"A Club for the Women Atop the Ladder" - NYT

I hope you caught a great article by Pamela Ryckman called "A Club for the Women Atop the Ladder" featured on the front page of the Sunday NY Times Business Section yesterday. The article was primarily about a very cool women's club called the Belizean Grove . Though I am not a member, many of my friends are, and it is a very interesting group indeed. The article describes how through this network women help each other become more successful personally, and hopefully as a movement as well. That is my challenge to this group, to figure out how they can leverage their collective power for maximum impact.

That is exactly what we are thinking about as group of funders of women and girls. I am heading to NY tomorrow for a Women Moving Millions gathering where, with the most fantastic Mayree Clark, we will be leading a discussion on how we can have greater collective impact. Our event is at capacity and in addition to our presentation, we will hear from many experts on how media can be used to advance social change. Guest speakers include Eve Ensler, Pat Mitchell, Gloria Steinem, Jennifer Buffett, Lisa Witter, Dan Cogan, Geralyn Dreyfous and more.

For the following three days I will be attending the Women's Funding Network Conference in Brooklyn, where over 500 people from around the world will be gathering under the umbrella of this powerful global network. The panel I am most excited about is on Friday, where I will be speaking on the topic of investing for gender equality. I hope to hit this topic in an interview with Bloomberg Television to be taped on Thursday which will likely air Friday morning.

A big thanks to Pamela for mentioning Learnvest in this article. If you have not yet signed up for their daily updates, or financial boot-camp, please do. Pictured above is Founder Alexa Von Tobel, investor and best bud Ann Kaplan, and moi!

Have a great week and I hope to blog from the road.

Women Who Shake the World!

The Daily Beast's annual Women in the World Conference is next week in New York. As Women Moving Million's Co Chair I was fortunate to get an invite, but had to pass it on to another WMM member as I will be attending the "Women World Wide Leading through Philanthropy" event in Chicago at the same time. There is no doubt that this gathering is going to be fantastic! Visit this link to see their list of 150 Women Who Shake the World. Congrats to the many WMM donors that are part of this incredible list.

Women's Funding Network Conference 2011 - Investing with a Gender Lens

I serve as the Vice-Chair of The Women's Funding Network a network of over 160 women's organizations around the world. They are hosting their annual conference this year April 7-9, 2011 in Brooklyn, New York. This global conference is called The Power of Global Networks and its purpose is to bring together women's fund leaders, donors, experts and activists from around the world. The conference will focus on how women's funds turn the conventional model of philanthropy upside down, radically changing the way individuals, corporations, foundations and government invest in women and girls. It will also focus on how women's funds, and the network at large, is an effective vehicle, for shared leadership and collective action, allowing us to authentically and effectively extend our reach, increase our impact and build a movement for social change. Please join us! The conference is open to everyone.

We have a fantastic line-up of panelist and speakers including Ms. Michelle Bachelet. She is the first Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women which was established on July 2, 2010 but the United Nations General Assembly. Under Ms. Bachelet's leadership, UN Women will lead, support and coordinate the work on gender equality and the empowerment of women at global, regional and country level.

I will be moderating a panel on Friday, April 8. We are asking the question - How do we use our investment dollars to drive the economic and social empowerment of women and girls? This session will explore how investors, individual and institutional, can invest for profit with the same set of values they apply to their philanthropy and grant making. We ask if viable financial products exist that incorporate a gender lens? What are the current barriers and opportunities? How can the movement to invest in the potential of women and girls make all levels of money matter to make a big impact?

Again. Join us.

Also note that I have added an 'upcoming events' tab above which lists many upcoming gatherings in the women's space. Hope it is helpful.

Women's ENews - 21 Leaders

Happy New Year! What a great first blog for 2011, acknowledging the 21 Women Leaders chosen by Women's ENews to be this years honorees. ( click here from FB) I have the pleasure of knowing and working with a number of these fantastic women.

First, Linda Basch. Linda is the President of the National Council for Research on Women where I continue to serve as Board Member Emeritae. Linda is passionate, articulate, and deeply committed to leveraging the power of research to create positive change. Congratulations Linda!

