I’ve been working with Washington Area Women’s Foundation for a number of years in my role as director of development and volunteer services at one of their Grantee Partner organizations, Alternative House.
As I prepare to leave this position and take on a new one with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, I couldn’t help but reflect on what the partnership with The Women’s Foundation has meant for the development of Alternative House as an organization, and for my professional development as well, over the years.
I have really enjoyed working with The Women’s Foundation. I have benefited from some very valuable Grantee Partner workshops, got to attend the Leadership Luncheon last year (which was very powerful), and wrote and received an Open Door Capacity Fund grant.
The Women’s Foundation is a wonderful resource for nonprofits like us. I am grateful for all that they have done.
One of the workshops I attended was on communications, specifically communicating with the media. One of the presenters was a former reporter who now runs a communications consulting company. She helped us see into the mind of the reporter and the tactics they use to get the information they need on deadline, and gave us tips for responding to reporters so we can ensure our facts are right and we maintain our credibility.
A few weeks ago, a staff member at The Women’s Foundation reviewed our corporate statement. The suggestions were invaluable. We have since redone the statement, presented it to our board last week and received good feedback from them.
The help from The Women’s Foundation really made a tremendous difference for us!
Karen Horowitz was formerly the director of development and volunteer services at Alternative House, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation. Currently, she is the development officer for the Virginia chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
