Women's Way is a clearinghouse for a wide range of charities in the Delaware Valley that all support various needs for women, girls, and families. They help with housing, health care needs, physical safety, and advocate for local laws to support women's needs. I've only been involved in supporting them for two years, but I'm consistently amazed at what they do and how well they do it.
Previous Stories
I have been a volunteer in multiple capacities for WOMENS WAY since its formation 34 year ago – from serving as chair of the annual fundraising dinner and several of its subcommittees, to serving on committees reviewing grant applications to representing WW in the city’s combined fundraising campaign, to most recently joining the Public Policy Committee. And in every instance, the staff and volunteers have been amazing! The staff is hardworking, passionate, creative, and energetic. And so are the volunteers. WW is an amazing and essential asset to our community – providing financial and other support for agencies which empower women and girls as well as advocating for programs and policies which empower women and girls. I have also seen the work of WW as a board member of several agencies which receive funding (don’t; worry I always disclose my conflict and leave the room when any agency in which I am involved is discussed). The essential funding for general operating and for new and emerging programs in so key to our community and its services for women and girls.
I became aware of Women's Way when a client asked for my financial support for one of their fund raising events. This introduction led to my engagement in committee work and ultimately my board position. What I find most satisfying about the organization is my ability to aid and support so many diverse needs of women, girls and families. Through its grant making Women's Way meets the ever changing social and economic needs of women.
I've been a Women's Way volunteer for over 20 years . In that time I've watched the organization weather economic ups and downs and seen it continually evolve to best meet the needs of women and girls in our region. One of the things that makes Women's Way unique is that its yearly funding priorities are derived from the community at large at a yearly event. So while the mission itself is unchanging, the discretionary funding priorities do based on what is most needed at a given time, be it funding for groups that provide housing assitance to groups that provide clothing for job interviews.
One of the other things that has always impressed me is that every five years the organization goes through a long range planning process to evaluate the effectivness of their funding model. Over the years the model has changed and I like that the organization is dynamic. I feel confident in giving my time and money, knowing that the organization will continue to evolve as needed to keep pace with the needs of the community it serves.
I have been involved with Women's Way for almost 10 years in many volunteer capacities. My favorite volunteer activity is to sit on the Community Womens Fund committee and hand out money Women's Way raises to other well-deserving organizations. Then throughout the year I receive updates on those organizations and I can track all the wonderful things that Women's Way's money does for the community. It is a fantastic group of people working for many noble causes and raising a voice for the needs of Women., Girls and Families in the local, state, national and global community/
Women's Way combines a progressive, forward-thinking mission with highly professional staff and extremely committed Board and volunteers, as well as first-rate management, ethics and transparency. The Board members with whom I worked each brought professional expertise and personal commitment to the position. Further, Women's Way prides itself on being a voice for, and a listener to, the community it serves, which ensures that it remains in touch with the people and programs it serves.
Women's Way is the premier organization that is making an impact in the lives of women, children and families in our region. As a donor, I know that my dollars are going to an organization that is making a tangible difference in our community. Women's Way is truly the voice for women in our region.
Women's Way is a regional powerhouse working to improve the lives, equality and voices of women and girls. I am proud to partner with the organization as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, advocate, activist, human. Women's Way has tremendous reach, influence, capacity and most importantly credibility. I have been involved with the organization going on 5 years now as a volunteer and donor and look forward to a continued relationship.
Recently, I joined a group of women who had helped to found or support the early efforts of WOMEN'S WAY three decades ago. We agreed that, thanks to the work of the agencies and programs that WOMEN'S WAY has supported, the professional and volunteer network dedicated to abating the urgent needs of women and children has persevered, indeed grown, despite enormous political and financial obstacles. But, we also agreed that the needs today are as compelling as 30 years ago, requiring WOMEN'S WAY's ongoing powerful advocacy. WOMEN'S WAY must continue to capture and retain the attention of political operatives and corporate funders to battle the misconceptions and disadvantages that women and girls seeking equitable employment, effective healthcare and appropriate childcare continue to face daily.
I am impressed by the issues that Women's Way tackles, the community forums that it puts together, and the grantmaking it does on behalf of the womens issues.
I have been a volunteer and donor for Women's Way for about 8 years, and I am continually impressed by the facts that: (1) Women's Way solicits input from direct-service providers about what needs and challenges they face in serving women and children so that Women's Way can address those needs and challenges, (2) Women's Way engages volunteers in the grant review process for funding of direct service organizations, (3) Women's Way is increasingly leading awareness and policy change for issues facing women and children, and (4) Women's Way does so much with so little! I'm looking forward to helping them to continue to grow their resources so that they can do more great work.
I've been working as a volunteer with Women's Way for the last 10 years or so helping to raise funds and create programs to serve women in the community. It has been around for several decades now and serves both as a place for community members who want to help less fortunate women to offer their personal services or financial resources for that purpose, and, it serves as a clearinghouse of financial resources for organizations that serve women and their children. I became invovled on the committee that plans its annual dinner/event after attending for the first time and being impressed with the content and the sheer volume of supporters in attendance. I went on to help create a planned giving committee and organize the first two of a series of "Women & Influence Conference". In addition, I chaired it's Campaign Leadership Committee for 2 years. My involvement in this organization has given me the satisfaction of having helped others in need, met a number of great people in the community with common interests who I otherwise wouldn't have met, and helped me get experience in leadership roles, as well as in general committee service roles, which I've been able to capitalize on for other organizations. This organization has always attracted capable and dedicated staff members who have been a pleasure to work with despite it's minimal resources. They know how to create the Wizard of Oz effect - making it appear to be an organization with much greater resources than are actually available.