Second, Kayrita Anderson. This women is a force of nature. Kayrita and her husband Harold are from Atlanta. Having supported an organization that provided a safe house for young girls escaping a life of prostitution they asked themselves, why are there so many girls in this situation? They decided to do something about it and created a program called "A Future, Not a Past," taking a holistic approach to ending the prostitution of young girls in this country. Kayrita is a fellow Women Moving Millions donor and a board member with me of the Women's Funding Network. Congrats Kayrita!

Third, Pamela Shifmin the Director of Initiatives for Women and Girls at the Novo Foundation. Novo is a foundation that gets it! They believe that "empowering girls and women with emphasis on increasing educational and economic opportunities in the developing world" is key to a more just and equitable world." YES!! Thank you Pamela and my buddy Jennifer Buffet for doing what you do in the world. Congrats!

Fourth, Lauren Embrey! Lauren is another remarkable woman philanthropist and change maker. I have had the pleasure of serving with her as Co-Chairs of Women Moving Millions. She is authentic and passionate, caring deeply about the empowerment of women and girls in multiple realms. Congrats Lauren!

To the many other fantastic women nominated congratulations to all of you. I had the honor of being an awardee in 2009 it was a tremendous honor. A shout out goes out to Women's ENews. If you are not currently a subscriber to their daily news briefs click here to become one. In addition please consider becoming a supporter of their work.

The Helen Keller Foundation and Gala - May 17th

Just recently, an incredibly dedicated group of women introduced me to Helen Keller International, a 95-year old nonprofit founded by the legendary Helen Keller. On May 17th, the 5th Annual Spirit of Helen Keller Gala will be held in New York. In connection with the Gala, my friends from HKI are deeply committed to raising $1 million dollars for HKI’s programs, which prevent blindness and reduce malnutrition worldwide. Unfortunately, corporate sponsorship remains weak, which means that HKI must increasingly rely on private and individual support. Please consider supporting this wonderful organization.

By way of background, HKI currently works in 22 countries, including Africa, Asia Pacific and the US. HKI’s model -- partnering with local non-governmental organizations and governments to introduce interventions that save life and preserve sight -- is technically proven and unbelievably cost-effective. In light of recent abuses highlighted by the New York Times in the micro-lending world, HKI’s model and work continues to command tremendous respect and support around the world.

The Benefit Committee at HKI is determined to continue building upon this organization’s great strength so that it can operate in more villages and reach even more children and adults. Simple donations also go far at HKI: for $2/year, a child can be given the two Vitamin A capsules that give her enough fortification to ward off blindness and hold onto life. For $9, village community gardens can give mothers to a way to provide not only essential nutrients for their families, but also produce to sell in the market.

I am incredibly inspired by HKI and its ability to impact lives in truly meaningful ways. As a direct result of this organization’s great work, children will live and people’s eyesight will be saved. Please give, support and pay tribute to the great work of HKI!

US Treasury Special Event - Women In Finance

Tomorrow you may call in for a very special event hosted by the US Treasury in partnership with the White House Special Council for Women and Girls. Unfortunately I cannot make it to Washington for this amazing conversation, though I do have a visit to the White House in May to talk about how to get more talented women in important government positions. The list of women participating is long and impressive. The call is from 10 to 2pm and may be accessed by following this LINK. This event is in partnership with 85 Broads. Go Janet!

From Turbulance to Transformation - NCRW Panel Discussion March 3rd

We are at a very critical yet promising moment in history. Please join for a panel discussion with some outstanding women leaders. We will discuss what are the challenges and opportunities for advancing real and substantive social change that creates a better world for women and girls? Panelists will share their vision, strategies, and the action steps needed to promote more equitable and inclusive societies locally, nationally and globally.


Welcome - Linda Basch, President, National Council for Research on Women

Featured Speakers Include:

Melanne Verveer, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues
Edith Cooper, Managing Director, Global Head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs Letty Chiwara, Manager, UNIFEM Cross Regional Programmes (invited)
Jacki Zehner, Founding Partner, Circle Financial Group (moderator)

This program will precede the Council’s Making a Difference for Women Awards Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street on March 3, 2010. Priority seating will be given to those attending the dinner but there is no cost for this event. For more information, please contact the NCRW Benefit Office, c/o Production Collective at 914-628-0330 or ncrw@productioncollective.com .
More on the Council - click here.