Association Network Meetings: Register Today!
YWCA USA will host TWO Association Network Meetings to discuss current initiatives, to provide a platform to share and support one another, and to work together to strengthen our entire network as we work to implement YWCA USA’s Strategic Business Plan and increase synergy.
Upcoming Association Network Meetings:
- February 20 - 21, 2020, in San Diego, CA
- April 1 - 2, 2020, in Charlotte, NC
There is still time to register for the Association Network Meeting in San Diego. View more details and the agenda here. There you will also find details on the upcoming April meeting. For questions and concerns related to the Association Network Meetings, please email Kelli Shewmaker.
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Tuesday, February 25, 2020
11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET
Nonprofits operate in an increasingly volatile world with a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Organizations of all sizes are facing growing expectations to use technology and data to meet the demands of constituents who crave personalized and real-time experiences. This webinar will explore best practices for accessing and aligning available resources, how to build more meaningful constituent experiences with support from technology, and the importance of change management for implementing new technology and fostering a data-centric organization. Register here. |
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Planning Big Things for Women’s History Month? We Want to Hear About It!
YWCA USA is looking forward to celebrating Women’s History Month in March to recognize the great contributions that women have made to our nation. Is your Association planning a luncheon, town hall, march, or other initiative? We’d love to hear about it!
YWCA USA is working to build a calendar of 31 Days of Impact for the month of March. Each day, we will promote activities, events, lists, and other tactics that recognize and celebrate women who led action for change in music, sports, literature, comedy, STEM, and other areas.
We need your help. We are preparing to celebrate National Read Across America Day on Monday, March 2nd and are working to compile a list of 100 great books about or written by inspiring women. The books can be from any reading level genre: children’s, young adult, graphic novels, non-fiction, fiction, or historical. We are also organizing a 100 song diva playlist. Send us your favorites!
Send us an email, let us know what you are planning in the month of March for Women’s History Month, your favorite books, and the songs you most like to crank up. |
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Stand Against Racism
Have you seen our Stand Against Racism ad in USA Today's Black History Month Special Edition stand-alone publication? Make sure to check it out on page 71.
The publication will be distributed on newsstands nationally for the entire month of February, right next to the daily USA Today newspaper. If you are interested in using this ad design, please email communications@ywca.org.
Check out StandAgainstRacism.org to learn more about this year’s theme, access new tools and resources, register your events, and get more information on how you can get involved with this year's campaign.
For more tips, watch the recording of our Stand Against Racism webinar to learn more about Stand Against Racism 2020 and all of the resources we have available to make your Stand Against Racism a success. |
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2020 Leadership & Capacity Building Institute – Save the Date!
Save the date for the 2020 Leadership & Capacity Building Institute, taking place June 17 – 20, in Chicago, Illinois.
Join over 400 YWCA CEOs, board members, and local association staff members for a three-day conference filled with interactive plenary sessions, workshops, and network meetings designed to strengthen and enhance the capacity of all our YWCA associations.
The registration fee for this year's conference is $150. Registration opens Thursday, February 20th. |
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New Map Feature: YWCA Opportunity Zones
Have you seen the latest update to the YWCA Opportunity Zones map? The map now shows 85 YWCAs headquartered in Opportunity Zones across 33 states that serve over 680,000 women, girls, and their families.
Check out the map, which aims to connect Opportunity Zones stakeholders with YWCAs serving Opportunity Zones residents nationwide.
Help us spread the word about the map by sharing this video infographic via your social media networks. Please use the hashtag #YWCAOZ so that we can we uplift social media postings from our network.
If you have any questions about YWCA USA’s work on Opportunity Zones, please contact Liz Lopez, Senior Director of Social Impact Investing & External Affairs. |
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Happy Birthday League of Women Voters
Today marks the 100th birthday of League of Women Voters. To demonstrate their commitment to strengthening our democracy, they are launching a coordinated Day of Action on February 14, 2020.
Read more about the roles of League of Women Voters and YWCA USA in our quest for equity and to ensure that women continue to be the driving force for our democracy in this blog article by YWCA Vice President of Member Services, Becky Hines. |
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Equal Rights Amendment Press Conference
This week, YWCA USA CEO Alejandra Y. Castillo stood with House leaders to recognize the passage of the bill to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (H.J. Res. 79). The ERA was first passed into law by Congress in 1972 and was ratified by the 35 of the necessary 38 states. Congress imposed a deadline to complete the ratification by 1982. This goal was never met. The U.S. House of Representatives made history and took a critical step towards women’s equality and the work of justice.
