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November 2022

Letter from our President, Sheila Collier

I am excited to begin my term as WGA president. As I begin, I first want to recognize Jan Healy for her tireless efforts as our president for the past two years. Her dedication and leadership have positioned our organization to focus forward strongly and boldly. Jan, we thank you!

One of my goals this year is to grow a larger, more diverse membership. Membership is the life blood of our Circle. An obvious benefit to growth is that the more members we have, the more dollars are contributed, and the more grants we can award to serve women and girls! We currently have 446 members.I f only one-half of us recruited a new member, we would have $245,000 more for our grants!

Our Member Survey revealed that most of us are members because of a personal ask or invitation to an event. I am one of those people who joined right after attending an Annual Meeting. I enthusiastically challenge you to think of just one person you could talk with about WGA. Put her name in your calendar or in your reminder app on your phone. Then invite her to an upcoming Advocacy, Connector or Education event. Make the ask – it works!

Another important benefit to increasing membership is the enhanced diversity that each member brings to our Circle. Think for a minute about a beautiful tapestry you have seen. Picture the many colors, all different shades, light to dark woven together to make something beautiful and strong.

It's tough to tear a tapestry because the individual threads form a bond - made strong by their individual contribution combined with others. I believe that's what a diverse membership does for us – it will make us stronger and more even more beautiful than we are today.

I strongly believe that the ability to give is both a gift and a responsibility. Thank you for this gift…this responsibility.

Warmly,

WGA Welcomes New Leadership Team

November begins an exciting new year for WGA. New officers introduced at the recent Annual Meeting are:
Sheila Collier, President
Sabeen Perwaiz, Vice-President
Rachael Mueller, Vice-President
Susan Rodgers, Secretary
Barbara Finke, Treasurer

Follow these links for a complete list of Steering Committee members and Committee Chairs.

And a BIG Thank You to our outgoing leadership:

Barbara Barrett, At-Large Member
Rachael Tutwiler Fortune, At-Large Member
Ann-Marie Knight, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Co-Chair
Mary Pietan, Past President/Nominating Chair
Linda Simmons, Grants Leadership Team Co-Chair
Wanda Willis, Membership Co-Chair

If you are interested in getting more involved in a Committee or be a part of our Grant-making process, please email Sheila at wga.sheilacollier@gmail.com.

New Grant Criteria Announced

WGA listens to our grantees! At the Agency Convening event last summer, we heard loudly and clearly that organizations are struggling to recruit and maintain quality staff and to provide basic services to clients. As a result, criteria for this year's grant funding, as announced at last month's Annual Meeting, will be as follows: WGA will offering one-time grants for agencies whose primary mission is to serve women and/or girls in northeast Florida. Agencies may apply for a grant in one of two focus areas (but not both): or the other of the focus areas but not both: workforce support OR for client basic needs support. These one-year grants will be capped at $50,000. and should not berequested for pilot programs or start-ups.

Workforce Support Grants: WGA recognizes that a well-staffed, healthy, supported workforce is critical to achieving an agency's core mission to support women and girls in northeast Florida. To provide adequate staffing support to meet agency's core missions, grants may include, but not limited to:

Recruitment
Retention
Recognition
Professional development
Other types of recruitment and retention supports
Pandemic-related mental health supports

Client Support Grants are open to either 1) nonprofit organizations with a primary mission to serve women and/or girls in northeast Florida or 2) prior WGA grant recipients offering a program serving women and/or girls. These grants will support those living in poverty or experiencing temporary financial hardships.

Examples of eligible grants include, but not limited to:

Short-term housing assistance
Food and/or transportation costs
Childcare
Physical and mental health services
Additional wrap-around needs for clients

Based on our research and agency feedback, this 2023 funding decision will be once again enthusiastically received by our agencies and we are thrilled to continue to help them move the needle!

WGA Supports Women Veterans

We recognize Veterans' Day this month, and WGA is proud to support Northeast Florida Women Veterans. This agency's goal is to provide women veterans with support and skills that lead to self-sufficiency.

WGA awarded a $50,000 grant to provide temporary housing at their facility in Duval County and to fund Operation HandUP, which provides financial assistance to women veterans.

"The increased rent in our area is currently a major challenge in moving women from temporary shelter to permanent housing and we’ve had to reevaluate the length of time clients spend in our shelter facility," said CEO Dee Quaranta. Between 65-70 women and their families will be impacted by the grant. "It's so rewarding to see clients smile and exhale when they receive help!"

Another Successful Annual Meeting in the Books!

Share WGA Membership for Giving Tuesday - November 29th!

To continue to advance our mission to further support women and girls in our community and inspire women to be strategic philanthropists, it's imperative we grow our WGA membership. We know that inviting others to join WGA is the best way to recruit members. So here's your chance, Giving Tuesday is the perfect time to share your message and recruit!

We have created a toolkit to help you share the message of WGA membership. Simply click this link to access the tools, messaging, graphics and instructions to easily share with your network through social media and email.

Event Postponed - Creating A Lasting Legacy

The event with John Zell, VP of Development for The Community Foundation, has been postponed. It was previously scheduled for November 18th.

Upcoming WGA Events

Through Our Eyes: Female Led Legacies

DEC 7, 2022 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM
LOCATION: RITZ THEATRE AND MUSEUM
Paying homage and embracing women who have come before us to help guide our path.
Price: $8 per attendee
Register.

WGA Grantmaking Process

JAN 12, 2023 | 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION: THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR NORTHEAST FLORIDA

Registration Coming Soon!

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