Remembering June Tuttleman

It is with much sadness and heavy hearts we write to tell you that June Tuttleman, our dear friend and Women Give San Diego Founding President, passed away yesterday (Monday, October 29, 2012). June was comfortable, surrounded by family; she passed peacefully.

June was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme Stage IV in August 2011. She was truly an amazing brain warrior, maintaining a positive attitude, as she and her family pursued every possible treatment option. She beat the odds and was able to enjoy many family milestones including her daughter Sophie's graduation from NYU and her daughter Emma's 21st birthday!

As you know, June was the inspiration behind Women Give San Diego. Helping women was of paramount importance to June. She was deeply proud of what we have accomplished together - truly above and beyond any of her other remarkable philanthropic contributions.  We remain committed to carrying on June's legacy through our work to support women and girls in our community.

June also served in leadership roles for many organizations in San Diego and California, including the Women's Foundation of California, the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County, the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, the San Diego Jewish Women's Foundation, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, and the Vision of Children. She was the Founding President of the Jewish Women's Foundation of San Diego, the past President of the San Diego United Jewish Federation Women's Division, the President of the Tuttleman Family Foundation, and the CFO of the San Diego Community Mikvah and Education Center.  

This summer, June was recognized as a 2012 UCSD Alumni Honoree, receiving the very prestigious Distinguished Leadership Award.

We know you join us in sending our warmest personal regards and deepest sympathy to June's husband, Craig Lambert, daughters Sophie and Emma, and the entire Tuttleman Lambert families. We will all miss June terribly. We are most grateful for the opportunity to have become friends with June and work with her in founding Women Give San Diego. We remain committed to continuing June's legacy, in particular, developing the June Tuttleman Mentorship Program.

June's compassion yet tenacious spirit will continue to shine through the glorious impact members have today - and every day. Thank you for joining us in continuing June's legacy.  We will continue to share any additional information we receive.

Warmest personal regards,

Linda & Gayle

P.S. Cards can be sent to Craig Lambert, or Sophie and Emma Tuttleman at:

7791 Starlight Drive 

San Diego, CA  92037

Giving Like a Girl- Shared Blog from Bright Funds

Sharing a blog from Bright Funds, which speaks to presence and force of women in philanthropy.

Women are the conduits through which change is made.

Women are progressively becoming a visible force on the philanthropic landscape as they challenge both the way we view giving and the notion of how much is appropriate to give. A 20ll study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the University of Indiana suggests that women are 40 percent more likely to give to charities than their male counterparts. These gender studies in philanthropic giving indicate that Baby Boomers and older women give 156 percent more to charity than men.

In 2009, the Red Cross canvassed funding for its women’s program, the Tiffany Circle.  The first night of the campaign attracted  61 new members and raised a staggering $6 million in 30 seconds. Melanie Sabelhaus, a former administrator at the Small Business Administration who heads the Tiffany Circle, said “[N]ot one of the women picked up the phone and asked her husband.”

This growing autonomy among women presents a dynamic force within the economy. At the Women’s Philanthropy Institute Symposium in May 2009, Lisa Witter, the COO of Fenton Communications remarked, “When it comes to winning support or raising money for your cause, women are not a niche audience. They are the audience, because they vote, volunteer, and give to more organizations than men do.”

Witter indicated that savvy corporations, recognizing that women make 83 percent of all purchasing decisions, have begun to market directly to women. This deepening engagement with donation based works is changing the way nonprofits market to their potential donors.  “Non-profits can learn to do the same,” she said, “if marketers and nonprofits successfully reach women, they would get men on their side, too.”
In their book, Reinventing Fundraising: Realizing the Potential of Women’s Philanthropy,  Shawy-Hardy and Taylor note that this significant rise in female philanthropy requires  organizations to actively involve women.  The more women involved, the surer the campaign’s success.

So, why do women give more than men? One explanation accounts  that women score higher on traits such as empathy and caring, which are key motivators when contributing to philanthropy. Debra J. Mesch, director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute owed this trend to “women being socialized [as] the caregivers of their families and communities.”  While men attribute their motivations in giving as practical (by funding organizations which make political change and taking advantage of tax deductions) , women describe their motive as an emotional obligation to help those in need.

As women galvanize the philanthropic sectors of the economy, it is critical that non-profits get them involved at every level.  As Christine Grumm, president and C.E.O. of the Women’s Funding Network, expressed, “Women are the conduits through which change is made.”

