And the Chapter Survey Results Are …
Thank you for completing our annual chapter survey – we had an 88% response rate! Your responses provide us with valuable information about the status of our chapters, and they ensure that we have up-to-date information to share with prospective new members. Here are a few highlights from the survey responses:
- About three quarters of the chapters said they are currently meeting. The rest are either permanently inactive or on a temporary hiatus due to COVID. We currently have 375 active chapters.
- Of those chapters that are meeting, 39% are meeting in person, 33% are meeting virtually, and 28% are hybrid (combination of virtual and in-person).
- The majority of chapters (80%) meet monthly, while some meet bi-monthly or quarterly.
- 64% of the chapters said their average attendance was 6-10 members; 21% had an average attendance of 11-20; and 14% said their average attendance is 1-5 members.
- The majority (71%) are considered “open” or accepting new members at this time.
- The vast majority of chapters (93%) promote monthly recurring giving.
- 71% said they do not have a chapter leader succession plan (i.e. a plan for who will take over the chapter if the current leader is unable to continue).
How can we support you as a Chapter Leader?
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You Asked … We Heard You!
Chapter leaders identified a number of ways that they could be supported, and we are already acting on this feedback:
- Guest Speaker List – Good news! We already produce a quarterly guest speaker list with grantee representatives. You can find this list on the Chapter Resources page of our website – we have moved it up and highlighted it for easier access. Email media@togetherwomenrise.org with any suggestions for enhancing the speaker list.
- Connections with Other Chapter Leaders – Community building is a key priority for Rise and our volunteer Regional Leaders. Many of our Regional Leaders already hold, or plan to hold, online meetings for chapter leaders across their region, and our national office has also held chapter leader events. We plan to continue these events in the future, and welcome any additional suggestions for building connections between chapter leaders.
- Directory of Home Office Contacts – You asked, and here it is! This is a guide for who to contact for some of your most frequent questions. This link is also available on our website's Chapter Resources page.
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- Promotional Materials – We are developing new printed materials about our organization, our impact, and our chapters, which we expect will be available this summer. In the meantime, we have a digital version of a Rise postcard. If you would like printed copies sent to you, please email Jenny at info@togetherwomenrise.org.
We will continue to update you on additional improvements in future issues of this newsletter.
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May Featured Project:
Supporting Young Mothers & Ending Childhood Poverty in Malawi
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This month, we are partnering with Yamba Malawi to empower women, including many young mothers, to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their children through a holistic, child-focused poverty graduation program.
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Our Conversation with Gertrude Kabwazi, Executive Director of Yamba Malawi, is located here.
Join our May National Webinar on May 5th at 8 pm ET
to learn more about our project with Yamba Malawi. Register here. |
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Questions for Discussion
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- How do you think the inclusion of Savings and Loan Associations can increase women’s opportunities for financial and entrepreneurial success?
- Compare the roles of community programming and household-level support. How do they work together to help overcome barriers to success?
- What do you think are the possible long-term outcomes from strengthening early childhood development programs?
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The Proven Platter for May: Mtedza (Groundnut Cookie)
By Vinola V Munyon, Together Women Rise Recipe Co-Curator
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Groundnuts (peanuts) are the most important legume crop in Malawi. This peanut cookie is easy to make, melts in your mouth, and just might become a new family favorite.
SEE PROVEN PLATTER
SEE OTHER RECIPES FROM MALAWI
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News to Share with Your Members this Month
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1. Mother’s Day is May 8th – What better way to honor your mother, grandmother, or special loved one than with a tribute gift to Together Women Rise! When you make a Mother’s Day gift to Together Women Rise, we will send a personalized email or print card to your gift recipient. Please click the button below to make a Mother's Day gift, or shop our Marketplace for special products, and Together Women Rise will receive a portion of sales.
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2. New Ways to Donate – Please inform your members that they can now donate via Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay from our online donations page.  Just click on the DONATE button on any page of our website and select how you would like to pay. (FYI, Apple Pay and Google Pay will only show up if you already have these mobile wallets set up on your device.)
Our online donations platform allows you to cover the processing fees
so that more of your donation goes to Rise! Please encourage your chapter members to use this option when they donate online.
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  3. Next Book Club Event with Author Abi Daré – We are so excited to host Abi Daré on June 8th at 12 pm ET. (This will be a daytime event in order to accommodate our guest who lives in Essex, UK.) Abi Daré is the author of The Girl with the Louding Voice, which was a New York Times bestseller, a #ReadWithJenna Today Show book club pick, and an Indie Next Pick. It is the unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself. Please join us and encourage your chapter members to attend as well. The event is FRE and OPEN to anyone, even if you have not read the book. Invite a friend to join you!
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Chapter Leader Info & Reminders
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1. Eliminating Our Quarterly DVDs
As communicated last month, we will be eliminating the quarterly DVDs effective July 1st. The 2nd quarter DVD which you should already have received is the last one that we will mail out to you. (For those of you who already opted out of receiving the DVDs, this change does not affect you.)
We will continue to provide all the same learning materials for your chapter meetings; they will be readily accessible to you online via the Together Women Rise website, and our YouTube channel. We have put together some simple instructions to help you make the switch. Click HERE. Our Home Office staff will be available to answer any questions and provide assistance. Please contact Wendy Frattolin (wendy@togetherwomenrise.org) or Amy Moore (amy@togetherwomenrise.org).
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Sharing Best Practices:
A Philadelphia Chapter's Study Group
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Learning Together Leads to Deeper Connections
Learning is one of Together Women Rise’s key focus areas: we learn together to increase our understanding of global gender equality issues and to fuel our collective action.
Our PA, Philadelphia-8 chapter has taken this one step further! About four years ago, the chapter -- led by Maryanne Schiller, Cheryl Boyd, and Harriet Williams -- created a study group for those members interested in learning more and having deeper discussions about global gender equality, outside of their regular chapter meetings. As one person describes it, this study group has "led to more connection and community amongst members". Click on the link below to read the blog written by Chapter Leader Maryanne Schiller.
READ BLOG
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