Womens Funding Network

Many of you have acquired wealth or aspire to, by creating value in an enterprise as a business owner, or executive, or elite professional. Some statistics from the US Department of Labor bear mentioning so that you get some perspective on just how far Women have come in their pursuit of Financial Independence:

• Women account for over 48 percent of the wealth in the US
  
• Almost half of all medical students are Women;
• Over 35 percent of all MBA students are Women:
• Nearly 48 percent of all law school students are Women
• The number of women-owned businesses has grown at twice the national average in the last two years:
• The US Senate has 16 Women, and The House has 71 Women:
• Women hold executive-level positions in 49 out of 50 state governments

The recent financial crisis has seen a slowdown in funding for small business, as well as large corporations, however there are resources available for women who are seeking funding and support. One of these that also has a socially responsible mission is the Womens Funding Network. Their upcoming conference at the end of April will bring together leaders from women’s funds and beyond to share innovative strategies for raising and managing resources, articulating impact and achieving lasting social return.

Whether you have been successful at running your own business, or a large corporation, make sure your personal Financial Goals fit into a broader Social Biography. Women are rising fast as leaders in Government and Corporate America. It has been an uphill battle, and there is still work to be done. Support each other in the fight. Change is coming - and now you have the statistics to prove it.

Until next post, continue to believe,achieve, receive. SDG - JBHIV

Lifestyle Lifters: Hometown She-roes!

Those of you who I know follow this blog in the US and other countries around the world may not be able to take immediate advantage of what I am about to share with you. There is, however, deeper meaning, and a call to action contained herein. Women of Wealth have a tremendous opportunity to make a difference. Their capacity, when combined with a strong Moral Compass, creates a Social Biography that can influence and motivate others and solve real problems in our society - local and global.

A case in point are the efforts of two local women here in New Canaan, Carolyn Williams and Barbara Davis, who watched with growing concern this last year as the number of vacant stores seemed to rise and their friends increasingly shopped out of town to save money. Davis a former lawyer and Williams a former sales trader at Morgan Stanley, pooled their brain power to come up with a way to save their town. Last October, they launched Ib.l.a.s.t., an acronym for “I Buy Local and Shop in Town”. The Ib.l.a.s.t. card rewards local residents for shopping in New Canaan stores through special deals and savings incentives.

Now, barely 5 months later, more than 65 merchants are participating, 600-plus cards have been sold; and 7 nonprofits are fundraising with iblast. Plus, Barbara and Carolyn have started an online local exchange (a la craigslist) that connects you with goods, services and recommendations from other people in the town. Other towns are contacting them to see if similar services can be set up in their communities.

Their success is a prime example of how we can make a difference in the lives of others. Beyond the obvious commercial success this brings to store owners and communities, Iblast helps non-profits raise money during a period of increasingly shrinking donations.

In Carolyn's own words: "One of the reasons we started Iblast is to give non-profits a way to raise money in this economy. Over the course of the last 10 years volunteering in town, we have witnessed a decline in the local merchant's ability to support the non-profits in town. We wanted to come up with something that would help raise money for the non-profits and help support our local merchants at the same time. 11 non profits are already fundraising with Iblast but we have only scratched the surface".

Hats off to our local Hometown "She-roes"! If any of you out there in the blogosphere have other stories of how Women of Wealth are making a difference, let me know and I will pass them along in future lifestyle lifter posts.

Until next post, continue to believe, achieve, receive. SDG - JBHIV