Bradley Angle
2021 Impact Partner, Bradley Angle, is hosting their first community event and fundraiser! The Albina Scavenger Hunt is a free event that will have participants visit 10 locations of historic Black importance in the Albina neighborhood and complete challenges to earn points for raffle prizes! Taking place March 18 - April 3.
New Governing Board Members Welcomed
We are pleased to welcome the following individuals to our Governing Board!
Improved Language Acknowledges and Welcomes Gender Complexity
Women’s collective giving circles began because women had not historically had a seat at the philanthropy table and felt they could make an impact in their community by pooling their resources and learning together. Since our founding we have been learning about gender and its complexity and are making changes to welcome other individuals who may also not have historically had a seat at the philanthropic table.
Want to Become an Impact Partner Liaison?
Ninety-nine girlfriends provides ongoing support to our impact partners throughout their grant period via our liaison team. Liaisons are a vital link between our membership and our impact partners, playing a critical role as ambassadors, advocates, and allies. We are currently recruiting for members to serve as liaisons for the incoming cohort of impact partners. Are you someone who loves being in conversation with new people, building connections, and gathering and sharing information? This could be a great outlet for you to represent ninety-nine girlfriends and work directly with our impact partners! For more information, contact Van, Impact Team Lead.
Fellows Applications Close Sunday, March 6
Some New Ways to Share ninety-nine girlfriends
We love getting great ideas from our members! A couple of Girlfriends said they would love to have easy-to-use materials to talk to other women about ninety-nine girlfriends. So we created them. Check out Barbara Hilyer’s video sharing the magic of ninety-nine girlfriends. Pip and Tammy host a fireside chat providing a first glimpse of who we are and what we do for those new to the organization. The next Member Update will provide some links to graphics and an FAQ sheet so check back for that next time. You can use these materials to host a small gathering with prospective members and invite them to join or you can share them by email with an invitation to learn more. Whatever works for you. If you have any feedback or requests for additional materials, please let Kaye know.
World Cafes are Coming!
It’s spring, so it is time for World Cafes! A World Cafe is a method for hosting and is one of our annual methods of recruiting new members. They are informative, fun, and interactive, and give potential members a high-level view of ninety-nine girlfriends. This year, we are having three World Cafes on Zoom. You can find a link to each one here on the ninety-nine girlfriends Events page. Please invite your friends, colleagues, or anyone else who might like to meet other amazing women while learning about ninety-nine girlfriends to attend. And, if you would be interested in facilitating a small-group discussion at one (or all) of the World Cafes, please let Kaye know. Current members are always welcome to attend with prospective members.
Volunteer Spotlight
CAROLINE MCDONALD
What brought you to ninety-nine girlfriends? I first heard about ninety-nine girlfriends while hiking with a friend. She knew a woman who was a girlfriend and who raved about the organization. I wasn't in a financial position to fully contribute at the time but was intrigued by the concept of a women-led collective giving circle. I looked it up online and came across ninety-nine girlfriend's Fellows Program. I loved how the fellowship not only made the organization and its mission more accessible for young women but also included a mentoring and educational component. I applied a month later and was accepted!
Learn More About Black History
The African American Ladies of Lake Oswego. and Surrounding Areas, Respond to Racism, L.O. for Love and the Lake Oswego Library team have put together an outstanding program for Black History Month. The activities are available at www.lopl.org/bhm. Download the Black History Passport and find all the new books and activities for every age group and storytime for children. This year they made an extra effort to highlight Black inventors and scientists, using the website founded by Quintard Taylor of Seattle WA: https://www.blackpast.org/?s=Black+inventors
To view the list of Black-owned businesses, go to www.respondtoracism.org. At the bottom of the passport, you will be able to make your suggestions to add for next year. Feel free to share these resources with friends, family, schools and your local libraries.
Contribute To Our Social Media Campaign
If you’re on social media you may have seen our “Why I came… Why I stayed…” campaign or our love and magic campaign. We’d love to have more submissions coming through our membership deadline. Is this a way you can contribute to our collective membership recruitment? If so, send a photo and your response to one of the following prompts to Tammy (along with your social media handles) and we’ll get you in the queue! Social media is only as good as its content so help us rock it with your submission.
Bring in a New Member
Great news spreads by word of mouth and ninety-nine girlfriends has always been a collective recruiting organization (along with collective giving and collective learning). Members invite other women to become members. We need your help to spread the word about ninety-nine girlfriends and to invite people to a virtual World Cafe conversation or our March 31 event Being Human Together with Coty Raven Morris. Watch for more information on World Cafes in our next issue of Member Updates.
Renew for 2022!
Saying Goodbye to Our Girlfriends
New Girlfriends Fund Bolsters Inclusion Efforts
The Girlfriends Fund, new this year, paves the way to membership if the $1,100 fee is a barrier to participation. The member pays $550 and The Girlfriends Fund covers the remaining $550. Contributions from individuals and members who support inclusion make this fund possible.
Resources are limited. If this program will make your membership possible, we encourage you to join today. Questions should be directed to Membership
Fellows Applications are Open
Our Fellows Program, launched in 2017, invites young women ages 20-35 to bring diverse voices and perspectives to our collective grant-making. The three-years-long program is for women residing in our four-county region (Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah, and Washington counties) who demonstrate a commitment to learning about philanthropy and deepening their awareness of our region’s needs. They receive complimentary access to all ninety-nine girlfriends' events, a mentor, and a professional development series created just for them. Additional details can be found HERE.
ninety-nine girlfriends Plans In-person Events for 2022
With fingers and toes crossed, we are hopeful that things will continue to improve in the pandemic and we may be able to offer some in-person events in 2022! Stay tuned to your Member Updates for more info as things develop, and let us know if YOU are interested in joining the Events Team to help us create opportunities for our members to gather in person - in case you forgot, that is part of the magic of ninety-nine girlfriends!
Let’s Be Human Together - While We Wait to Be Able to Gather Together
Registration is now open for our first event of the year! Being Human Together with Coty Raven Morris is a collaborative project of your Racial Equity, Membership, and Member Education committees. Coty (who we met at our 2021 Awards Celebration) will help us embark on a conversation about identity and how we can find points of connection that draw us together rather than split us apart.
Volunteer Spotlight
LORI RUX & ANN DODDS
Have you ever wondered how the magic happens when you log into your directory or who processes your contribution? Well, the answer is the incredible duo of Lori and Ann. Every organization needs a strong, dependable foundation and these two Girlfriends are part of that foundation. We thought you might enjoy learning a little more about them…
The 2022 Fellows Applications Is Now Open!
Our Fellows program, launched in 2017, invites young women ages 20-35 to bring diverse voices and perspectives to our collective grant-making. The three-years-long program is for women residing in our four-county region (Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah, and Washington counties) who demonstrate a commitment to learning about philanthropy and deepening their awareness of our region’s needs. A Fellow’s membership contribution is partially subsidized, at decreasing levels over the three years. Fellows receive complimentary access to all ninety-nine girlfriends' events, a mentor, and a professional development series created just for them. The application is open for only six weeks. Additional details can be found HERE.
Join by December 31st and be entered in the raffle!
Help us reach our goal of 100 girlfriends by December 31, 2021! Our overall goal is 500 Girlfriends and if we stay on track with 100 renewals or new Members per month we can get there. To encourage you to help us reach this first goal, we have an incentive for you. It’s a raffle for a basket overflowing with goodies from all around PDX. Coffee, doughnuts, pilates, flowers, plants, fly fishing and more!