BY3 Membership Recruitment Event: May 11, 2011

On May 11, Women Give San Diego hosted a Membership Recruitment Reception at the beautiful home of co-founder, Jan Tuttleman. The theme was “BY3”:

• Bring 3 friends
• Bring 3 items of clothing/accessories to donate to our grant partner, Dress for Success San Diego.

After guests had a chance to network and sample some appetizers and wine, the program began. Gayle Tauber and Jan Tuttleman spoke of Women Give’s successes to-date and why there was a need for support to elevate the economic status of women and girls in San Diego.

Sylvia McKinney, Executive Director, from Dress for Success San Diego shared her personal story of escaping an abusive relationship and finding support to become a successful business woman. She also spoke about the women who are being served through Dress for Success San Diego and how Women Give’s grant has made a positive impact.

Next on the program was the “Take it Off” portion.

Our lovely models Gayle Tauber, Sasha Clines, and Jennifer Levitt stepped forward modeling a business outfit that they would “take off” and donate at the end of the evening.

Members stepped forward to finish dressing the “models” with jackets, shoes, purses and accessories to complete the business outfit.

This activity really demonstrated how Women Give comes together with each member giving a piece that forms a whole.

Thank you to everyone who brought guests! Our success was great!! 9 new members joined WGSD, bringing our membership total to 89 members!!

As we grow our membership, the positive impact on the lives of women and girls grows too, and one can only imagine what is possible when we mobilize amazing women.

Check out the photos from the event on our facebook page and while you are there, don't forget to "like" us.

Next week, you will meet one of our 9 new members, Kelly Weaver, and hear her incredible philanthropic journey.

Meet the Membership Committee

The Membership Working Committee is responsible to develop and implement the plan for recruiting and stewarding WGSD prospects and members. Strategies include: Network outreach (via member connections), arm and cold outreach (referrals, proactive identification) and high touch. Ongoing dialogue/suggestions with the other committees for member engagement, the goal being member retention.

Gayle Tauber. Gayle is the Chair of the Membership Committee. Since 1971, she has been a founder of startups concentrating in health and wellness, social responsibility and the preservation of capital. Her most recent past business, Kashi Company, was sold to the Kellogg Company in 2000. Today, she is involved with many nonprofit organizations serving in leadership roles.

Bunmi Esho left the corporate world over 8 years ago to pursue a career in nonprofit education and has never looked back! She is currently Director of Education at Junior Achievement's San Diego office where she oversees the implementation of JA programs across San Diego and Imperial Counties. In addition to Women Give, Bunmi is on the board of the Mission Valley Sunset Rotary Club, the Urban League of San Diego County and Clairemont High School's AOBT Foundation.

Katy Goshtasbi, Founder, Puris Image. In a nutshell- I own a personal branding company where I work with business owners on refining their personal brands so they can stand out and increase revenues and self-confidence. I used to be a lawyer!

Amy Harmon is the Director of Development for the College of Education at San Diego State University. She loves being on the Membership Committee because she knows how important each member's financial contribution is towards creating positive change for women and girls in San Diego.

Megan Lim. I'm involved in several organizations concerning education, women's issues, politics and the environment. Without fail, the unique diversity of the members of Women Give San Diego regularly result in insightful and educational conversations. The discussions and women involved are inspiring and it's the joy that I find in being part of this community that made me join the Membership Committee. Megan Lim is the Development Director at the San Diego Public Library Foundation.

Anita Broughton, REA, EIT, CIH. So far, I’ve had a 28-year career in the environmental engineering and consulting field, and am a scientist, manager, and part-owner of Haley & Aldrich, Inc., mostly focused on the redevelopment of contaminated industrial properties. In my spare time, I manage a local volunteer resource website, angelbeing.com, and joined the WGSD Membership Committee to meet like-minded women and to learn more about our non-profit community.

Sheona Richardson

Catherine Broadhead

Courtney Brodie. I’m from San Diego, recently graduated from the University of Arizona Eller School of Management, I work for Centro Properties Group doing Commercial Real Estate Retail Leasing. I joined Women Give less than a year ago.

Women's Policy Institute Accepting Applications

The Women's Foundation of California is Now Accepting Applications for the 2011-2012 Women's Policy Institute!

Are you interested in creating and shaping laws that reflect the needs of women and girls in California?

Apply for the WFC's Women's Policy Institute!!

Leadership. Inspiration. Advocacy.

