E-Quality Matters

Our Stories -- Complex in their Similar Differences

A few weeks back the New York Times Magazine laid out a beautiful and bold series of stories making the case for investing in women. In the anchor story, Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDUNN explain:

"There’s a growing recognition among everyone from the World Bank to the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to aid organizations like CARE that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism. That’s why foreign aid is increasingly directed to women. The world is awakening to a powerful truth: Women and girls aren’t the problem; they’re the solution."

Later in the article, the authors make another strong statement -- describing the "dirty little secret" that women manage poverty differently, and more productively, than their male counterparts. If it were not for the oodles of research that makes this a probability rather than a stereotype, we'd be in head deep in a "sexist" controversy for reprinting it here; however, the evidence is there and it points to the similarities of our stories, as women. To steal a phrase from my friend and colleague, "it's what women do."

Yet, if the Maine Women's Fund has learned anything in the last year of storytelling, it's that women are very different, and will often balk at the "generalizations" that group them into one category or another. Which is why our own story is about culling the truths and common values from an immense amount of differences.

In a few weeks, together with Pierce Atwood, the Maine Women's Fund is hosting a leadership discussion that digs deep into the common thread of leadership through our remarkable differences. Our stake in the ground is that leaders are the women who create vision, engage others in service of that vision, and hold themselves accountable for the best possible outcomes." And from that commonality, we dig into the colorful diversity that make for compelling and provocative stories:

- The entrepreneur driven from the get go to be the best
- The innovator who creates opportunity
- The connector who plays big by owning what she knows and affirming the feminine

In November, we continue to honor this theme through the launch of our new  Women's Leadership Series. Open to the public and facilitated by expert members of our community, we explore the common thread of women's strength, power, and possibility through our own diverse perspectives and experiences. Together, we'll think about the leaders we are today, and the leaders we want to be tomorrow.

Tomorrow night, a new season of the New Girls Network kicks off in Portland and Bangor, followed on Wednesday by programs in Lewiston/Auburn and Midcoast, then Waterville on Thursday. While I may get the uncontrollable giggles about the program's demand being so wide and so disburse, the true power of this expansion of this program lies in bringing the "differences" of women in their twenties and thrities, from rural and urban communities across Maine into our philanthropic decision-making.

What will these differences yield? Better outcomes, I'm sure; but what outcomes exactly is a story still unfolding.

From Rigor to Humanity

As most of folks know, I'm a philanthropy dork and I spend a good number of my post bedtime hours scouring the internet for interesting philanthropic news. My Google Reader is a regular repository of the news and ideas from the likes of  Philanthropy 2173, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Tactical Philanthropy.

More often then not, somebody somewhere is discussing evaluation and impact of philanthropic dollars. And, more often then not, nobody has anything new to offer that juggernaut. Which is why I was delighted to be find this link to Philanthropy's Tension on Lucy's site. This ultra cool presentation puts the impact discussion on a pendulum -- swinging between RIGOR (we will prove we are can solve problems) and HUMANITY (we may never know our impact). The former relies on metrics, confidence, and discipline. The latter relies on trust, intuition, and relationships.

This mental model resonates with me now more than ever, as we at the Maine Women's Fund have just announced our 2008-2009 Grantee Partners. These organizations represent nearly $80,000 invested in building women's economic security across the state.When we defined our Economic Security Initiative, I can tell you that we aired on the side of Rigor -- delving into piles of research and indicators to determine sound investment policies. We discovered that when a woman starts a business, there is a 45-60% chance that she and her family will move out of poverty. We discovered that asset building improves home ownership, enables women to leave violent situations, and increases higher education (and through education enhances a woman's earning potential).This rigor defined the four areas of our grantmaking -- education, public policy, entrepreneurship & better jobs, and financial literacy & asset building.

However, when it comes to making our grant allocations, we air heavily on the side of the humanity. Trusting that broad diversity in our decision making process will achieve the best outcomes, we open the process to the public. Over forty women participated this year, a number we hope to increase annually in size and scope. We trust that the relationships between the four strategy areas and the connections between the organizations will generate the best outcomes for women's economic security.

Join me in celebrating these organizations and in believing that Maine is better place because of their contributions.

