How are Feminist Giving Trends Impacting Social Change?

On Tuesday, March 23rd, the We are for Good podcast featured Philanthropy Women’s own Editor-in-Chief, Kiersten Marek, as part of their Women of Impact Week specialty series. The interview explored Kiersten’s clinical social work as well as her analysis of feminist giving trends and their impact on social change, as the publisher and Editor-in-Chief here at Philanthropy Women.

feminist giving trends

Hosted by Jonathan McCoy and Becky Endicott, the We are for Good podcast focuses on innovative ideas and inspirational stories within the nonprofit industry. The podcast’s Women of Impact Week series was presented by Virtuous, a fundraising platform and customer relationship management tool for nonprofit organizations.

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Why Do Major Ballet Companies Exclude Women Choreographers?

Editor’s Note: The following editorial by Elizabeth (Liza) Yntema was originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It is the spring of 2021, except in the ballet world, which is apparently stuck somewhere in a 1950s deep freeze, where classical dance celebrates women by muting them.

Photo by David Hofmann on Unsplash. Dancer: Sydney Smrzel

Our team at Dance Data Project was stunned to learn that Pennsylvania Ballet, the 10th largest company by budget in the U.S., has chosen to “honor” its female Founder, Barbara Weisberger, with a spring digital season whose theme is “Strength. Resilience. Beauty” and features 3 programs with 11 works by male choreographers and zero—yes, that is zero—pieces by women.

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Texas Celebrates Women Leaders with Virtual Awards and Forum

The Texas Women’s Foundation’s long-held tradition of honoring leaders in women’s philanthropy continues. Their virtual Leadership Forum and Awards Celebration will be held on April 29th. Amongst the recognitions, the Maura Women Helping Women Award and the Young Leader Award are highlighted.

texas women's foundation
Diana Mao, President of Nomi Network, a recipient of a leadership award from the Texas Women’s Foundation. (Image Credit: Diana Mao)

As the Maura Award enters its 42nd year, the five recipients are those who have adapted their own leadership roles to further the progression of women and girls in various innovative ways. With over 200 past Maura Award recipients, these women are now part of a bold and fearless group who have taken it upon themselves to make life better for women and girls in Texas, and around the world. The Young Leader Award spotlights two women who have broken glass ceilings in their own fields and industries, demonstrating the way forward towards a more gender-balanced society.  

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Innovative Alliance for Girls Report Defines Gender-Inclusive Solutions

The Alliance for Girls has just released a new, innovative report that defines solutions to creating gender-inclusive communities.

Radical Visions of Safety for Girls, By Girls aims to define how communities can create spaces that teach and nurture gender-inclusivity. (Image credit: Alliance for Girls)
Radical Visions of Safety for Girls, By Girls aims to define how communities can create spaces that teach and nurture gender-inclusivity. (Image credit: Alliance for Girls)

Alliance for Girls, the largest alliance of girl-serving organizations, released its Radical Visions of Safety for Girls by Girls report. This groundbreaking report puts forward solutions for community safety based on the input and lived experiences of girls, gender expansive youth and their champions. 

“COVID and the racial justice uprisings of 2020 exposed more people to how the top-down, punishment-based old ways of thinking about safety, and the entrenched systems that were supposed to keep us safe, have always failed Black and brown girls,” said Emma Mayerson, founder and executive director of Alliance for Girls. “This report features the leading edge of violence prevention informed by the practical vision of Black girls and girls of color, gender expansive youth, and the adults who champion them. These solutions will lead to our collective safety and freedom.”

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Feminist Giving IRL: Hear From the Top Tier Winners (Liveblog)

On Thursday, March 25th, the Philanthropy Women team welcomed attendees and honorees alike to the first Feminist Giving IRL Top Tier Awards Ceremony. Celebrating the exceptional leadership of the interviewees from the past year, this year’s FGIRL Top Tier winners are Elizabeth Yntema (Dance Data Project®), Dr. Tessie San Martin (Plan International USA), and Sara Monteabaro (MIT Solve).

feminist giving IRL
Award recipients came together today to discuss how they are making headway for gender equality in dance, global development, and social entrepreneurship. (Image credit: Zoom webinar)

The FGIRL series started two years ago, inspired by Gloria Steinem’s idea that “people should be linked, not ranked.”

