Blogs

A Few Words From Our CEO

With January comes new leadership for our country, and while our mission is not red or blue, recent cabinet appointments have given many of us legitimate concerns about the priorities of the incoming administration. At YWCA USA, we are fervently committed to sustaining our 150+ year legacy of smart strategy and bold action. I certainly know that each of you is equally committed. With this in mind, please take some well-deserved time this holiday season to create beautiful memories with loved ones and relax, so that we can start the new year invigorated and prepared to do everything in our power to stand up for the girls, women and families we serve by propelling our mission forward.

I wish each of you and your families a wonderful and prosperous holiday season!

Election Analysis

The November 8, 2016 election led to big changes in the White House and Congress. Check out our full analysis about election results and what to expect from a new Administration and the 115th Congress.

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Week Without Violence

Thanks to all who participated in another successful Week Without Violence campaign. Together we held 184 events across 40 states and D.C., trended on Twitter, and, most importantly, helped educate our networks about gender-based violence and provided opportunities to take action.

2016 HIGHLIGHTS

New to the Resource Library

Visit the Resource Library to view more than 20 new mission, fundraising, planning, staffing and program resources. Included is a Giving USA infographic which profiles current trends in charitable giving. Need help? Contact Martha Breunig.

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New Model Program

YWCA USA is proud to partner with USA Track and Field to adopt Run Jump Throw (RJT) as a model program. RJT is a low-cost, accessible youth program that teaches physical literacy to young people. We know that a program such as this has great potential to help girls of color develop lifelong skills and habits that can make long-term impact on health disparities.

World YWCA Hires New General Secretary

World YWCA has announced Malayah Harper as its 14th General Secretary. Malayah, a dual Canadian and British citizen, has a strong background in gender issues, women’s leadership and women’s rights, with particular expertise in sexual and reproductive health. Before joining the World YWCA, Malayah was a director at UNAIDS, where she led the global political commitment for women, girls and HIV.

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Stand Against Racism

Early registration opens today for YWCAs! We are excited to focus this year’s campaign on highlighting women of color in leadership and working to break down barriers. Registration will open to outside organizations in early February. Details to follow in a memo later today.

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Women's March

Some of you have reached out with questions about the post-inauguration women’s march and others of you are already planning to attend. At this point, there is still much unknown about this event. We will continue to brief you on high-level information regarding the march as we receive it – especially as it relates to issues of inclusiveness and safety. We will also help you coordinate with one another if you plan to attend. In addition, we will provide talking points and overall guidance about representing our network at this event. Contact Casey Harden with questions.

Evaluation Cohort

Interested in evaluating your mission impact programs, advocacy and issue education? Looking for new ways to deepen your own organizational capacity to evaluate programs? YWCA USA is seeking a diverse cohort of leaders from all levels to contribute to shaping the way we evaluate our collective impact. Whether you are new to evaluation or a seasoned expert, we want your leadership! Non-executive leaders encouraged to apply! SIGN UP

Coming Soon: 2017 Legislative Priorities

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Legislative Priorities Survey! Your responses are a crucial piece in developing YWCA USA’s policy priorities for the 115th Congress. We’re currently hard at work analyzing survey results, so keep an eye on your inbox for an update by December 16, 2016.

Advocacy Day Sign On Letter

On October 26, we submitted a letter to Congress urging them to co-sponsor the Healthy Families Act, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, and the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act. Thank you to the 116 YWCA local associations in 38 states and D.C. who signed on! SEE THE LETTER

ACA Open Enrollment for 2017 is Here!

The 2017 annual open enrollment period for individual marketplace health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act began on November 1. Learn more about the open enrollment process and how to help your clients and community members get enrolled before the January 31, 2017 deadline!

Welcome to New Team Members!

YWCA USA is pleased to welcome two new team members! Shelly Schnupp is our new director of training and leadership development. Shelly will lead our efforts to develop and implement organization-wide training strategies. Jessica Pinckney started recently as the government relations manager and will be our primary liaison to Capitol Hill.