Women have fought for generations to be recognized in the U.S. Constitution. With the House passage of H.J. Res. 79, we must now turn to the Senate to finally and fully ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Women deserve equality under the law. Join us now, and tell your Senator to stand on the right side of history - remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment today! |
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FY21 Presidential Budget Proposal Released
Earlier this week, the President released his Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, which coincides with the beginning of the Congressional appropriations season. YWCA USA is continuing to work with Members of Congress to ensure that your funding priorities on VAWA, FVPSA, and housing are maintained. We will also continue to work with our coalition partners on other priorities including VOCA.
To learn more about how you can influence funding for your YWCA, reach out to Government Relations Manager, Morgan Brand. |
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YWCA USA is Taking Action to Address Childhood Trauma - And We Need Your Help
YWCA USA is excited to join the National Trauma Campaign to address childhood trauma and build resilience through educating and engaging Congress. The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) is a grassroots campaign working to engage advocates in efforts to prevent and address trauma throughout a lifetime. As a part of this coalition, YWCA will be asking for your help to communicate the importance of trauma-informed policies with elected officials and other leaders.
Learn more about the campaign or join as an individual or organization member today! |
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YWCA USA’s Voter Registration Page is Ready
YWCA USA is partnering with When We All Vote to register voters all across the country. Check out our new YWCA voter registration webpage. You can use this page as a quick and easy way to register voters in your community.
This will help us get even more community members involved as well as help us quantify our impact around the country! |
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Wells Fargo and Enterprise Community Partners Launch the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge
Wells Fargo and Enterprise Community Partners have opened the application process for the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge, a nationwide search for the most innovative, scalable, and viable ideas to increase housing affordability.
“YWCA is creating a safer, more just world by offering emergency, transitional, and long-term housing to survivors of domestic violence, women and families, veterans, and the elderly in communities across the nation," said Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO, YWCA USA. "Grants and financial resources like this one from Wells Fargo can help us work to continue to fill the gap for affordable housing for many women and their families.”
The competition is expected to draw hundreds of applications from around the U.S. and will award six grants of more than $2 million each in addition to providing two years of technical assistance from Enterprise to help turn the grantees’ concepts into reality. Learn more about this opportunity here. Responses to the first-round request for proposals are due February 19, 2020. |
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Bayer Fund Grants
The Bayer Fund awards grants for projects focused on our four priority giving areas: Food & Nutrition, STEM Education, Health & Wellness and Community Development.
Bayer Fund’s primary focus is to achieve maximum impact by assisting families in under-resourced rural communities such as St. Louis, MO, Northern New Jersey, Pittsburgh, PA, and Berkeley, CA.
Visit the Bayer Fund website for more information on application guidelines and deadlines. |
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Manhattan Institute’s Tocqueville Project Civil Society Awards
The Manhattan Institute’s Tocqueville Project is seeking nominations for the Civil Society Awards to honor the next generation of effective nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that assist those in need and help people change the course of their lives.
If you know an inspiring nonprofit leader who—with the help of volunteers and philanthropy—is strengthening their community by addressing or preventing a social problem in their neighborhood, send a note or submit a nomination online. Nominations for MI’s $25,000 awards will be accepted until March 20, 2020. |
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Subscribe to YWCA: We Do the Work, A Monthly Update
Last month, 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. |
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YWCA Employment Opportunities
Are you passionate about eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all? If so, we want you on our team! Check out all of the YWCA employment opportunities around the country listed in our jobs center.
- Director of Financial Capacity Building, Washington, DC
- Programs and Projects Specialist, Washington, DC
- Communications and Marketing Intern, Washington, DC
- Social Innovation, Investment and Impact Intern, Washington, DC
- Development Associate, Washington, DC
- Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board Liaison, Washington, DC
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Important dates for your calendar
- February: Black History Month
- February 14: Two Year Anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting
- February 14: Centennial of League of Women Voters
- February 17: President's Day
- February 17: Leadership & Capacity Building Institute registration opens
- February 20 – 21: Association Network Meeting - San Diego, CA
- February 26: Public Policy Update Webinar
- March: Women's History Month; YWCA's 31 Days of Social Impact for Women
- April 1 – 2: Association Network Meeting - Charlotte, NC
- April 23 – 26: Stand Against Racism
- June 17 – 20: YWCA LCBI in Chicago
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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