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Giving Women Ten Year Impact Report

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Empowering women to empower women Ten Years of Impact 2009 to 2019 1

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How we work The power of one and the magic of many I wish there were more organisations like Giving Women where informed advocates and champions give their skills and their time to magnify the impact of NGO programs Helen Operation Fistula Giving Women Empowering women to support women focused projects around the world How we work The power of one and the magic of many Support women focused projects and organisations Giving Women provides support to women focused organisations and projects We offer them our professional network s diverse knowledge expertise and experience Based on the needs of the projects we form teams called Project Circles composed of members with appropriate knowledge and skills The Project Circles provide technical expertise and advise on strategic development helping projects to become more robust efficient and impactful Create awareness of women s Issues We organise public events that highlight the most pressing issues facing women and girls and the grassroots organisations around the world that address them These include panel discussions film screenings and our annual conference Topics have included access to health women and technology prisons and genderbased violence Professionalise philanthropy We build the skills and knowledge required to engage in more effective philanthropy For our members and the wider community we provide an ongoing educational programme which includes hands on workshops to build and apply new skills and best practices in the management of social benefit organisations associations foundations NGOs or social businesses We cover topics such as governance fundraising and impact management The workshops often led by members provide an opportunity to share and strengthen our skills Our regular networking events create opportunities for women to inspire each other and to build synergies for greater impact 2 i m pa c t report 3

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Giving Women in numbers Giving Women is a membership association founded in 2009 330 members in total 800 attendees annually at our public events since 2018 Where our projects are based events 45 awareness raising such as panel discussions film screenings 6 and our annual conference 2 14 events 69 networking such as our monthly informal lunches to promote sharing of experiences and greater collaboration 13 2 40 projects supported for up to 24 months each workshops 38 practical to provide tools for effective philanthropy since 2015 3 global In 2019 we had 158 members 40 have been with Giving Women for over 3 years 4 5

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I Giving Women s impact on initiatives supporting vulnerable women and girls Giving Women members form small groups called Project Circles that work with the supported projects coordinators called Project Owners Organisational development needs are agreed upon based on an initial evaluation process and a detailed consultation Through an online survey and telephone interviews in April 2020 Project Owners provided feedback about how Giving Women has added value to their work According to Project Owners our most significant areas of contribution have included Strengthening leadership capacities To have a group of true partners who are invested in you your ideas and your organisation is a rare thing and one which has fundamentally enhanced both the work and my life having the strength passion and support of such phenomenal women driving me forward has been truly transformative Helen Operation Fistula I was young starting an NGO from scratch The Project Circle members helped me with their management experience and fresh perspectives to think about my work and potential risks Having a group of women who believed in me with whom I could discuss and receive inputs was valuable Besides the technical support they were role models for me Erin Shibashi Schools 6 Identifying organisational development needs and sharpening strategic plans Finding the general direction that Blossom Trust should be taking in the following years Understanding the strengths of the organisation and how to use them correctly Josien Blossom Trust Giving Women gave me the ability to take a step back and troubleshoot identifying the fragilities of the project on the ground It allowed me to recognise the importance of building partnerships Joy Union nationale des associations des femmes handicap es du Burkina Governance Very good suggestions in terms of governance of the organisation Zuhra Midwifery Capacity building in Afghanistan Communications Strategy Giving Women helped us publish our first Annual Report and since then we have been doing one every year which is appreciated by our stakeholders Meenu Women on Wheels Giving Women s contribution helped to shape ZMD communication in a clear and consistent manner Veronique Zero Mothers Die Fundraising Strategy and Networking Giving Women has made a strong difference for Women for Development in terms of helpful connections to the right people Manushak Women for Development i m pa c t report 7