Make New Friends...

When was the last time you made a new friend through your philanthropy? 

While many people feel that their philanthropy is a private act, others feel that its a statement about their values and are happy to share their acts of kindness publicly. I'm one of those people and I've blogged before that I love having conversations with people about their philanthropy. You never know where you'll make new friends. 

I had this experience the other day at Whole Fields. The woman ringing up my groceries was wearing a pin that read: I make a difference. Not all the employees were wearing these pins so I asked her about it. Turns out she's participating in an employee giving program, where the donations go to the Grameen Bank -- a micro-lending organization. Over 12,000 Whole Foods employees have contributed $780,000 thus far. I thought that was pretty cool. I also thought it was cool that she was proud about her giving and that we got to talk about it. My husband and I regularly give to microlending through Kiva, so it gave me a connection to this woman who had been a total stranger not 5 minutes earlier. 

I love making new friends through philanthropy. This seems especially pertinent right now. It's June and the 2008/2009 class of New Girls is coming to a close. I know from the 300+ woman who have completed the program and joined the Maine Women's Fund community, that the program presents an opportunity to connect around shared values. We come from many different places (economically, socially, politically, professionally)... and have many different perspectives, but we are all the same as agents of change.

Often we don't know how our friends, neighbors, and coworkers manifest their goodness. Our good friend Jess Esch created tshirts that read: This is how I save the world. I think this really brings the point home, whatever we do and however we do it, makes a difference.

Each of our individual contributions are important for what they are. But I encourage you to find a little bit of inspiration, and take a moment to ask a stranger how they make a difference. You might be surprised where you'll find common ground, where you'll find new friends, and how it'll change your perspective for an entire day, if not longer.

Happy June Everyone. 

 

Hello Women! Goodbye Command & Control

I'm not going to focus on the economy any more than to say that I think a lot of employers are handling it poorly. AND, I think that they are handling it poorly because of a need for "Command and Control" (or masculine) management practices. Here's my take.

Most everyone who is working is worried about their jobs, but also can't get answers. My father is a teacher for the state of Connecticut (one of the states with the highest state budget deficits) and neither the superintendent or the principal is talking about whether or not lay offs are on the horizon. I've had friends ask their superiors specifically whether or not lay offs are coming, receive a "we'll be Okay" response, and be laid off a few weeks later. 

This dynamic is at play at home as well. If you're reading the papers (or watching 207), you'll hear folks reflecting on the need to talk to your children about money. So many parents don't because of an interest in "not burdening" them with the tough reality (as if kids don't pick up on this stuff).
Why is there a need to control information? Power. A very common, albeit masculine, management policy based on the principle that limiting people's access to information will somehow result in better outcomes.

Differences in leadership styles between women and men have been examined and documented by business writers such as Tom Peters, Sally Helgesen and Margaret Heffernan, political analysts like Dee Dee Meyers, and social activists Marie Wilson and Evelyn Murphy. It is understood that women leaders rely on vertical and horizontal flows of information, building “webs” and being deliberate in sharing information across a company. It is understood that women leaders encourage ideation and innovation from the bottom up which according to author Mary Parker “empowers the workforce as opposed to having power over it. ” Helgesen refers to women's focus on the “ecology of leadership, building a big picture vision that encompasses a vision of society – women relate decisions to their effect upon the role of the family, the American education system, the environment, and even world peace. ”

I saw this for the first time while at GlobalGiving during the start up days. Or Board Chair could be characterized as "tough as nails" (to be polite). She was slightly scary, but effective, and amazing to work with. She was an active Board Chair, active in fundraising (for which I was her side kick) and other operational duties. But at her first staff meeting, she did something quite novel. She laid down her management policies, and the first was transparency. "There might be times when we're running out of money," she said, "and I'll let you know. Some of you nitwits [OK... I'm not sure if she really called us nitwits...] might actually have an idea that could help. It'll do nobody any good if we go belly up and you didn't see it coming."

Feminine forms of leadership include disseminating information across the staff (family, or whatever the unit might be) such that people can do something with it. Yeah, if that information is bad news, they might start looking for another job (but if they won't stay with the sinking ship are they really that committed anyway?). But they also might deliver you a few major cost cutting ideas. They might also introduce a new revenue scheme or step up the pace on new client acquisition. In the bad news of our time, we forget that people are inherently good and are most likely to step up to the plate, rather than disappoint us. But only if enabled to do so.

