WOMEN'S FUND December 2018 E-NEWS
Starting Point 2.0 and EmpowHER Programs Celebrate New and Continued Success
On Wednesday, December 5, the Women's Fund had much to celebrate! The third class of students graduated from Starting Point 2.0 and the first class graduated from the new EmpowHER program. Both are designed to help women ages 18-29 with financial planning skills, empowerment and career planning. The goal of the programs is to prepare participants to successfully complete post-secondary education, leading to family supporting jobs. 

Starting Point 2.0 is a collaboration between the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region, Fox Valley Technical College and B.A.B.E.S. Inc. Child Abuse Prevention Program. It uses a two-generational approach to address and meet the needs of the family together. Topics such as life and family strengthening skills, how to overcome mental and emotional hurdles, opportunities for employment, and how to prepare for career and college success, among many others, are part of the coursework. While mothers were attending classes, their young children received age appropriate early childhood education at B.A.B.E.S. EmpowHER covers the same empowerment topics but is geared for women who are not parents.

Five women with a total of 7 children graduated from Starting Point 2.0 and an additional 4 women successfully completed EmpowHER. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for these bright and determined young women.
Find more information on this program and the Young Women's Initiative, on the Women's Fund  website .  

If you would like to support Women's Fund programs like Starting Point 2.0 and EmpowHER, we invite you to Invest In Her by making a gift to the Women's Fund today!

Philanthropy Matters
Save the Date! 
Philanthropy Matters
March 7, 2019
Butte des Morts Country Club

Save the date and join us for an inspiring and educational afternoon. Program details and registration information for Philanthropy Matters  (formerly the Women's Philanthropy Forum) will be available mid-January.
Women's Fund Project Grant Deadline
Grant Deadline:
Friday, January 4, 2019

Nonprofit organizations wishing to apply for a grant from the Women's Fund must submit a preliminary application by 4:00 pm on January 4, 2019.

Grant materials including the preliminary application, guidelines and important dates can be found on our website .

Questions? Contact Amanda Louden at 920.830.1290 or grants@womensfundfvr.org .
Spotlight on Girls' Grantmaking Project
Submitted by: Michelle Dejno
The Women’s Fund, like so many other nonprofit organizations that inspire change in our community, not only benefits the recipients of the programs it funds, but enriches the lives of the community members who help make that possible. This couldn’t be truer for the participants in the Girls’ Grantmaking Project (GGP). This program originated in 2012 as a way to enlighten girls from area high schools about community needs, educate them in the process of making grants to community organizations and empowering them to make a direct and lasting impact on the lives of the beneficiaries of the grants they made.

Each year’s group of girls learns about philanthropy, issues affecting their own community and the importance of volunteerism in order to be a catalyst for change. The dynamics they experience by working with their peers, nonprofit agencies and strong leadership has been, in many cases, a life-changing experience. For many participants, this is their first exposure to such situations, and the dynamic interaction and sense of community empathy changes their outlook for life.

Status of Women in Northeast Wisconsin Report
Key Findings - Women in Poverty

  • More than half of all households in poverty in Northeast WI are headed by women (59%).

  • Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the households with minor children in poverty in the region are headed by single mothers.

  • The BEST Index estimates that child care costs become a family’s greatest expense once a family includes two young children.
Don't Miss Out Doubling Your Donation
If you or your spouse work for an organization with a company match program, and you  made a gift to the Women's Fund this year, you may be eligible to have that gift doubled! Don't miss out on making your gift work even harder. Employer gift matches are of significant importance to nonprofit organizations like the Women's Fund.

Contact  Jen  if you have any questions about your gift, or need donation verification.

If you haven't made your gift to the Women's Fund there is still time! You can make great things happen for local women and girls.  Donate today !
Year-End Stock Gifts
Did you know you can gift stock to the Women's Fund?

Giving securities may be appropriate if:
  • You own stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares that you have held at least one year.
  • Those securities have increased significantly in value.
  • Your financial advisor suggests you rebalance your portfolio.

Please be sure to let us know if you plan to make a gift of securities and we will be happy to give you (or your financial adviser) transfer instructions. To ensure your stock gift is completed by the end of the year, we recommend that you initiate the gift by December 14.  
 
IRA Rollovers - As a supporting organization of the Community Foundation, the Women's Fund cannot receive IRA Charitable Rollovers per IRS rules and regulations.

Consult your financial advisor for alternative ways you can support the Women's Fund.

Upcoming Events
January 4, 2019 | 4 pm
March 7, 2019
May 1, 2019
September 5, 2019
Preliminary Grant Applications Due
Philanthropy Matters
Grants Celebration
Women's Fund Luncheon
Women's Fund Board of Directors
Beth Bowers
Janelle Fuhrmann
Jenny Haas
Lori Hoersch
Lisa Jermain

Florence Makope
Sara Micheletti
Sarah Paulson
Irene Strohbeen
Marjorie M. Sutter
Amy Van Straten
Gina Vanden Heuvel
Kim Wetzel
Lora Zimmer