These are the qualities Women Give San Diego is looking for in candidates for the Women’s Foundation of California Women’s Policy Institute for the 2011-2012 year. Applications are due June 27, 2011.

And . . . We Need Your Help

We are reaching out to our membership to identify women leaders who have a fierce determination to create an equitable and just future for women, families, and our San Diego community. Think. Who are the women activists poised to play a greater role in advocating for public policy that advances an agenda for women and girls? Think. Who are colleagues invested in women’s health, safety, and economic security? Think. Who are the women visionaries determined to be a force for change here in San Diego?

About the Women’s Foundation of California

Women’s Policy Institute Fellowship

Former Institute fellows helped pass 12 new laws and one resolution that positively impact the lives of all communities throughout California.

The WPI provides intensive advocacy and leadership training for women who are actively involved in the public policy process. Fellows are proven leaders from multiple sectors who have experience in women’s issues and deep connections to the grassroots San Diego community. Applications are accepted from individuals working in nonprofit community-based organizations, academia, philanthropy, labor unions and media. The financial costs to participate in the Institute are fully subsidized.

WPI Fellows . . .

· attend four multi-day training retreats in Sacramento

· participate in weekly teleconferences

· collaborate to develop and implement a policy advocacy project

· graduate from the Institute with an ability to navigate the public policy process with ingenuity and confidence

· apply what they’ve learned to their communities where they continue to engage in policy advocacy work

Contact Women Give San Diego

· Applications now available online. All applications are submitted on-line. Go directly to The Women’s Foundation of California, www.womensfoundca.org to access the application.

· WGSD will guide candidates through the application process. Please contact Jennifer Dreyer, Jennifer@tamayoconsulting.com or 760-479-1352, or Jan Tuttleman, jtuttleman@gmail.com for any assistance or questions.

WGSD Grantee: Just In Time for Foster Youth

I had the opportunity to speak with Don Wells, Executive Director of Just in Time for Foster Youth, an organization that provides emancipated foster youth with opportunities for self-sufficiency through emergency support, essential resources, and caring personal guidance at critical junctures on their path to independence. In December 2010, Women Give awarded $26,000 for the development of the Career Horizons for Young Women program, which supports young women in their transition from foster care to independent adulthood.

Career Horizons is a new program for the organization with the purpose of exposing young women to different career choices. In the foster care system, individuals have only been exposed to a few careers in their life: criminal justice, social work or teaching. JIT wanted to give these young women a greater exposure to different careers when they heard about the WGSD grant. According to Wells, “it was serendipity!”

The program is currently serving 20 young women who are just graduating high school, in the workforce, in college or a vocational school and are trying to decide on a career to pursue or are looking for a job. Personal and professional networks help us get connected in the community, but these young women didn’t have a network. Wells comments, “They lack things we take for granted.” Career Horizons provides the beginnings of a network.

Previous to taking on the Executive Director position a little more than a year ago, Don Wells was a Board member for Just in Time. He has dedicated himself to helping foster youth for the past 12 years. In 1999, he was the promotions director at Channel 10 when the station had a goal to recruit 1,000 male mentors before Father’s Day in response to the Columbine shootings (April 20, 1999). Don had been reading and looking at reports about how these young men were in these states and acting out because they didn’t have males in their lives to be mentors: “So, of course, I had to join too since it was my initiative.”

He started to mentor a young man, Victor, (age 9 at the time) and then met his sister, Belen (age 8). Shortly after he met these young people, they were placed into foster care because their mother was not capable of taking care of them. In an act of serendipity, their lawyer was Jeanette Day, who ultimately became the founder of Just in Time.

In 2002, Jeanette Day founded Just in Time to serve foster youth who were aging out of the system. She enlisted the help of a friend, Diane Cox, to create gift baskets of household items for youth who had emancipated from foster care with little or no family to count on. By 2003, Just in Time was born as an auxiliary of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation (now known as Promises2Kids) with help from Louarn Sorkin, and in 2006, gained its own nonprofit tax exempt status through the efforts of Kathryn Vaughn and Tony Hsu. Along the way, Jeanette and Don formed a partnership, to gain visibility for this cause through TV appearances and later as occasional volunteer for the organization.

Through his mentoring experience, Don began to see some weaknesses in the foster care system. For example, Belen never started or ended the school year at the same school for five years in a row because she was constantly moving around. And every time she moved, she had a different social worker. Two years into their unique friendship, Belen asked Don: Why are you still here? Her experience had been that people come and go, but nobody stays. There was no continuity in her life – except for Don: “It was clear to me that there needed to be a steady constant in her life.”