I can think of no better time to rethink our position and policies on power, and begin bending towards the feminine. Because its March, the Maine Women's Fund community will be digging deeper into power, women's relationship with power, and our style of being powerful agents of change. Join us by sharing your thoughts here, email us at thewomen@mainewomensfund.org with your own story of power, women, and leadership, or continue to practice feminine leadership styles when its needed most.

25 Random Things... About Philanthropy

There are a number of things that I can dork out to. Philanthropy is high on that list... Right up there next to the US Constitution, network theory, and Facebook. Which is why I could not be more giddy that it is February, which means that the Maine Women's Fund community is talking about philanthropy -- from the New Girls Network site visits to our community wide event, the February 28th Spotlight on Philanthropy. So, in the spirit of Facebook chain letters, here is a list of 25 Random Things that inspire me  about philanthropy. What inspires you?

1. Philanthropy really came into its own following WWII. Philanthropists, like Rockefeller and Carnegie, funded new ideas to social problems. If these experiments proved successful, the government would adopt them as a social service.

2. When most people think philanthropists, they think white, male, and wealthy (Gates, Buffett, Carnegie, Ford).

3. Which is why it is exceptionally interesting that ~80% of nonprofit funding comes from individuals giving less than $1000.

4. And even more interesting that women make 60% of these decisions.

5. And even more interesting that non-Caucasians give more per capita than Caucasians.

6. The transition from a handful of very wealthy philanthropists to 'everyone being a philanthropist" has been referred to as the democratization of philanthropy.

7. Democratizing Philanthropy. Just the term gives me the shivers. It is evidenced by the following:

7a. Community Foundations are the fastest  growing form of philanthropy, right up there with Women's Funds.

7b. Platforms like MaineShare, Network for Good, and GlobalGiving are growing their donation volume by leaps and bounds. If you haven't already checked them out, you should.

8. Because social change doesn't occur simply through social services, philanthropic donations are no longer just intended for nonprofit activities. Through organizations like KIVA, donors can provide small loans to help women and men around the world start businesses and catapult themselves out of poverty.

9. Wouldn't it be cool if the Maine Women's Fund donors could provide small loans to all our women micro entrepreneurs around the state?

10. Along those lines, the Maine Women's Fund invests a portion of its assets in the Genesis Community Loan Fund which makes below market loans to organizations providing affordable housing and community facilities in under-served neighborhoods.

11. Bill Gates recently coined the term "Creative Capitalism," which, while not a new idea, is an interesting idea. The basis is that companies can "do good" by "doing well." That is, by serving under-served markets through traditional business/market channels, a company can help those under-served markets develop economically and socially.

12. I believe that the tenets of Web 2.0 can make philanthropy better. As evidenced by a lot of things... but my personal favorites include our 2007/2008 grant making process, Beth Canter's experiments, and the really innovative partnership between the Case Foundation, GlobalGiving, Parade Magazine, and Network for Good.

13. If you haven't noticed, I HEART Globalgiving. If there were a Nobel Prize for Philanthropy, I think it should go to Dennis Whittle and Mari Kuraishi.

14. The Tools of Web 2.0 are also making philanthropy better. Have you checked out the Maine Women's Fund group on Facebook or the Maine Women's Fund channel on You Tube?

15. Isn't it fun to think about whether donors should simply give or invest? Do you think that the definition of investing changes from donor to recipient? What do you think nonprofits think about investing?

16. I HEART blogs about philanthropy, including:

16a. www.change.org

16b. http://www.ssireview.org/opinion/

16c. http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/

17. I think THIS is one of the most spot-on editorials about what's wrong with nonprofit evaluation.

18. I believe private foundations should give away more than 5% of their assets. But I think it would be hard for the Maine Women's Fund to give away more than 5% of its assets and survive in the long run. Obviously, I'm a confused hypocrite on the subject. But at least, I'm a public hypocrite.

