In today’s rundown: The Women’s Foundation names a new president | Startling new statistics highlighted by Defeat Poverty DC | The Women’s Club at the White House

– Washington Area Women’s Foundation has named a new president.  Nicola (Nicky) Goren will lead The Women’s Foundation forward in its efforts to help lift low-income women and girls out of poverty.  Click here for more details.

Personal reflections from women founders of the early giving circles are included in a new booklet just released by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Among the 18 interviews in Women’s Giving Circles: Reflections from the Founders is Lynn McNair’s story of her involvement with the African American Women’s Giving Circle at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

November 22, 2006, when I posted my first post to this blog, seems like a lifetime ago (not in a bad way).  And I know now that anyone who says that a job is just a job has never worked at The Women’s Foundation.

As journalists, my mom and I are often considered powerful women.

But we know that true power comes from much more than a job or a public voice. It stems from collective action and dedication to postive change–in ourselves, our families, our community and the world.

This spring, The Art League was fortunate enough to receive media assistance from The Hatcher Group thanks to The Women’s Foundation’s commitment to technical assistance and "beyond the check" support to its Grantee Partners.  Though our session with The Hatcher Group only lasted one hour, the impact has been far longer reaching.

I blinked and nine years went by.

Okay, my eyes were open most of the time, but it is truly hard to believe that it has been nine years since my first Washington Area Women’s Foundation board meeting in 2000.

You know how they say you should be the change you wish to see in the world?

Well, now you can make the change you want to see in the world for women and girls!

And, becoming a change agent for our region’s women and girls will only cost you your spare change!

There is something about being with a group of women and sharing the collective spirit of a common purpose that turns delight into magic and conversation into revelation.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a recruitment event of the African American Women’s Giving Circle. Though a little warm outside, the heat was no match for the cool conversation and comfort of good company.

If there’s a time to tackle the virtual frontier, it’s now.

DC Abortion Fund is a grassroots nonprofit that is 100 percent volunteer-run that provides financial assistance to low-income women who are seeking abortions but cannot afford the full cost of the procedure.  The dedicated people that keep the confidential hotline running do it on their lunch breaks and at dinnertime. 

A few weeks ago, a former staff member of The Women’s Foundation wrote us a thoughtful note in response to our annual report, wherein we’d explained that part of our reasoning for a shorter, more streamlined report was environmental concerns.  She rightly pointed out that our terminology regarding "going green" could be interpreted as misleading, unless The Women’s Foundation had truly adopted a full green strategy.