The gaps in care become more magnified once foster youth turn 18 years old and age out of the foster care system. There is misconception that foster youth are successfully reunited with their biological family or they have a foster family that becomes their family. According to Wells, this is rare occurrence. The reality is that at 18, they leave the system and, while they do receive some resources, support is limited. JIT was founded on efforts to deal with those limitations.

Just in Time for Foster Youth exists to fill the gaps. Foster youth will receive transitional housing, but don’t have any funds to purchase furniture so they would be sleeping on the floor. Students, who graduated from high school and headed to college, didn’t have a laptop. They would start classes without their books because they were waiting on financial aid to come through. These young people do not have a family helping them out with the cost of living on their own. JIT steps in as that extended family.

Career Horizons is one more way that JIT is “filling the gap” by providing networks and mentors for young women pursuing their education and careers.

How can you help?

Just in Time is looking for women mentors for these young women. If you have time to share, Just in Time invites you to join them at their next Career Horizons Mixer on Saturday, June 25 from 2-4 p.m. at the Just in Time offices at 3878 Old Town Avenue, Second Floor). If you can attend, please RSVP to Don at 858-663-2081 or dwells@jitfosteryouth.org.

Blog post written by Women Give San Diego member, Renee Herrell, M.A., CFRE who writes a popular profit on nonprofit topics: reneeherrell.wordpress.com.

Women Give heads to LA to Lunch: Women's Foundation of California Momentum Awards

The Women’s Foundation of California (WFC) Momentum Awards was held on Friday, May 20, 2011 at the beautiful Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. Eleven Women Give members headed up to be part of this amazing luncheon. The theme of the event was echoed through Margaret Meade’s time honored words:

“Never doubt that a small group of dedicated committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

The Momentum Awards Luncheon was an inspiring event honoring incredible women who had made a major impact in elevating the status of women in California. As I sat in my seat and looked over the sea of women attendees, I was in awe of the intelligence, influence and poise in the room. It was stimulating to be sitting next to peers who were all determined to help their fellow women who live on the political, social and economic margin.

As a young philanthropist, I was surrounded by my future: women who had devoted their time, talent and treasure to making a difference in their community, state and world. I can’t wait to grow up.

(pictured: Jan Tuttleman, Bunmi Esho, Sheona Richardson, Lisa Swann, Linda Katz, Johanna Schiavoni, Renee Herrell, Sasha Clines, Debi Spindelman, Deirdre Maloney, Stacey Klaman)

The beautiful and talented Aisha Tyler (Ross’s girlfriend on Friends!) reigned supreme as the Mistress of Ceremonies, letting the audience know that if she mispronounced anyone’s name, they could come find her after the event to “hug it out.”

(pictured: Jan Tuttleman, Lisa Swann, Sheona Richardson, Bummi Esho)

Awardees

The California Healthy Nail Collaborative was given the “Groundbreaker” Award for their work to guarantee healthy and safe nail salons for workers and consumers and the right toxin-free cosmetics to all Californians. Julia Liou and Anuja Mendiratta, two WFC Women’s Policy Institute fellows, teamed up on state legislation advocating for safer personal care products that led them to gain more supporters to create the Collaborative. They reminded the audience to avoid using the “Toxic Trio” (di-n-butyl phthalate (DPB), formaldehyde and toluene) when visiting nail salons.

California State Senator Carol Liu was given the “Changemaker” Award for championing the health and safety of California’s girls, women and families. As a devoted mother, she began volunteering for the PTA and ended up being the first Asian American woman ever elected to the California State Senate. Senator Liu is a powerful partner to the Women’s Foundation of California in advocating for women and girls.

Jacqueline Caster was given the “Trailblazer” Award for starting the Everychild Foundation, a group of 200 women who give $1 million a year to Los Angeles children in need. They have been instrumental by providing grants to renovate and expand a counseling center for abused children, a universally accessible playground for youth with disabilities, and helped construct a facility for an after-school program for at-risk teens. In her speech, there was an undeniable pride in her work and humility in being honored for her work. I was so impressed by her energy and spirit for her work and what she and a (not so small) group of women were able to accomplish.

