Black History Month Toolkit is Available
From pioneering sheroes such as Dr. Dorothy Height, Helen Claytor, and countless others to our programming and advocacy efforts, YWCA has a long history of advancing racial justice that began decades ago with our own reckoning of racial inequities within the YWCA movement. During Black History Month, we are sharing our story and raising awareness of YWCA’s history of advancing racial justice from the inside out. The work that began in the early 20th century reverberates to this day through the work we proudly continue toward our mission to eliminate racism and empower women.
We’ve put together this social media toolkit to make it as easy as possible to engage on social media throughout the month highlighting our YWCA story, and we encourage you to explore and uplift your own history of advancing racial justice in your community. Feel free to use these sample posts as you see fit and to modify them to best fit your association’s unique voice.
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Toolkit and Registration for Racial Justice Challenge and UJJI Virtual Event is Live
Registration for this year’s Until Justice Just Is campaign is live and the theme for this year is Advancing Justice: Ensuring Equity for All. The toolkit for UJJI as well as for the 2023 YWCA Racial Justice Challenge, which will coincide with the Until Justice Just Is campaign, is available. The Racial Justice Challenge will take place from April 17 – May 15 and will focus on the following four topic areas:
- Disability
- Housing
- Mental Health
- Music
Additionally, YWCA USA will host a virtual event focused on housing justice on April 13. Registration for both our Virtual Event and the Racial Justice Challenge is live!
For information regarding the Challenge, we are offering three informational sessions:
For questions, don’t hesitate to reach out at ujji@ywca.org
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Request for Presenters for the YWCA National Conference 2023
Planning for National conference is well underway, and we are excited to convene our network of YWCA leaders once again for what is sure to be a beautiful time of sharing, learning, and empowerment as we uplift the work of the YWCA network. The conference will take place at the Capitol Hilton in Washington D.C. from June 7-10, 2023. Registration information soon to come!
With that, we want to formally announce the Request for Presenters (RFP) for national conference is now open and will remain open through Tuesday, February 28. Our aim is for our theme Advancing Justice: Our Shared Mission, Vision, and Story to come through every workshop hosted. We are seeking leaders, changemakers, implementers within the YWCA network to engage colleagues and peers with various learning levels and styles to discuss one of more of the following topics:
- Mission Work – Racial Justice, Child Care, Gender Based Violence, Housing, Reproductive Justice
- Storytelling/Narrative/Data
- Wellness
- Leadership – Operations, Fundraising
If you have a workshop in one of these topics that you would like to submit for consideration, please click here to submit your proposal.
For anyone who may have further questions surrounding the RFP, we will also be hosting a Proposal Q&A Webinar on February 8 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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YWCA USA Joins Gender Equity and Justice Community Letter
As Congress kicks off 2023, we are undaunted in our mission to eliminate racism and empower women. YWCA USA joined more than 100 gender equity organizations telling Congress 5 key priorities for the gender justice movement:
- Protect health, reproductive freedom, and bodily autonomy
- Ensure economic security for women and families
- Advance policies to reduce gender-based violence
- Advance democracy, voting rights, and gender equality
- Advance justice for immigrants and their families
With so much at stake, we could not let this moment pass without making our priorities clear to our elected officials. Congress has a responsibility to make gender equity and justice a top priority in its upcoming session. Read the full letter here and make your voice heard by becoming a YWCA Advocate.
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2022 YWCA National Program Inventory, Impact and Healthy Associations Survey
This is a reminder that the 2022 YWCA National Program Inventory, Impact and Healthy Associations Survey is live! The survey will be due on March 15, 2023. Your input on this survey is critical and will guide YWCA USA on how to best support the YWCA network. For any questions about completing the questionnaire, there will be a Q&A Webinar on the following day:
If you have any questions about completing the questionnaire or experience any technical issues, please contact the YWCA USA Data Subject Matter Expert Team by emailing sme@ywca.org
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In it Together: Membership Agreement Update
On January 9, local executives received an email via DocuSign for Membership Agreement finalization, due March 31, 2023. Visit the Membership Agreement page on the Intranet for access to resources in support of your review process — links for related documents can be found in the persimmon box on the right-hand side of the page. Questions are encouraged and welcomed by your Director of Member Services, who are appreciating connecting with so many of you and your board members about the Membership Agreement and its underpinning spirit of reciprocity. (Keep those connection opportunities coming—we're here for it!)
As of February 1, we're at 47 Local Associations signed on...and counting!
Membership Agreement Q&A with YWCA USA's legal counsel is coming up on March 1. If you have outstanding questions or are simply interested in the discussion, please use the link below to register:
As always, please reach out to your Director of Member Services with any questions at any time.
Onward for collective impact and strategic change — onward for justice!
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YWCA USA Board of Directors Nominations Open
The call for nominations to serve on the YWCA USA Board of Directors is open! Serving on the YWCA USA Board of Directors is an extraordinary opportunity for strategic and future-focused leaders who are passionate about YWCA USA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
The Governance Committee will review all applications submitted, schedule interviews, as appropriate, and prepare a slate of recommended candidates for approval by the Board. Once the YWCA USA Board approves the slate of candidates, we will present it to the Local Associations for a vote. Although you may submit applications at any time, you must submit completed application forms for consideration in conjunction with the June 2022 Annual Business Meeting by the close of business on Monday, February 20, 2023.
Board member applications should be submitted online. Additional information on Board of Directors roles and responsibilities, nomination guidelines, and application instructions can be found in the 2023 Nomination Packet.
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Is it Time for a Board Assessment?
The Healthy Associations assessment is right around the corner and now is the time to ensure you have completed a board assessment within the last 2-3 years. In reciprocity, YWCA USA is offering access to the BoardSource Board Self-Assessment (BSA), a $600 value! This free resource will help lay the foundation for setting board development priorities and motivating board members — individually and collectively — to strengthen the full board’s governance performance and practices. Local Associations can review the purpose and content of the assessment by watching our Board Self-Assessment Overview. If your association is interested in participating in the assessment, please request access by emailing assessment@ywca.org.
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YWCA USA Hiring Chief of Staff
We are excited to share that YWCA USA will be hiring several roles over the next few months. This week, we are launching our Chief of Staff search. This is a new role reporting to the CEO, Margaret Mitchell.
The Chief of Staff will have a bird’s eye view across the organization, connecting the dots and providing strategic guidance. You will be managing across the executive team to support cross-team communication and project/process management. You will also be working as a strategic advisor to organizational leadership, helping identify key gaps, room for improvement, and following up on action items to ensure execution meets the organization’s standard for excellence. You will be managing the executive office of the chief executive (including supporting executive communication), managing a team of administrative assistants, and acting as an extension of the chief executive, where needed.
As a member of the YWCA USA leadership, this position must also contribute, integrate, and hold themselves and their department accountable to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals that YWCA USA has established, and actively contribute towards the creation of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture. Click here for the complete Job Description.
Interested Candidates should submit your resume to Kishshana Palmer, Interim COO at kpalmer@YWCA.org with the Subject: Chief of Staff Opportunity
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Important dates for your calendar
Does your local association have new staff members?
Please have them first register to access the YWCA Intranet and then sign up to receive the Weekly Wrap-Up to get all the updates from YWCA USA!
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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