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Project Circles When do we add the most value to projects Distilling the key lessons learned from the survey results we found that project circles are most successful when There is a strong commitment to the process from both the Project Owner and Giving Women Project Circle members The Project Owner is developing or implementing a sustainable fundraising strategy and not focused on shortterm funding There is clarity and mutual agreement on the objectives and the scope of the support The Project Owner has an open and flexible mindset and is eager to consider new approaches The Project Owner has access to the relevant skills knowledge and cultural understanding of Giving Women members beyond the Project Circle 96 Giving Women formed a Project Circle in 2015 for D couvrir an organisation that empowers qualified immigrant women to integrate professionally in francophone Switzerland The Project Owner Roc o Restrepo commented The Circle delivered huge benefits both short and long term The dedicated well qualified Project Circle members contributed strategic thinking which made a vital difference to the development of our mission statement and plans valuable editing to make our fund raising documentation more effective local networking which provided internships and employment to our beneficiaries and training sessions adapted to the needs of our staff and volunteers After the Circle s work had concluded the connections made through it resulted in significant funding and a continuing relationship with employers while one of the Circle members chose to continue as a mentor for us Project Owners found Giving Women s contribution helpful of which 70 found it very helpful 28 respondents 70 response rate Specific areas of support in numbers The proportion of Project Owners that rated specific areas of support very helpful 74 Sounding board 67 Overall organisational development 67 Communications strategy 59 Strategic development 48 Fundraising Strategy 8 41 Governance 37 Organisational Structure 37 Marketing 33 Raising Money 19 Monitoring evaluation Giving Women created a Project Circle in 2017 to support the Centre for Girls Education an organisation that focuses on the education of girls in Nigeria Project Owner Habiba Mohammed commented The enthusiasm and expertise of Giving Women members was priceless Their challenging questions led me to take a critical look at our management and address weaknesses This resulted in a stronger board and the creation of a strategic plan Since doing this work the resulting improvement has enabled our expansion into 5 states 9

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II Giving Women s impact on members the wider community Members and non members who have participated in our activities provided feedback on the value of Giving Women for them through a survey in April 2020 They found great value in access to a community of like minded women from various backgrounds an in depth programme about key issues facing women and girls and the tools to effectively support projects that seek to address them Moreover respondents found rich learning opportunities stemming from selecting projects taking part in Project Circles and contributing to a workshop or other community event Through these ways and more Giving Women was seen as an organisation that enables its members and friends to take action and improve the lives of women and girls In their own words Inspiration for philanthropic action Meeting women who came from different professional horizons and were active in philanthropy inspired me I gained in self confidence and finally decided to engage in pro bono activities That s the best thing I ever did Nathalie Giving Women is a network with a warm soul There is this true desire for personal investment in sharing whatever we have that may be of use to others Gisella 10 Recognition of the wealth of personal skills and experience we have to contribute For me the most important aspect has been to be involved in a project where I can feel I could use my professional skill set and make a positive impact Sabrina Capitalising on collaboration It has helped me make strategic and personal connections that now help me in strengthening my philanthropic structure having clearer thoughts on what I have to do and which impact I want to have Morgane Capitalising on new skills and knowledge Opportunities to contribute to projects that positively impact on the lives of women I ve learned an awful lot about world issues impactful solutions complex social challenges I am always learning mainly through the projects conferences and learning agenda the workshops and also through other members Colleen The opportunity to give some of what society has invested in me to those who are less privileged Elisabeth I very much appreciate the direct first hand advice about what works and what doesn t and how to develop strategies for ensuring success Pamela Insight into grassroots projects that help women in need I like the sense of engagement with issues that are not necessarily at the forefront of news but real issues affecting the health education rights and prosperity of women all over the world Anna Understanding more the realities facing grassroots organizations and their own blocks to growth or further impact Joan I think the annual conference is a wonderful event for Giving Women to address major issues impacting women and girls Kristen i m pa c t report 11

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Giving Women s value to its members in numbers Very valuable Valuable Joining a community of like minded women 68 Learning more about issues a ecBng women 27 58 Gaining inspiraBon to do more to help others 34 53 Having the opportunity to contribute to women focused projects Giving Women gives me the opportunity to give back offer my skills and bring my added value even if limited sometimes to help women in need across the world and at my very very limited scale to help building a better world I also meet some wonderful GW members and learn from them Concetta Being part of Giving Women has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the NGO sector Coming from the private sector it s been a unique experience to learn how an NGO operates and to understand the differences between both sectors Also it has given me ideas as to how the sectors could collaborate for mutual benefit Jenny 36 49 36 Making useful professional connecBons 33 Recognizing that you have skills experience to support projects 33 46 Developing skills for your profession or and philanthropy 35 42 54 I am learning a great deal and feel I am doing something worthwhile My personal philanthropy has significant cross fertilisation with my Giving Women work I encourage women to join because I think membership gives a unique opportunity for personal development friendship and valuable service VIcky Very valuable Valuable 68 I now intern at the ITC where I put into practice all the things that were spoken about in the workshop on Social Impact Management I am using these skills to help develop my Foundation in Colombia to help children and youth in very marginalised communities to get off the streets and onto the football field Oriana 58 54 53 49 46 My opinion about philanthropy and its reach was sceptical until I became a member of Giving Women Being a member has given me an opportunity to look at the peak from the other side of the mountain I have been blessed enough to see first hand the effort and passion that goes into the work done by the other members and beyond Hellen 42 35 33 33 36 36 34 27 12 13