19. I am so proud of, and in awe of, the women who are making Million Dollar gifts to the women's funding movement. I am also proud that Maine Women's Fund was a recipient of a million dollar gift. Leading edge for sure!

20. I would LOVE to spend each day having a conversation with an inspired philanthropist. I wish everyone would find joy and pride in their giving, and... want to talk about it... with me.

21. I believe that feminine forms of leadership can bring much needed innovation and improved results to the philanthropic sector. Its one of the reasons I'm here.

22. I think defining the "public good" is one of the greatest challenges in philanthropy.

23. One of the reasons I love philanthropy is because it is in a period of change. I also love that there is one model that isn't changing (whether online or off line) -- the giving circle. A tool that enables individuals to connect, philanthropically, around a shared vision and common values. A model that is more than the sum of the individual parts.

24. I love that the Maine Women's Fund has not forgotten that above and beyond anything else, we are a giving circle.

25. As members of that giving circle, I hope that you will all join me FEBRUARY 28th for our Annual Spotlight on Philanthropy -- an opportunity for donors and grantees to come together to inform and define our annual grantmaking.

Make Mine John Deere --

I walked into the bookstore yesterday to find a big "Women and Money" display at the front door. Books by Suzie Ormond everywhere. It made me think that corporate America had finally caught onto women's economic and financial power -- a force which has been sorely overlooked by marketing departments, nonprofits, and political campaigns alike for decades.

Perhaps we women don't always feel so powerful. The Maine Women's Fund launched its Economic Security Initiative to address the economic needs of women across the state PRECISELY because women are disproportionately affected by financial trends -- we make less money than men in equivalent positions; our medium income is significantly lower; and single women are more likely to live in poverty.

Our financial standing, however, may not be the same as our financial power. We make over 80% of all financial decisions (household and personal). (Guess who buys the most lawn mowers per capita? That would be us, ladies -- a trend that Home Depot has picked up on, leading to "Do It Herself" workshops, clinics, and products.) We control half the wealth in the country. We provide over 60% of all social investments -- giving to more organizations than men. More interestingly, a chunk of our financial power lies in our willingness to recommend products and services -- we're twice as likely as male customers to make referrals. Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen wrote a great book on the subject titled The SheSpot: Why Women are the Market for Changing the World and How to Reach Them. I highly recommend it.

The incongruence between the reality of our financial standing and our understanding of our financial power is what makes for interesting conversations when it comes to women and money. January -- chock full New Year's resolutions and post holiday spending -- is a fine time to explore one of the most taboo topics for women: Money. Please join us in expanding the dialog:

·         How does your relationship to money impact your life?

·         What do you pretend not to know about money/finances?

·         How do women create more of what they don’t want when it comes to money?

·         How is the wage gap a metaphor for women’s relationship to money?

·         How does money impact our desire and ability to affect change?

 

I would be a libertarian... if only...

I have the perfect coffee mug. It was a Christmas gift from my husband years ago -- and its perfect in breadth, depth, and message. I am picky about all three areas. I want enough coffee in cup to wake me and satisfy that itch, and I don't want to have to move for a refill in order to get it. I can also use a little messaging to remind me of why I do get out of bed in the morning. This mug is one of those "Quotables" and on it reads the, perhaps trite but still all so inspiring, quote by Ghandi: 

Be the Change You Want to See in the World.

I love this quote because it underscores my own belief system -- my "theory of change" as some of us geeks like to call it -- which goes something like this: 

I believe our world is interconnected and we all need to take responsibility for our surroundings. Within this statement is the belief that if we all took action on the injustices around us, the world would be in good shape. This is a world in which a women's fund is unnecessary. A world in which I could be professional chef and a libertarian, and nobody would threaten me with violence or take away my ability to make my own choices.

But that world is a long way away, perhaps because that type of tireless activism is so hard for us mere mortals to tap into on a daily basis. For example, I was sharing these beliefs with my office mate the other day, explaining how I would like it to play out. Her response? "Then why don't you recycle more?" And it's true. On so many days, I fail in my own activism, unable to surface the energy or discipline to rinse and separate my plastics. 

Many of do the best we can by picking and choosing our areas activism, and arming ourselves with appropriate tools. Mine is philanthropy. It's the easiest way for me personally and professionally to support the change I want to see in the world. I also vote, buy products that support social and environmental practices, and write/blog/yell at the top of my lungs about the issues nearest to my heart. 