STEM Update

National STEM Collaborative, hosted by the ASU Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology (CGEST), is a consortium of higher education institutions and non-profit partners to promote development for women of color in STEM fields. YWCA is proud to partner with CGEST to scale best practices in STEM education for girls of color. As opportunities for local associations arise, we will share them across our network. Check out CGEST’s newest report Digital Lives.

Racial Justice Training Manual

YWCA USA has retained the Institute for Community Peace to research, develop, and produce our new Racial Justice (RJ) Training Manual. In addition to reviewing external RJ materials and resources, the project team will also connect with various internal stakeholders such as YWCA staff and affinity groups to ensure that the manual will be useful across the YWCA network regardless of association size, location, or service population. We look forward to releasing the RJ Training Manual this spring.

Self-Assessment Next Steps

Remember to follow through on your memberships requirement and document your report action plan by December 31. Directors of Member Services (DMS) will follow-up with each YWCA by January 31. DMS are currently scheduling calls. To date, 45% of associations have 95% + compliance with membership requirements. We are excited for all associations to be in this excellence category for 2017!

Updated Names for Geographic Networks

As a result of reviewing our database processes, we have updated some of our internal names including new formalized names for the five geographic networks. You will likely encounter these new names and their acronyms as you fill out online forms or on the Intranet. Here is the list of each geographic network, with its respective Director of Member Services: Heartland Network (HNET) – Christie Dailey; Great Lakes Network (GLNET) – Lisa Grills; Northeast Network (NNET) – Sarah Thompson; Southeast Network (SNET) – Holly Jones; and Western Network (WNET) – Rita Ryder.

Peace First Challenge

For the past four years, YWCA USA has participated in the Peace First Prize. Dara has served as a judge, and local associations have been invited to nominate young people. This year, Peace First is launching a new program, the Peace First Challenge, an international campaign that calls for young people around the world to identify an injustice and develop a solution using a peacemaking lens. Young people, ages 13-24, who participate will have access to digital tools and online community, and can receive up to $250 to support their peacemaking projects.

Development Goal FY17

Our goal for FY17 is to raise $400K in grants that will be distributed to the YWCA network. Our current focus is STEM funding to support direct service and to update our national curriculum. Through YWire, we will make you aware of prospects we are currently pursuing. If you have an existing relationship, we ask that you reach out so that we can ensure we are working collaboratively and not competitively. The following prospects are at varying phases along the cultivation process: Best Buy, Honda, Accenture, Coca-Cola, ETS and Robert Wood Johnson.

Money Monday

Join us for our January Money Monday webinar: Tips & Techniques to Secure More Major & Planned Gifts. Presenter: Karen Gallardo, director of planned giving at Best Friends. 

Allstate Foundation

We are excited to announce a new grant from our longtime partner, the Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation wanted to expand Moving Ahead through Financial Management, a financial empowerment curriculum for domestic violence survivors, and Massachusetts was identified as a new coalition site. YWCA of Greater Lawrence and YWCA of Western Massachusetts are the first grantees in the YWCA MA Coalition, and we’re excited to hear the success stories and impact from this grant.

Join Us at the UNCSW61

The sixty-first session of the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW61) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from March 13 to 24, 2017. Given our consultative status, YWCA USA will again provide stipends and send a delegation to UNCSW. If you are interested in attending, please notify Kelli Shewmaker no later than December 16 for further information and instructions. LEARN MORE

Affinity Groups

Staff, board, and volunteers are invited to join any of our ten affinity groups. Upcoming calls include the Racial Justice & Civil Rights Mission Impact Group on December 15, February 9, April 20, July 15, and August 10 at 2 PM ET and the Health & Wellness Network on February 16, March 18, and August 17 at 2PM ET.

Geo Network Meetings

Geographic Network meetings are coming this February/March. Watch for registration and accommodation information coming from your Director of Member Services soon.