for paid registrants were processed on Monday, March 30, 2020. Refunds can take up to 7 business days to appear in your account. If you have any questions about the refund, please email lcbi@ywca.org.

Organize Your Butterflies Podcast:

Definitely NOT a Flyover State: Getting to Know Kansas at the Ground Level

On this episode of Organize Your Butterflies, take a trip to America's heartland with this week's guest, Mayor of Topeka, Michelle de la Isla. In conversation with YWCA USA CEO Alejandra Y. Castillo, the two cover topics such as the importance of rural communities, civic engagement at the local level, and the Mayor's campaign to represent the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This week's spotlight is on YWCA Northeast Kansas where they are led by CEO Kathleen Marker and are working to change the way that survivors of gender-based violence access care in their community.

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

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’

Complimentary BoardSource Membership

Don’t forget to take advantage of your complimentary BoardSource membership! Local associations are eligible for a free membership to BoardSource, experts in the field of board governance. This benefit offers multiple resources for best practices in governance.

A unique sign-up page has been created for YWCA USA’s entire network of board and staff (http://www.boardsource.org/ywca.. After you’ve set up a username and password, you will be able to view a page that describes the benefits that you and your organization’s board and staff now have access to, including complimentary assessment, ask-an-expert email service, monthly educational webinars on trending topics, downloadable templates, tools, infographics, and hundreds of 101, 201, and 301-level topic papers.

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

In January, 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.

Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter today and share with your network.

YWCA Employment Opportunities

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

• Vice President, Marketing and Communications - Washington, D.C.

Important dates for your calendar

• April 6: CERC Overview for COVID-19 Webinar
• April 7: From Sustainability to Survivability Webinar
• April 23 – 26: Stand Against Racism
• April 29: YWConnect Virtual Town Hall