At Bright Funds, we believe in investing in a better world.   Whether your motivations be to help others, improve the environment, or fight poverty, we challenge you to create the changes you wish to see.

Zoe Bernard, Contributing Editor

http://blog.brightfunds.org/post/30932806059/giving-like-a-girl

Membership Meeting Recap

Membership Meeting Recap

October 8, 2012

Hosted at Hera Hub

By Renee C. Herrell

Monday night’s Women Give Membership Meeting was a successful gathering of our new and seasoned members. A special thanks to Megan Lim and Amy Harmon for organizing the meeting and the agenda!

Linda Katz and Gayle Tauber gave an incredible oral history of Women Give San Diego beginning with Linda’s rendition of June Tuttleman’s inspiration to fund women and girls in San Diego.

“If we have economic stability for women and girls in California, we have health and education as well as a reduction in abuse. This levels the gender playing field.”

- Linda Katz

At first, June was hoping that there was already an organization in San Diego doing just this, but after meeting with other philanthropic groups funding women and girls in San Diego, she realized she was just going to have to start her own organization!

“There was a real gap in our community to provide economic stability for women and girls in San Diego and June wanted an organization to fill this gap.”

- Linda Katz

June decided to link arms with the Women’s Foundation of California and become a donor circle. She then commissioned Valerie Nash to research and write a report on the status of women and girls in San Diego. This report became the ‘road map’ for Women Give San Diego and the organization was born.

The mission of Women Give San Diego (WGSD) is to fund non-profit organizations in San Diego County that offer underserved women and girls the opportunity to become fully engaged in the prosperity of their local communities. We also advocate for public awareness of women’s economic issues and policy change at the local and state level. WGSD's model for change balances education, community collaboration and strategic and effective grantmaking.

Gayle Tauber continued the Women Give story and June’s passion to found Women Give San Diego.

“We are a village. There are no stars.”

- Gayle Tauber

When Linda, Gayle and June began to form Women Give, they did not want to create an organization of “old boomers.” One of the biggest challenges was to engage younger people in philanthropy – especially a giving circle. Gayle hosted a pivotal membership recruitment event in her home in May 2010. She utilized her networks and those of YNPN (Young Nonprofit Professional Network) to engage young people to attend the event and learn about membership. The youthful attendance was overwhelming!

And targeting younger professionals worked (along with the tiered membership levels). Members began telling friends because they believe in the work of Women Give. Today, there are 106 members of which 58 members are under the age of 40 years old.

To-date, Women Give has two grant cycles under its belt with $46,000 given in 2011 and $67,000 given in 2012. We expect to be able to give away close to $80,000 in 2013!!

 “We are a work in progress.”

- Gayle Tauber

JoAnne Berg, past Grants Chair, and Merle Brodie, current Grants Chair, gave an update on the grantmaking process. The committee (17 members!) read through 33 Letters of Intent and narrowed it down to 12 organizations they have asked for a full proposal (due November 9). The committee looks forward to reading through these proposals and conducting site visits with the top organizations.

“Based on the LOIs, there are very creative entrepreneurs in the nonprofit sector. I am really looking forward to seeing full proposals.”

- JoAnne Berg

The Grants Committee will host its next meeting on Monday, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. at Hera Hub. Sharyn Goodson from the Jewish Community Foundation will be hosting a training on how to conduct successful site visits with potential grant partners.

“I am a philanthropist.”

- Bunmi Esho

Shana Hazen and Bunmi Esho reported on the Women’s Foundation of California Conference held in September. They were able to meet and converse with many different donor circles who have varied focuses like raising scholarships for high school students to raising funds to support women after prison.

“This conference made me realize how unique the Women’s Foundation of California donor circles are and how much we can learn from each other.”

- Bunmi Esho

From this conference, Shana and Bunmi are inspired to host a mini-conference in San Diego for Women Give and our grant partners. They will be hosting a planning meeting on Monday, November 5 from 6-7:30 p.m. for anyone interested in helping.

The evening concluded with a speed dating rotation where each leadership team was able to brainstorm with members and engage them with their team’s efforts.

A final big thank you to Felena Hanson of Hera Hub for hosting us!!

From Welfare to Career Woman: The Grossmont College Office Professional Training Program

Stat: There are three single moms for every single dad in San Diego County.  And households led by single moms are twice as likely to live below the poverty line than households with single dads.

