My Nonprofit Reviews

Being a woman working in the local construction industry, I was introduced to Women Giving Back many years ago (Home Aid time). More recently, the women's gym I belonged to hosted drives for business attire on behalf of WGB, and I was thrilled to donate my gently used work clothing to an organization that directly provides clothing to women in need.

Fast forward to my retirement last year when I decided to volunteer my time to WGB. Honestly, I had no concept of how WGB operates and my first few volunteer hours were a bit drab (for me) i.e. hanging children's' clothing. But, I love fashion and shopping. The boutique was intriguing so I continued to volunteer. When the request came for people to become sort leaders, I signed up for training even though I had no idea of what that meant. This opened the door for me to start understanding the actual operations and to become more involved. WGB does a lot, and the relatively small staff needs volunteers in order to operate. Volunteers are appreciated for their service and there are many different "jobs" that need to be done. For example, taking donations, sorting and hanging clothes, moving boxes, hosting drives for particularly needed items, fundraising, assisting clients with shopping or picking up diapers, driving to donation centers for pick up, and of course preparing for special events such as Thanksgiving food distribution, Holiday stores, and prom to name a few.

The mission is to help women and children who are in crisis (including refugees) and are referred to us by a case worker who understands the services WGB provides. WGB has expanded its reach and services based on community needs. For example, diapers are expensive so in the last few years, WGB established an impressive diaper program that serves the entire DVM.

As a volunteer it feels really good when a client expresses her gratitude to you, or when you've neatly restocked the boutique with clothes and accessories that you would be proud to wear. Between believing in the mission and the hands on nature of tasks , I feel my time spent there is worthwhile. In addition, I am confident the organization is managed effectively and is poised to offer additional services to folks in the DMV.