Keynote Speaker

The event was closed out by keynote speaker, Peggy Orenstein, author of “Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the new Girlie-Girl Culture.” In raising her daughter, Daisy, she was horrified to discover the pink girlie girl culture that delivers superficial messages to young girls about the way they should dress, act and style themselves.

(pictured: Renee Herrell Debi Spindelman, Sasha Clines)

I walked away from the event feeling a quiet gratitude for women who are changing the world with their actions, words and spirit and feeling honored to play be a small part through Women Give in helping make a difference in the lives of women in California.

Blog post written by Women Give San Diego member, Renee Herrell, M.A., CFRE who writes a popular profit on nonprofit topics: reneeherrell.wordpress.com

A very special thank you to Debi Spindelman for the incredible (and professional!) photos.

WGSD Member Promotions: Amy Harmon and Lenise Andrade

Amy Harmon

Amy Harmon has been named Director of Development for the College of Education at SDSU. She's been a front-line fundraiser for over 11 years and most recently served as the Director of Major and Planned Gifts for Senior Community Centers, a national model organization serving low-income seniors in San Diego. Prior to that, she served as the Associate Director of Special Giving at UC San Diego. While she’s been involved in a variety of development endeavors, including serving as the Executive Director for an Appalachian women's organization that was featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show," the majority of her experience has been at Berea College, a prestigious small private liberal arts college for low-income students located in Berea, Kentucky. There, she led a team of gift officers that traveled nationally and contributed towards the College’s annual revenue of over $26 million and robust endowment of over $1 billion. Amy is a graduate of Berea College and has a B.A. in sociology and a minor in communications. She proudly serves on Women Give San Diego's grants and membership committees.

Lenise Andrade

Lenise Andrade has recently joined the team at WiLDCOAST, as their Director of Development, bringing her 9 years of fundraising experience for nonprofit organizations, specializing in conservation organizations. She worked for Heal the Bay in Los Angeles and moved to San Diego in 2007 to join the fundraising team at the San Diego Zoo, where she was part of their Major Gifts team for over 3 years. She most recently was the Director of Development for ArtPower! at UC San Diego. With a degree in English from the University of Southern California, Lenise spent several years as a teacher before entering the nonprofit sector. She is a former board member of and very active in the local chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) and is also part of the Education committee at Women Give San Diego. She is excited to join the WiLDCOAST team, and help build a strong and active donor base to expand their conservation programs.

Sheona Richardson

Sheona Richardson has been promoted to Director, Annual Giving and External Relations at Senior Community Centers, a national model organization serving low-income seniors in San Diego. In her new role, Sheona will oversee the organization’s annual fund, marketing and public relations, Heroes Circle donor club and grants management. She has been a member of Senior Community Centers Development team for the past 5 years and previously held the position of Senior Development Officer. Sheona is an active member of Women Give San Diego, serving on the grants and membership committees.

Women Give Goes to the Capital

Women Give San Diego members, Stacey Klaman and Johanna Schiavoni, travelled up to Sacramento to participate in the Women’s Foundation of California’s (WFC) Legislative Action day on May 3 and 4, 2011. Stacey (pictured, center) was kind enough to report back on her experience.

WPI fellows pictured: Tiffany Eng (left) and Gwendy Donaker Brown (right)

Why did you join Women Give San Diego (WGSD)?

I joined WGSD because its mission aligned with what I am passionate about--helping low-income women and their children achieve economic sustainability. I was looking for an organization that had determination to leverage it's power and resources, catalyze partnerships, and become a force for change in the lives of these women. I was also interested in joining an organization whose members are generous with their time, ideas, and are actively working to improve the lives of women and girls through public policy, advocacy, and public education. I wrote to The Women's Foundation of California and they connected me with WGSD.

Why did you go to WFC's Legislative Action Day?

My career in education publishing, developing national and state specific social studies and science programs for K-12 students, has spanned more than two decades. And while I have written countless lessons on "How a Bill Becomes a Law" or "How Local, State, and National Government Works", I've never had occasion to witness government in action. When I heard about Legislative Action Day, I realized that this was a chance to implement what I've spent part of my career writing about. In addition, the ability to advocate for an assembly bill that, if passed, would help women and their families throughout the state of California was a golden opportunity I could not pass up. So I joined fellow WGSD member, Johanna Schiavoni for this exciting event.