“My name is Deedee.  Before taking the Office Professional Training (OPT) program I was a single mother on welfare bouncing around from one dead-end job to another.  Taking the OPT program is one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I am happy to report that I am officially off welfare and have a wonderful and exciting new career in the insurance industry.  I was able to obtain my job because of all the training and education I received while I was a student in the OPT program.  The fact that the program comes at no cost to the students is a miracle in itself.” 

Education is a Game Changer: Barrio Logan College Institute

Stat: We’ve learned that education can be a game changer in someone’s life. Unfortunately, in Barrio Logan less than 3% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

“My name is Ariealla.  Can you imagine what it would be like to have your father think that college is only for your brother?  That your “career” is to learn how to keep house, get married and raise a family?  Or that your family doesn’t even want you to move away from home?  With the help of Barrio Logan College Institute, I was able to get support to discuss the challenges I’m facing at home.  After years in the program, I’m proud to say that I’m a Gates Millennium Scholar and I’ll be leaving to attend Franklin and Marshall University in Pennsylvania.  Not only getting a bachelors but having enough financial aid to get a doctorate in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields.”

Putting Your Best (Well-Heeled) Foot Forward: Dress for Success San Diego

Stat: Women of color are especially vulnerable in San Diego County and are twice as likely to live in poverty than white women.

“My name is Lettice.  After my appointment at Dress for Success San Diego, I felt that I could accomplish anything. When I put on my outfit, my daughter paid me the highest compliment:  ‘Mom, you look like you could work for President Obama in the White House!’ I succeeded in my job interview, feel good about my new job, and feel blessed that God has structured a plan for me.”

“My name is Maria.  I went home and tried on my new outfits from Dress for Success San Diego for my family and they complimented me on how professional I looked.  I could not believe they were talking about me. Every interview I attended increased my confidence and self esteem. Within two months I was offered a job with benefits.” 

Women Give San Diego presents: Women 4 Women

Women Give San Diego presents: Women 4 Women

Women love to gather, collaborate and help. We often find ourselves searching for organizations whose missions align with our passions and offer us an opportunity to gather, collaborate and help other women. More often, however, we underestimate our power when we combine these innate tendencies and skills. This month, Women Give San Diego, presented an event that opened my eyes to our power and impact.

Women 4 Women was held on May 7th and was graciously hosted by Dr. Walter and Mary Munk at their magical home in La Jolla. The event was targeted towards membership recruitment and it proved to be so much more. In fact, that day presented the reasons why I was proud to be a member of Women Give San Diego and how we are unique in a very powerful way.

When I first arrived at the Munk's home I was immediately transported into a mystical secret garden like get-away. It was in this moment I began my list of reason Women Give San Diego is unique and powerful.

Number 1: The generosity of our members. Every event we create a new member steps up and offers their home to host. I don’t think we have had a host need to provide their home twice yet because so many members graciously offer to share their sacred environments for our events. Simply amazing.

Gradually, members and guests began to arrive and indulge in tasty food, silky wines (generously provided by 12 Signs Wine) and engaged in stimulating conversation. As I made my rounds I started to see people who I had relationships with outside of Women Give San Diego that I had not invited myself. I saw women who worked for Shakti Rising, another organization that supports women and girls in San Diego that I also volunteer for. I spent time connecting with two women that I graduated with from Francis Parker School. I was thrilled to see women from Leap to Success, an organization that I supported through acting in the Vagina Monologues. Interacting with old friends and new friends brought me to the second reason why Women Give San Diego is so unique.

Number 2: Community, Friendships and Mentorship. Over the last couple of years, through Women Give San Diego, I have broadened my network to include some of the most influential and special friends and mentors of my life. No other organization that I am involved in offers the same opportunities for these relationships or brings so many different women with similar passions together.

Our membership is so diverse in age, background and careers that it opens up opportunities to connect and build life-long relationships with women you wouldn’t typically meet in your social and/or career settings. More importantly, if you were to meet them somewhere else you might not connect with them on the level you do when you are in this environment. There is some unspoken energy that fosters connected relationships in this group. That evening members were taking the opportunity to engage with one another by facilitating connections between potential members and current members. By the time you left, it was almost guaranteed you had made at least one new connection and friend, if not multiple.

As the evening continued, people took their seats in an amazing garden-like amphitheater and one of our members, Dr. Jenn Gunsulas, began the program.