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III Giving Women s collaboration with other organisations to support women focused projects Pascale de la Fr gonni re Giving Women collaborates with philanthropic organisations to highlight women focused grassroots projects and to encourage a greater flow of resources towards them In the survey our collaborators stated that Giving Women gave them a greater awareness of women s issues and provided valuable introductions to a network of pre vetted projects to support In their own words I have learned so much over the years and feel a sense of community with the Giving Women members I feel you do a wonderful job at facilitating exchange and support between members and providing platforms for us to meet and learn from each other Linda Greenlamp I changed careers after doing a Giving Women project circle into impact investing and now as a grant manager Giving Women still connects me with high impact organisations to fund Colleen J P Morgan Global Philanthropy Lindsey Nefesh Clarke When Cartier Philanthropy started operations in Geneva in 2013 we came to meet with Giving Women and benefited greatly from their expertise in the field of philanthropy and connections among high performing nonprofits operating in developing countries Giving Women has regularly facilitated numerous encounters discussions and briefings with its high powered network of NGOs Cartier Philanthropy has developed a strong portfolio of data driven and results oriented organizations I continue to enjoy a personal relationship with the Giving Women team our thoughtful exchanges based on shared respect and trust feed my ambition to improve our social impact as a responsible funder Giving Women s support enabled W4 to establish new partnerships and programmes for women s and girls empowerment at the grassroots level Giving Women s support meant W4 could grow generate substantial revenues for programmes and raise our profile internationally Its exceptional leadership has brought together a cross sector network of individuals and organisations dedicated to a broad spectrum of women s issues Its inclusive collaborative approach facilitates dialogue and exchange of best practice Its unwavering focus on achieving impact for women and girls especially the most vulnerable is exemplary 14 i m pa c t report 15

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Message from the Founder Giving Women thanks Looking back over the ten years of Giving Women it is really heartening to see the community that we have become The engagement commitment and professionalism of the Giving Women members in supporting our projects helping them to become robust and impactful has gone beyond my expectations The generosity of our community in providing educational workshops giving us the tools skills and confidence to help us to be truly effective and efficient philanthropists never ceases to amaze me It has been a privilege to bring together many of the people and organisations working on the front lines of women s issues to help us understand the innumerable challenges they face and to give us hope through the outstanding solutions collaborations and approaches they highlight during our panel discussions screenings and annual conferences None of this could have happened without an Executive Committee and several long standing members who have generously offered their wisdom leadership and energy to Giving Women enabling us to grow into the organisation we are today During the Covid 19 confinement Giving Women has recognized the power of technology to spread its reach to an even broader public bringing together exceptional organisations and women from every corner of the world and creating new collaborations and synergies Giving Women was created in the belief that each one of us whoever we are wherever we are has the power to make a difference but also recognises that together we are unstoppable Thank you for the last 10 years and please join us for the next Atalanti Moquette May 2020 The author The designer Giving Women staff Giving Women staff Dr Tanya Murphy Kathleen Holmlund Ana Salac Nathalie Caminade The Impact Report steering group Giving Women members Atalanti Moquette Beatrice Schulter Elianna Sabbag Moquette Georgia Ellis Filice Nadir Fran a Noemi Nagy Tamar Gabelnick and Vicky Maltby who conducted interviews and provided invaluable suggestions All our members friends and Project Owners that contributed so generously by responding to our survey and interview questions Join the Giving Women Network For more information www givingwomen ch www linkedin com company giving women www facebook com giving women twitter com givingwomen contactinfo givingwomen ch 16 17

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