On Tuesday, May 3, the WFC and Women's Policy Institute held a Legislative Reception in Sacramento. Judy Patrick welcomed everyone with her opening remarks. Then the Foundation presented awards to Assembly Member Jim Beall, Jr., long-time champion for women; Assembly Member Fiona Ma, who has authored groundbreaking legislation to protect young children from dangerous chemicals; and Human Services Consultant Nicole Vazquez, who serves on the California State Assembly Budget Committee. The reception was followed by a smaller hosted dinner with WFC and Institute staff to honor Senator Carol Liu.

What bills did you present? Who did you talk to? What was the response?

The WFC's Webinar and subsequent conference calls and other materials helped to prepare Johanna and me for Legislative Action Day.

Along with WFC staff, board members, and members of other WFC donor circles, we met with Women’s Policy Institute (WPI) fellows on the morning of May 4th. Women's Policy Institute is a yearlong program of training retreats in Sacramento hosted by the Women’s Foundation of California, to teach women activists (i.e. fellows) and grassroots organizations how to successfully negotiate the labyrinth of Sacramento.

Johanna had joined the Criminal Justice Team and I had joined the Economic Justice Team (EJT). WPI fellows Gwendy Donaker Brown and Tiffany Eng led the EJT and I traveled with them and another volunteer, WFC board member, Lise Paul throughout the afternoon. The team was advocating for Assembly Bill 828: Nutrition Assistance for Families Act, authored by Assembly Member Sandree R. Swanson. In a nutshell, AB 828 would require California to opt out of the lifetime federal ban from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh) benefits for persons convicted of a felony involving controlled substances.

Let me sidetrack for a moment to provide some brief, but important, background information that will illuminate the importance of AB 828. The Federal welfare law imposes a lifetime ban on anyone convicted of a drug-related felony from receiving federally funded SNAP benefits. The law prohibits individuals from receiving benefits for the rest of their lives, even if they have completed their sentence, have overcome their addiction, or have earned a certificate of rehabilitation or other form of clemency. States that wish to opt out of the ban must go through their own legislative process, and, to date, about 16 states and the District if Columbia have done so.

On the morning of May 5th, Gwendy and Tiffany received some good news—AB 828 passed Assembly Appropriations. In the afternoon the four of us met with Diane Shelton, Legislative Director for 44th District Assembly Member Anthony Portantino. Shelton was very much aware of AB 828, and assured us that the Assembly Member was in favor of the bill.

We also met with Miriam Barcellona Ingenito, Deputy Director, Legislation in the Department of Finance. Ingenito shared concerns the Department had about the bill so the team could strategize and take action on how to keep this bill moving forward.

Here are the next steps. The Bill will go to the Assembly Floor and if it passes it will then go to the Senate Policy Committee followed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, and then to the Senate Floor. Finally, around September it will go to the Governor, assuming it passes each prior step. So basically, at the moment the Bill has passed through 2 of 7 steps.

What did you learn? What was your favorite moment/experience?

I found the day to be energizing. On a personal note, this day had tremendous meaning for me because it was empowering to finally be able to lift a set of words, we often take for granted, off the pages of history and put them into real-world context “ . . . government of the people, by the people, and for the people. . . .” To me these words mean having a passion for what you believe in and an unwavering belief in the process. I witnessed this passion and belief in Gwendy and Tiffany.

As State Senator Dede Alpert and Nikki Clay counseled the WGSD membership during our April 4th meeting, reaching out to form relationships with legislators and, sometimes more importantly, their staffers is critical to the legislative process. Gwendy and Tiffany demonstrated how to effectively advocate by having well choreographed presentations that highlighted particular aspects of AB 828. They remained focused and on topic, and provided opportunities for Lise and me to impress upon those we met with that we felt so strongly about AB 828 that we flew up to Sacramento for the day to make this known. I think this sent a powerful message that this issue matters to women around California.

Next Steps:

Here are some action steps that Gwendy suggests for WGSD members, their family, and friends.

There is an immediate call to action. Because AB 828 will be heard on the Assembly Floor soon (date TBD), call your Assembly Member to let them know you support AB 828. You can click here to find your elected representatives, http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html.

Continue supporting the bill this summer: As the bill moves forward (hopefully) to the Senate and to the Governor, we ask you to either call or write specific elected officials to show your support (either your reps or committee chairs).

Please expect communication from us around June/July for Senate and September for the Governor. IMPORTANT: If you represent an organization/group and are able to support the bill “on behalf” of your organization this is more impactful so please consider asking your organization if you are able.

I am going to be following up with Gwendy throughout the summer and would be happy to keep everyone posted.