 

Megan Lim, our Membership Leadership Team chair had so eloquently coordinated this incredible event from start to finish incorporating as many members as she could to truly give guests a taste of what Women Give San Diego does and who we are collectively as a donor’s circle. As I listened to each member share a story of their own experience with Women Give San Diego or a story of the women and girls who have benefited from our grants thus far I couldn’t help but think of the next reason.

Number 3: Helping women and girls in our local community. Women Give San Diego is helping women and girls that are underserved here in our own city of San Diego. We are able to focus our grant dollars on organizations that are genuinely dedicated to helping provide real opportunities for these women and girls so that our money is a wise investment that will ultimately positively impact our society.

As the program came to a close and women began to mingle again I stood back and took in the vision of so many powerful women coming together for a not only worthy but needed cause. I realized in that moment that if we want the world to have more women like this, and we do, it starts with us providing the opportunities for those women and girls now so that along the way they too can give back and support future generations to come. Women 4 Women couldn’t have been a better title for this event because the entire evening was just that; Women connecting, collaborating, sharing stories and focusing on a cause together to help and support other women.

There are many more than just 3 reasons that Women Give San Diego is unique and powerful. Those three reasons are my main reasons. I invite you as a member or member-to-be to consider your reasons and join us as we continue to provide what is necessary to build stronger communities starting with our women and girls.

Protect women and families!

A message from Women's Foundation of California:

Spread the word about the need to preserve programs that protect women and families!

 Women are the backbone of California’s families, workforce and economy. Yet over the past three years, California has chosen cuts-only budgets that have shredded programs critical to the health and safety of women and families. These cuts have had a devastating effect.
This can’t go on!
Help us preserve programs that protect women and families.
You can join us by spreading the word about the need for a balanced budget that includes wise revenue solutions that benefit California’s economy for generations to come.
Use #standwithwomen to tell others. Change your Facebook profile picture to the image above starting today through May 14.  Get your profile picture here. (To download the image to your computer, right click on the image, then select save as (it’s especially convenient to save to your desktop.)
Our goal is to beat back any further cuts to the following programs:

1. The welfare to work program known as CalWORKs;
2. Subsidized childcare, which provides vital assistance so that mothers can work; and
3. Community colleges.

We’re launching the campaign on  May 14 in Sacramento because that’s the day Governor Brown releases his May Revise of the Budget in which he’s proposing even more cuts to these lifeline programs.
If you want to join us in Sacramento for the launch:
Monday, May 14, 2012, 11 AM
Same day that the Governor will be releasing May Revise of the Budget
California State Capitol North Steps
(On the L Street side)
www.standwithwomen.org

http://womensfoundationofcalifornia.org/2012/05/11/spread-the-word-about-the-need-to-preserve-programs-that-protect-women-and-families/ 

Celebrating Transformation: Momentum Awards 2012

On Thursday, May 3, 2011, hundreds of fabulous women (and a couple men!) gathered to celebrate transformation at the Women’s Foundation of California’s Momentum Awards held at The Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.

 

(members: Dr. Jenn Gunsaullus, Renee Herrell, Sasha Clines)

“Celebrating powerful women who transform lives.”

The evening began upstairs on the outdoor patio of The Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills with delicious food and wine.

After we were all sufficiently fed, the attendees were escorted down stairs to the ballroom for the Awards Ceremony and cupcakes (!).

With Beyonce’s “Girls!” (lyrics: Who runs the world? Girls! Girls!) blasting over the PA system, the Mistress of Ceremonies, Assembly member Holly J. Mitchell, took the podium to welcome guests and began honoring the awardees.

Kathryn Downing, Chair of the Women’s Foundation of California Board of Directors, spoke of courage when she accepted the Changemaker Award. She encouraged us to “speak one’s mind from the heart.”

Susan Burton (pictured), Founder and Executive Director of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, accepted the Groundbreaker Award and spoke of her own experience of being incarcerated and released led her to start an organization to help women rebuild their lives after prison. Her message to women who were formerly incarcerated: “You don’t have to do this alone. I will help you.” A New Way of Life Reentry Project is a grant partner in Los Angeles of the Women’s Foundation of California.

