Blogs

December 15, 2017

Please see the following YWCA USA updates

Sylvia Ferrell-Jones, a True Leader

We join YWCA Boston in their sadness as they share the news that their recently retired CEO Sylvia Ferrell-Jones passed away. For those who met Sylvia, you know she was a force of nature and entirely committed to eliminating racism and empowering women. In the note sent out from YWCA Boston, quoting interim president & CEO Beth Chandler, “She encouraged and mentored hundreds of women, including me, and inspired us all to turn experiences of injustice and inequality into leadership and power.” May we be humbled by her achievements and steadfast commitment to our mission. Read Sylvia’s retirement letter.

Dream Act Twitter storm: Tuesday, December 19

Please join us for a Twitter storm this Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. ET to highlight the importance of the Dream Act for women and girls of color and survivors of gender-based violence. Use this sharegraphic, fact sheet, and sample social media to support your efforts. Please let us know if you plan to participate, and contact Tiffany Wang, digital communications coordinator, if you have a blog on the topic that you’d like us to share.

ACA Enrollment: Today is the LAST Day

Visit HealthCare.gov to enroll and getAmericacovered.org for tips and tools.

YWCA USA is GuideStar Platinum: Elevate Your Status!

GuideStar, a web-based nonprofit information center, attracts nearly 7 million individuals per year looking for information about programming, outcomes, and accountability of the organizations in which they have or are developing an interest. Visitors to GuideStar have access to evaluative information for 2.5 million nonprofits, all YWCAs included. GuideStar provides four presentation tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold and the highest level, Platinum. Moving from level to level requires posting information showing increased levels of transparency and accountability, and as profiles are accessed those having achieved GuideStar Platinum status are marked prominently. For more information and to achieve Platinum Level status, visit About GuideStar, How GuideStar Powers Philanthropy, and GuideStar Home Page.

Independent Sector Discounted Memberships

A new YWCA benefit has been introduced – Independent Sector’s offer for $150 memberships for YWCA associations. With membership comes access to a wide range of important information, trends, and resources relevant to nonprofit leadership. YWCA USA is the current organizational member. More information is available at: About Independent Sector and Independent Sector YWCA Local Association Membership.

New from the Resource Library

Fifty new resources have been posted to the YWCA Online Resource Library, including research related to women’s equality and leadership, childcare, girls and women of color, workforce development strategies, gender and race wage and asset gaps, and domestic violence. Also new are resources and tools covering mission impact, leadership development, financial sustainability, giving trends, staff and volunteer recruitment, program evaluation, early learning activities, trauma informed care, social media strategies, and digital data planning. Descriptions and live links for new postings are in the New Postings Index. A desk reference guide, descriptions and live links for all resources are in the Resource Library Index.

YWCA USA Statements

Read our statement on sexual harassment and assault, and civic engagement.

Important Dates

• January 23 at 2 p.m. ET: YWCA 101, an introductory webinar to YWCA USA
• April 26 – 29: Stand Against Racism
• June 5 – 8: 2018 Leadership & Capacity Building Institute in San Antonio, TX

Questions about what you read today? Contact communications@ywca.org.