Most importantly, I serve an organization that believes women have the ability to change our world for the better -- an organization that believes in investing in the power of women and dreams of girls. This statement is as much about helping women and girls reach their full potential as it is about helping women and girls be the activists that will create long lasting change for everyone. This change, however, most often begins with small acts and is sustained when a critical mass of individuals adopt new behaviors. 

What actions will you take? What issues will you tackle? How will you persuade others to join you? 

 

I know what I don't know. More terrifying is what I don't know I don't know.

"30 years ago sexism was rampant and in your face; today, sexism is considered more subtle. It's harder to see."

That was one perception raised by last month's intergenerational conversations about Feminism. A few women who were "there" 30 years ago, quickly responded: "It seemed subtle to us at the time. That's the thing about sexism. It wraps itself around cultural norms such that its hard to observe and hard to be aware of, even when you're a victim to it."

Awareness is as infinite and as circumstantial as the horizon. It's only complicated by the extent to which we are looking inward or looking outward.

How often are we truly aware of ourselves, our interactions with the "outside world," and how that may or may not affect our beliefs, actions, and behaviors?

For example, a recent study found that teens who watch Sex in the City, Friends, and other TV shows featuring sexual situations are far more likely to get pregnant or get someone else pregnant than their peers. While I am not a teen (quite to the contrary it seems), it makes me wonder -- what messages am I internalizing through my weekly doses of Heroes and Lost? How aware am I of their influence on me?

There is some level of awareness that I have come to recognize and appreciate to some degree.  I know that I entered a bout of depression while reading Anna Karenina caused largely by the themes of the book. My husband is good about reminding me when I haven't been to a yoga class in a while (and I am good about reminding him when he has skipped a meal.) At a deeper level, I have come to understand myself as a professional. I know that I get joy out of the creative process. I know that I lose energy "fixing" things. I know that I need to be surrounded by solution oriented individuals. I recognize that I have zero patience for nay-sayers.

But it has taken me a long while to understand myself as a woman and the degree to which my gender has shaped my experience. And to that, the only thing I really do know is that it HAS shaped my experience. The rest is undiscovered territory. But it is an exciting territory to consider. As much as there is "looking back" that can be done, there is far more in terms of "looking forward." What do I bring as a woman? What strengths, gifts, and talents can I be unleashing? What are my own "womenly" blind spots?

As you consider your own story, what are you waking up to in your perception of women? What questions continue to go unanswered? Where have you fallen asleep as it relates to women’s experiences in the world? Where are you finding moments of shame and moments of pride?

I hope that these questions turn you on a bit to your awareness as yourself as a woman. I hope that you'll also consider expanding your awareness of women in Maine. This month, we're hosting a number of venues to begin this exploration. As always, I hope that you'll contribute to this blog. You are also all invited to join us on a visit to our grantees where you can explore how public policy, education, and better jobs are improving the lives of women and girls. We also invite you to join us for a brown bag discussion in Portland on November 12 when Lael Jepson will further delve into our views of feminism. Finally, in Making Change Happen, Cathy Johnson will talk about how her awareness has informed her activism.

Join us!

Different... But Equal

I generally consider myself well aligned with the feminist movement. Who wouldn't be? It is a movement that has supported equal rights, access, and opportunity for women.

I also think I've done a good job as feminist. I have had my moments of "sticking" it to the "man." One of my favorites coming as teenager working at a Habitat site in Hazard County, Kentucky (home of the Dukes and the county motto: Where the Blood Runs Purple). I ran up against a construction crew who didn't feel that I, "a girl," was well qualified to dig the drainage ditch through a 18 inch crawl space. It wasn't a fun point to prove, but my stubborn nature demanded it, and, in the end, I was quite proud of the feat.

I've considered my personal choices through a feminist lens, giving great deliberation to changing my name and to being a working mom.

But I am a literal person, and of late, I feel feminism has done a disservice to women and the role of women in society. While the feminist movement has tried to make space for various "waves," i.e. the evolving nature of injustices and their fighters, it has stuck true to the fight for equality. In equality, I feel there is an insistence on the homogenity of gender (and this could be where my literal nature hangs me out to dry). A friend and colleague refers to this as neutering gender.