Anna Deavere Smith (pictured), award-winning Playwright and Actor, accepted the TrailBlazer Award. She described transformation as: “If you saw one word every day, you would become it. That’s transformation.” Her unforgettable performance was an impression of two women who had gone through an incredible transformation. Ms. Deavere Smith turned herself into “Harriet,” a survivor of the Rwanda genocide who quietly reveals the gruesome details surrounding her family’s murder and her escape from her attackers and eventually reveals that she is know a student at Stanford – gaining a *gasp* from the audience. Harriet speaks of forgiving those who murdered her family and village: “You can’t go further than you can go. You have to forgive. Forgiveness is grace. Grace is a form of transformation.” Then Ms. Deavere transformed into Maria, Juror #7 on the Rodney King federal trial who describes the inner-workings of the jury room and the day where everyone melted down or as she refers to it: “The AA Meeting.” Through the decision-making process, Maria realizes that “I’m learning about my best and worse self.”

A BIG thank you to Gayle Tauber for hosting a table and inviting us to be her esteemed guests!!!

 

Meet our Grantee: Foundation for Women

“It’s really about women of means helping women in need.”

The Foundation for Women is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that strives to continually support and encourage impoverished women, both globally and locally, by funding and creating microcredit programs. The organization is currently operating microcredit programs in two regions; FFW USA Microcredit Program, with a pilot in San Diego, and FFW Liberia in Africa. Women Give has funded the San Diego Microcredit Program $3,000 a year for 2 years.

I had the opportunity to speak to Murugi Kenyatta, VP Community Development for the Foundation for Women who was born in Kenya. Murugi has seen the microcredit program work firsthand. She says, “It’s proven to be a useful tool for empowering women and breaking the cycle of poverty.”

The FFW San Diego Microcredit Program utilizes the Grameen method (developed by 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus), and is serving poor industrious women with microcredit loans of $250, $500, and $1,000 and requiring prospective borrowers form groups of 5 that meet on a weekly basis. The model promotes successful repayment and savings. During the weekly meetings, participants receive entrepreneurial training, financial education and professional mentoring. At least 100 groups of entrepreneurial San Diego women have built their own microenterprises with FFW loans. Through its partner agencies that serve these communities, the Foundation for Women receives referrals for potential borrowers.

There are 80,000 women living in dire poverty in San Diego. 95% of the women are Latina and many are new immigrants or second generation Americans who live below the poverty level. Yet among them are industrious and driven women who have figured out a way to run their own business – from child-care to cooking tamales to jewelry making. Several have joined forces and started commercial cleaning services while one woman has ventured into the male dominated construction business and is passionately encouraging other women to join her.

According to Murugi, “FFW is committed to helping women realize their dreams and fulfill their potential. We want to serve every woman in San Diego who needs a hand up.” She adds, “if you have the drive and passion – here’s the money, here’s the education and training. We believe in you, we know you can do it – go get it!”

Since March 2010, FFW San Diego has served over 560 women in fourteen centers located throughout the County - from Fallbrook to San Ysidro. The demand for the program is high and the capacity is not currently there. In 2012, the Foundation for Women hopes to serve 750 women with a goal of serving 6,800 women by 2014.

Currently, the Foundation for Women is recruiting more staff members and resources to meet this need. They like to promote from within because “it’s really all about women empowerment.” Nora Batley-Nido participated in the microcredit program and is now the program manager. The idea is to train the current “borrowers” so they can fill the staff roles. When FFW identifies a leader among the group, they train her to take on a leadership position.

The Foundation for Women is also looking for volunteers like Diane Adcock, Women Give member. She worked one-on-one with one of the microcredit recipients who’s a jewelry maker by helping her market her jewelry through Facebook and other sources.

In her own words, Diane says, “I got in touch with Foundation for Women after speaking with Murugi Kenyatta at the WGSD Holiday party. She shared with me the scale and scope of their micro-finance program and I was surprised how diverse the women’s businesses were! I decided to attend a few of their meetings and find out how I could help the women promote their businesses. What they were most curious about were online marketing tools and tips on how to buy and sell online. We decided that it would be best for me to create a PowerPoint presentation (which I'm still working on) outlining some tips and to assist individual women on an as-needed basis.

In February 2012, I went down to Chula Vista and helped one of the Micro-entrepreneurs, Elsa Urzúa, create a professional Facebook page for her jewelry business, Se Icon Jewelry. I taught her the Facebook basics, helped her upload professional looking display photos, and also set up a Google Checkout Account so she can accept online transactions. She was very sweet, and offered me a beautiful bracelet that I'll be sure to wear to our next membership meeting to show off.”

If you are interested in being a mentor, volunteer or a guest speaker for the Microcredit program, please contact Murugi at murugi@foundationforwomen.org

The photos were taken by one of our most driven microentrepreneurs/professional photographer, Alejandra Carrera.