Kiersten Marek, Author at Philanthropy Women

What Feminist Leadership Looks Like for Me In Real Life

In this video, I discuss what feminist leadership looks like for me as a publisher and writer. The discussion includes different domains of experience and how I apply feminist leadership in those domains.

Kiersten Marek, LICSW, Founder and Publisher of Philanthropy Women

I made this video to participate in the Feminist Leadership Project’s series. If you’d like to participate in this project, you can go here for more details.

In this video, I discuss the different levels of feminist leadership in my life, including on the levels of systems engagement, mindset, identity, and greater purpose. Feminist leadership for me means maintaining alignment across all levels of my life with values of inclusion, cooperation, and in my professional focus on increasing media about gender lens giving strategies.

Leadership in Philanthropy Needs a Gender Lens

The leadership of philanthropy is still very male-dominated at the top. In this video, I discuss reasons why gender equality has not penetrated high level leadership in the nonprofit sector, and why feminist leadership has the capacity to transform the sector.

Kiersten Marek, LICSW, founder and editor of Philanthropy Women.

I made this video to participate in the Feminist Leadership Project’s series. If you’d like to participate in this project, you can go here for more details.

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Women often has the ability to listen better to the community, and handle crises and manage health issues more competently. Without embracing these values, philanthropy will have difficulty evolving to become a catalyst of more comprehensive change for society.

Kiersten Marek, LICSW, Editor and Publisher of Philanthropy Women.

This short video features me discussing the five components that make up my definition of a feminist leader.

The main components of feminist leadership for me are about maintaining a mindset that values inclusiveness, equality, and systems change. This work is also focused on relationships, so responsive to the feedback and suggestions of others, and focused on self-care, so maintaining the integrity of good boundaries and valuing both self and other in all interactions. The best feminist leaders I know are able to balance all of these values while making decisions that improve the quality of life for those concerned.

pay equity — Revenue from women’s soccer in the U.S. has increased substantially since 2016, and continues to to be on par with revenue for men’s soccer. Why are professional women soccer players paid so much less? (Image Credit: U.S. Soccer, WSJ)

“The pay gap is an issue, and that issue will go on,” said U.S. Soccer Foundation President and CEO, Ed Foster-Simeon in a recent article discussing the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Women’s Soccer team for pay equity. This is an important point for women donors to pay attention to, since funding for legal defense to get the pay equity issue for women’s soccer rectified is, in some ways, the cutting edge of feminism, and might be an issue more donors want to move to the front burner, at least temporarily.

Yesterday was a very big day for the feminist community in Rhode Island. With votes of 21-17 in the Senate and 45-29 in the House, last night Rhode Island passed the Reproductive Privacy Act, guaranteeing all people access to reproductive rights as defined by Roe v. Wade, no matter what the Federal Government does.

There were many women’s funds leaders, volunteers and donors who helped make this happen, including Kelly Nevins, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island. In an email to her constituents, Nevins offered extra special thanks to our women legislators who fought this battle to the finish. “An extra special thank you to our elected officials who worked tirelessly to make this happen, including House Sponsor Representative Anastasia Williams, Senate Sponsor Senator Gayle Goldin and Senator Erin Lynch Prata who worked to ensure the bill made it to the Senate floor for a full vote.”

Roslyn Dawson Thompson, President and CEO, Texas Women’s Foundation. (Photo credit: TWF)

Here in the Northeast, we don’t tend to envision Texas as having a culture of diversity and women’s empowerment. But Texas is actually one of the most diverse states in the union. Currently, 68% of women ages 15 to 24 are women of color. The reality for the biggest state in the union is that the minority is the majority among young people. Texas is also home to one of the country’s largest women’s foundations, the Texas Women’s Foundation (TWF). Previously known as the Dallas Women’s Foundation, in 2018, it rebranded as a statewide endeavor with plans to increase its impact across all regions of the Lone Star State.

Flash Women provides flash fiction on women’s lived experiences. (Image Credit: Katrina Marek)

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Philanthropy Women is adding a new section called Flash Women. Once a month, Flash Women publishes a story that exposes women’s experiences of domination and exploitation, and explores the power of women to survive, overcome, and create a better world.

We are proud to share the work of contemporary women fiction writers because we believe that fiction can provide both entertainment and innovation, sparking new thoughts and ideas about social issues. We also think women’s unique perspective in storytelling needs more exposure.

Flash Women does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Publication on Flash Women is by invitation only.

MacKenzie Bezos, author, philanthropist and founder of Bystander Revolution, a nonprofit focused on ending bullying through kindness and inclusion. (Photo Credit: Bystander Revolution)

And why does it matter? you ask. Why am I prying into the business of a private marriage on Philanthropy Women? Well, as it turns out, we now know that the answer to the question — did MacKenzie Bezos get a fair divorce settlement? — has huge implications for philanthropy. MacKenzie Bezos is one of the newest signatories of the Giving Pledge, committing to give away at least 50% of her assets while living.

Divorcing in a community property state like Washington, where all resources are considered jointly owned in a marriage, MacKenzie was eligible to get as much as $69 billion. Much of the talk before the Bezos divorce was final speculated that it could come out as a 50/50 split, with MacKenzie getting an equal amount. The actual number — $37 billion — is quite a bit smaller than that. Of the $137.2 billion estimated net worth of Jeff Bezos, $37 billion is only 26.9% of that. A far cry from a 50/50 split.

cedella marley — Cedella Marley, author, designer, mother, and philanthropist, has been credited as the key donor behind much-needed support for the Jamaica’s women’s soccer team, Reggae Girlz. (Photo Credit: Cedella Marley on Twitter)

The New York Times recently ran a feature on Reggae Girlz, the first national soccer team from the Caribbean to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, happening soon (June 7 to July 7) in France.

The article, entitled The Women’s World Cup’s Other Inequality: Rich vs. Poor, reports that the coach of the Reggae Girlz has worked for free for five years, and many of the female players lack funds for the costs of being a professional athlete. The coaches have to buy them things like jackets to wear for training and other basics of the sport.

Kiersten Marek, LICSW, editor and publisher of Philanthropy Women, discusses the past, present, and future of PW.

Quite a lot has happened in just a year’s time here at Philanthropy Women. We thought it would be helpful to let readers know about how this initiative in feminist giving media is changing and evolving.

The impact of Philanthropy Women has increased significantly. Now in our second year, our writers, including myself, are more experienced and able to explore subjects more deeply and make more connections. Our amplification of content on social media has also increased. We are receiving more requests for media coverage, and our content has been sought for republication on high visibility venues. We have been able to attract top talent for writers, including Julia Travers, Laura Dorwart, Maggie May, and Tim Lehnert.

Author: Kiersten Marek

What Feminist Leadership Looks Like for Me In Real Life

Leadership in Philanthropy Needs a Gender Lens

Feminist Leaders: What are the Key Components of a Feminist Mindset?

There is No Excuse: Pay Equity for Women in Sports Must Happen

L’il Rhody Smashes Patriarchy, Saving Repro Rights. How’d They Do It?

Founded in Diversity, Texas Women’s Foundation Expands

Flash Women: Stories that Explore and Expose Women’s Lives

At $37 Billion, Did MacKenzie Bezos Get a Fair Divorce?

Cedella Marley Backs Reggae Girlz as They Head for World Cup

Why Feminist Giving Matters: the Mission of Philanthropy Women

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