In short, I feel feminism is at risk of selling short the relevance of our gender.

So, what is the relevance of gender?

Charles Malik wrote:

"The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world."

Nobel Laureates, like Amartya Sen, have written about the economic and social benefits for whole communities and societies when women are educated and have access to resources. The philanthropic and international development community has seen this first hand. Women deal with absolute poverty differently than men: they will start micro businesses, feed and educate their children, and get invest in preventative health (like immunizations). The Grameen Bank, the leader in microlending, explicitly loans to women, citing the power of women as agents of change:

"Women have proven to be the best poverty fighters. Experience and studies have shown that they use the profits from their businesses to send their children to school, improve their families’ living conditions and nutrition, and expand their businesses."

I've seen this first hand, and it is the reason I work in the women's funding movement.

And even though the White House Project believes you "add women and change everything," I disagree (and tangential conversation about today's politics might support a disagreement). In order for the power of our gender to be realized through leadership, it has to be recognized by the leader.

It is not as simple as a woman being a leader. She must also recognize, appreciate, and realize what feminine leadership entails.

And I believe that it is our fight for equality in the workplace and government that has enabled us to shy away what feminine leadership really means. As we claim our space as equal and able participants, we try not to underscore that we are different. And there's the rub. We are different.

These are bold statements. And they may get  my head burning on a stick. But feminism is a complex framework; it is not universal in recognition, acceptance, or definition. Much like women. Which is why, this month at the Maine Women's Fund, we're exploring various feminist perspectives.

Susanna Liller shares her story on Making Change Happen.

The New Girls are having an intergenerational conversations that explores the following questions.

When you consider the topic of feminism, what comes to mind?

 
What has been your experience with the feminist movement?

 
What are your thoughts, feelings and observations about the current state of feminism and where it’s headed?

What has been your experience? What do you want to offer to conversation?

The Power of Storytelling

“Elizabeth was a beautiful princess. She lived in a castle and wore expensive princess clothes. She was going to marry a prince named Ronald.” The intro to the Paper Bag Princess begins like most fairy tales; however, when a Ronald is taken hostage, it takes a dramatic turn. After outsmarting the fire breathing, horse eating, castle destroying dragon and rescuing her betrothed, Princess Elizabeth decides to dance off into the sunset, and not marry Prince Ronald. He was, after all, a bum.

Perhaps it was the name association, but I immediately fell in love with this spunky girl who did her own thing. In retrospect, I find it slightly amusing that my rebellious inspiration was a heroine who simply didn't marry her prince. That said, my heroine did inspire a love for doing what nobody else was doing – becoming the only girl on the soccer team, spending my high school vacation volunteering at an orphanage, killing the curve in my History class, designing my own clothes (in an alternative life, I'm really a contestant on Project Runway).

Stepping out of line to do my own thing. Being Bold, as I've come to call it.

It's not that this wasn't encouraged at home. I grew up, quite literally, under the banner of feminism (a sign on our front door read: Feminism Spoken Here). My mom took me to my first first pro-choice rally at age 9. I believe, however, that it took this simple story to help me really make sense my own values and helped me define who I wanted to be in the world.

Stories have this ability. They cultivate and instill values. Make sense of the most complicated, and sometimes the simplest, areas of our lives.

Our culture and society is built on stories – the heroes myth, religious parables, even every day fairy tales. But there are two kinds of stories: those listed above that most often perpetuate the status quo or those, like the ones featured this year at the Maine Women's Fund, that change the status quo from the inside out. They give possibility to the unimaginable.

In our new series, Making Change Happen, we see women creating powerful social change in all aspects of their lives -- nurturning families, creating public art, building businesses, leading industries. They reinforce our story as one of social change, at micro and macro levels. They help us imagine women as the solution to Maine's problems, rather than a victim to them.

We hope that as we see, read, and experience these stories we'll begin thinking about our own stories. What stories do you have to tell? What story do you have yet to create?

Join us each month as we explore new stories together. Share your story, or a story of your own heroine. Become part of the force making change happen in Maine.