Blogs

November 2, 2018

We are pleased to provide the following updates:

Election Day is Tuesday, November 6 — Let’s Get Out the Vote!

We’ve registered our friends, families, and constituents. We’ve educated our communities about issues that matter. Now, it’s time to get everyone to the polls on Tuesday, November 6! Over the next 4 days, we need every YWCA to help ensure our voices are heard on Election Day. Here’s how you can help us reach our goal of mobilizing 10,000 voters across the YWCA network:

Join us on social media to encourage our communities to get to the polls. This week’s updated social media toolkit includes sample GOTV posts and graphics.

Implement your GOTV mobilization plans, which includes:

• supporting ride-sharing and child care on November 6th
• running final phone-banks and canvassing events
• holding election parties
• and reminding your community to get out and vote!
• Use this Election Day Messaging Guidance Memo to help shape your post-election press statements and social media posts
• After the election, thank your communities and share your pictures and stories of success. Make sure to tag @YWCAUSA on Twitter and use the hashtag #YWomenVote so we can follow along!

Together, we can make sure our communities are engaged in this important civic process!

Mobilizing the Movement

Watch our Get Out the Vote Facebook Live from Monday, October 29, where YWCA USA joined with our partners at The United State of Women, When We All Vote, and the Women's March to talk about what’s at stake this election and beyond. We discussed the issues we face this election cycle, how we can prepare and mobilize voters, and how we can stay engaged and keep up the momentum in the final days before Election Day.

YWCA USA Staff Announcements

It is with mixed emotions that we announce that both Joy Carter and Alicia Gill are moving on from their roles at YWCA USA. Joy and Alicia have made invaluable contributions to YWCA USA over their tenure here, and they will be greatly missed.

As the Director of Program Evaluation, Alicia has been a pivotal member of both the mission impact and larger YWCA USA team, and she has consistently provided passion, thoughtful and informed perspectives, and wonderful team spirit. She has been a leader in the movement, leading YWCA USA’s Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Mission Impact Group (MIG), serving as our in-house gender-based violence expert, and launching our inaugural Dr. Dorothy Height Women of Color and Native Women’s (WOCNW) Leadership Cohort.

As the Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO, Joy has continued to be an integral part of the team through a number of transitions, and her work and contributions, including the execution of board meetings/governance activities, logistical support for special events and streamlining the processes and procedures of the executive office, have been essential to the achievements of YWCA USA.

In the interim, Lavina Joseph (ljoseph@ywca.org) will be the new point of contact for requests involving our CEO, and Caitlin Lowry (clowry@ywca.org) will be leading the DV/SA MIG. We will miss Alicia and Joy dearly, and we wish them the best of luck and success in their future endeavors. We are excited to see what they will both continue to accomplish on their professional journeys!

Week Without Violence Feedback Survey

As we begin to think about new ideas and strategies for next year’s Week Without Violence, we encourage you all to fill out this survey, so that we can make next year’s campaign bigger and better! Your feedback is very important to us, so we ask that you make it as detailed as possible. Please have this survey filled out by November 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Saryn Fracis at sfrancis@ywca.org.

Help Shape YWCA’s 2019 Policy Priorities — Complete the Survey Today!

Thank you to the 106 YWCAs who’ve submitted their responses to the public policy priorities survey so far! Now we need to hear from everyone else to make sure our priorities and advocacy are informed by the entire YWCA network. Each CEO/ED has received the survey via email — please submit your YWCA’s responses by November 2. Need more time or have questions? Email Caitlin Lowry at advocacy@ywca.org.

Strategic Business Planning Update

Our consulting team at La Piana Consulting wrapped up a series of six small group conversations with Association CEOs last week, gathering a great deal of information about how YWCA can build common purpose across the network and what the priorities are for deeper support to help the network achieve its mission. Based on this information, the consultants will be working with staff in November to develop a more detailed proposal for our strategic focus and implementation priorities. This more complete proposal will go through another round of review and refinement beginning in December. We will provide more information about additional opportunities to participate in a future weekly wrap-up.

YWCA Resource Library

New in the YWCA Online Resource Library is November's Mission Minute postcard, Honoring Women Military Veterans. Designed for wide distribution, the card provides a quick look at challenges women veterans face as well as suggestions for action. In addition to the printable PDF copy of the postcard, versions for social media and web postings are also available.

Advocacy Actions of the Week

• Get Out the Vote! Implement your GOTV plans. Join us on social media to inspire our communities to get to the polls on Tuesday, November 6. Together, we can reach YWCA’s goal of mobilizing 10,000 voters!
• Are you passionate about the family separation and detention crisis at the border? Use this comprehensive toolkit to voice your YWCA’s opposition to proposed regulations that would allow the indefinite detention of children and families, and roll back legal protections. Deadline: November 6
• ACA Open Enrollment for 2019 is Here — Let’s Get Our Communities Enrolled! The 2019 annual Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period began yesterday on November 1 and will end on December 15, 2018. Open enrollment is the only time during the year that you can enroll in a health plan on the individual market without a qualifying life event (like a job change, marriage/divorce, or birth of a new child). Community members can visit healthcare.gov to sign up for an individual marketplace plan on their own, or they can visit Get Covered America to find a local, in-person assister to answer questions and help them with the enrollment process. Share this graphic below with your community online and on social media to spread the word:

Opportunity for YWCAs to feature amazing kids in your community!

A filmmaker working on a new TV series for large network is looking for amazing kids to feature on the new show—and they reached out to YWCA for help! They are looking to tell the stories of kids, ages 8-12, who are making a significant impact (big or small) in their community. Learn more about this opportunity in this one-pager. If you know any such kids in your community, please full out our survey! Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Important Dates

• November 2: Public Policy Priorities Survey deadline
• November 6: Election Day!
• November 6: Deadline for comments about Family Separation and Detention
• November 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET: Week Without Violence Feedback Survey deadline
• November 28: YWConnect
• December 15: Affordable Care Act Open enrollment period ends

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