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Barajas-Román: For Equal Pay Day, Women’s Funds Urge More Action

Statement by Women’s Funding Network President and CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román on the need for collective action to address equal pay for women

SAN FRANCISCO  —  Equal Pay Day is March 24, 2021, spotlighting how far into the next year women have to work to be paid the same amount that a man was paid the previous year. Women’s Funding Network President and CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román issued the following statement:

equal pay
Women’s Funding Network CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román speaks for women’s funds and their allies, demanding more action to address pay equity. (Image credit: Natalie Hua on Unsplash)

“In the United States, women on average make only 82 cents for every dollar made by an average white man, but for women of color, the gap is even worse. For each dollar a white non-Hispanic man is paid on average, Black women earn 63 cents, Native women earn 60 cents, and Latina women earn only 55 cents. This means that in 2021, Latina women would have to work until October 21, 2021 —  nearly an entire extra year of work — to finally catch up to the same amount of earnings that white men were paid in 2020 alone.

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Nicole Boucher on the Unique Power of Women’s Lived Experiences

Editor’s Note: This interview in our Feminist Giving IRL series features Nicole Boucher, vice president of Way to Win and senior advisor to its 501(c)3 effort, Way to Rise.

Nicole Boucher, courtesy of Nicole Boucher

1. What do you wish you had known when you started out in your profession? 

What you most often see in philanthropy are people with high education degrees, family philanthropy full of people who grew up with privilege and wealth, generations of parents who attended college, etc. My own background doesn’t reflect that. Early in my career, there was a time when I hid who I was to belong. I would nod along in meetings as if I knew what they were talking about, and then rush home and Google and study up late into the evening to catch up. I now see that the power of my lived experience is one of great value in solving our nation’s most pressing problems, and the insights and strategies that I bring to philanthropy can go to bat with any Harvard Kennedy School graduate!

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(Liveblog) Women’s Giving Circles: The Future of Latin America

On Thursday, March 19th, team members from Empatthy and a robust panel of speakers gathered online to celebrate the growing women’s giving circle movement in Latin America. Featuring Jeannie Sager (Women’s Philanthropy Institute), Carmen Stevens and Sondra Shaw-Hardy (Women’s Giving Circles International), Sara Lomelin (Philanthropy Together), and Rosa Madera (Fundadora Empatthy), the event was half celebration, half lively discussion of the future of collaborative giving in the Latin American region.

giving circles

Juan Carlos Diaz Bilbao (BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network), the day’s moderator, introduced the event with thanks to the attendees, participants, and sponsors making the event possible.

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Jewelle Bickford: Devote Your Company to Gender Lens Strategy

Jewelle Bickford explains how CEOs can and must use gender lens strategy to support women in documentary Covid, Women and the US Economy.

Jewelle Bickford, Co-Chair of Paradigm for Parity® is a renowned financial advisor with a clear 5-Point Action Plan to help CEOs use a gender lens. (Image credit: Crain's New York)
Jewelle Bickford, Co-Chair of Paradigm for Parity® is a renowned financial advisor with a clear 5-Point Action Plan to help CEOs use a gender lens. (Image credit: Crain’s New York)

In a BBC documentary about the impact of COVID on the economy and women in the workplace, Paradigm for Parity® Co-Chair Jewelle Bickford spoke with Nada Tawfik about the critical role CEOs play in achieving gender parity and the specific steps companies can take to support the advancement of women.

Bickford was optimistic that more employers will soon realize that hiring and advancing women of all backgrounds benefits everyone, saying “Those companies that have women on the board and in the C-Suite and throughout the company show 25% more profitability, so once companies know it’s more profitable, it lowers income inequality, and it helps stabilize the family structure, it’s a win-win.”

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(Liveblog) #GenerationEquality and a Blueprint for a Gender Equal World

On St. Patrick’s Day, Women Moving Millions led a lively discussion as part of its 2021 #GenerationEquality Series. Entitled “Building a Blueprint for a Gender Equal World,” the virtual event featured Latanya Mapp Frett (Global Fund for Women), Michelle Milford Morse (UN Foundation), and Kavita Ramdas (Open Society Foundations).

On March 17th, 2021, Women Moving Millions, the UN Foundation, the Global Fund for Women, and Open Society Foundations gathered to discuss #GenerationEquality. (Image Credit: Women Moving Millions)

Executive Director Sarah Haacke Byrd began the day’s event with a moment of silence for the Asian-American community in Atlanta, where violent attacks in local spas have recently taken place. She also shared context for the day’s conversation, following the 25th anniversary of the Beijing agreement for gender equality. New legislation is due to be created and ratified within the United Nations, all designed to gather the world’s powers to advance gender equality.

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