New Girls' Network

Next with this New Girl

Hello, New Girls.  I’ve got some important news—I’m leaving the Maine Women’s Fund!  In the last two years we have truly transformed the program, and it’s time for me to wrap it up and start something new.

 

The transition has already begun, and my plan is to be divested of my work here by the end of November.  Between now and then, I am handing off responsibilities to my wonderful coworkers—Bev Wellman, Brianna McCabe, Shannon Nichols, and Elizabeth Stefanski—and figuring out the best ways to keep us all connected and informed about the New Girls’ Network.  While I’ll certainly miss being in the middle of all the exciting work we are doing, I won’t miss out on it entirely—because I’ll still be active in the Maine Women’s Fund community.

 

For now, I am scheduling a bunch of informational interviewing with members of my network, and I’d love to talk with as many New Girls as I can.  If you’d like to meet—in person, over the phone, or via email—I am game!  Please give me a call at the Fund (774-5513) or at home (771-2495), or send me an email: anna@mainewomensfund.org or alkent@mindspring.com., to set something up.  And, if you have any questions or concerns about the transition, please feel free to contact me or Eli at elizabeth@mainewomensfund.org.

 

Finally, please save the date—we’re having a party to celebrate both my transition and the tremendous progress of the New Girls’ Network.

It’s a Wrap! New Girls’ Network Party

Wednesday, November 28

5 to 8 p.m.

Aucocisco Gallery

613 Congress Street, Portland

 

RSVP to Brianna McCabe

         207-774-5513      

brianna@mainewomensfund.org

Cheers,

Anna

 

Anna L. Kent

Director of Community Investment

anna@mainewomensfund.org

         207-774-5513      

Next with the New Girls - October

Hello, New Girls.  Last week I was at the “Step up to the Plate” banquet hosted by the League of Young Voters Education Fund, a Portland-based nonprofit that works with 18 to 40-year olds, and I was struck by two things:  a) how many New Girls I saw there; and b) how many people other than those New Girls I didn’t recognize!  It brought home to me how diverse our Maine communities really are, and how they are constantly changing with the influx of new people, new energy, and new ideas.  Truly, it was inspirational.

 

In the spirit of that newness, I want to thank our many volunteers who have helped launch New Girls this year with a redesigned curriculum, expanded geographic reach, and enhanced facilitation.  It’s been a HUGE effort, and well worth it:  we have exceeded our enrollment and revenue goals, developed a pilot for undergraduates at Bowdoin College, and renewed our outreach in the Greater Bangor region.  This year’s cohort will increase our size (and commensurate strength) by a third.

 

We have greater representation from the private sector than in previous years, too, and more matching contributions from employers (both private and nonprofit) who support the program as a professional development opportunity.  Plans are already afoot for further expansion in 2008-09, to dovetail with the Fund’s development of regional advisory councils and local grantmaking programs.  Kudos to the many folks who have put their hands, heads, and hearts into the new New Girls.

 

Here's the incredible group:

 

Kim Ballard -- Public Administration/Politics, Maine Legislature

Sno Barry -- CPA, Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker

Hannah Bass -- Attorney, Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, LLC

Shenna Bellows -- Executive Director, Maine Civil Liberties Union

Andrea Berry -- Fundraiser, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Jessica Bickford -- Child Care Provider   

Hillary Bouchard -- Attorney, Thompson & Bowie

Jennifer Brooks -- Community Relations, Penquis Community Action Program

Jessie Chalmers -- Director of Donor Relations, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

Lucia Chomeau Hunt -- Attorney, Pine Tree Legal

Allison Cole -- Women’s Studies Major, Colby College

Anne Curtis -- International Education, Center on International Education Exchange

Kate Dzurec -- Legislative Aide, Maine House Majority Office

Kerry Elson -- Reporter, Mainebiz

Kaia Fischer -- Customer Care, Creative Office Pavilion

Amy Jaffe -- Career Counselor, Heart at Work

Kathy Kilrain del Rio -- Nonprofit Administrator/Teacher, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Saco-Biddeford

Sarah Lang -- Eaton, Peabody

Hilary Lawton -- Grassroots Organizer, Planned Parenthood

Alyssa Lodewick -- Management Consultant

Samantha Lott -- Membership Director, Girl Scouts of Maine

M. Katherine Lynch -- Attorney, McCloskey, Mina, Cunniff & Dilworth

Chelsea Macdonald -- Credit Analyst, Merrill Merchants Bank

Katie McGovern -- Attorney, Pine Tree Legal Assistance

Shelley Megquier -- Domestic Violence Advocate, Spruce Run Association

Jaime Moore -- Mortgage Loan Assistant, Merrill Merchants Bank

Nikki Murphy -- Psychotherapist

Ruth Nickerson -- Public Administration, The Warren Center for Communication and Learning

Mary Perkins -- Development, Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Center

Betsy Peters -- Business Development, Concordia Partners

Elsa Peters -- Clergy

Emma Pope-Welch -- Communications/Teaching, University of Maine

Laura Quinn -- Nonprofit Technology Writer/Researcher/Trainer, Idealware

Mary Richardson -- Executive Director, Maine Initiatives

Kelli Smith -- Project Leader, InterMed Family Practice

Ainsley Wallace -- Executive Director, YouTHINK

Megan Williams -- Director, Hardy Girls Healthy Women

Emma Zisser -- Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial

Brita Zitin -- Program Officer, Maine Humanities Council

 

Finally, we couldn’t be doing all this great work without the able assistance of our volunteer facilitation team, who are working to deliver over seventy-two hours of programming this year.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, to:

 

Rebecca K. Babbitt -- Insurance/Financial Services, MetLife

Stacy Begin -- Program Officer, Davis Foundations

Nicky Blanchard -- Advocacy & Education, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

Meadow Davis -- Director, Women’s Resource Center, Bowdoin College

Tina Roberts -- Adjunct Faculty, University of Maine

Nancy Rosenbaum -- Writing/Nonprofit Consulting 

Allison Zuchman -- Architect/Project Manager, Fore Solutions

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

It's the time of year when folks are already geared up for all sorts of activities—here’s a sampling of the many events involving New Girls going on in the next several weeks.

 

2007 GrowSmart Maine Summit:  Making the Connection

Friday, October 19

Augusta Civic Center

N. B.:  Members of the New Girls’ Network are eligible for a FULL scholarship to this conference—when you register, please choose 'Youth Scholarship' as the registration type and enter the required code: meyouth.  And when you see her in person at the conference, please thank Lisa Fahey for the opportunity.

 

Two appearances by Kate Bornstein, transgender activist, author, and performance artist

October 23 & 24

University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus

 

Informal workshop, “Hello Cruel World,” on suicide prevention for young people and those who work with them.

Tuesday, October 23

5:30 to 7 p.m.

Glickman Library (7^th floor)

RSVP (space is limited):          (207) 780-4862       

 

Public lecture, “Damned Dreams & Dangerous Desires: the Personal Politics of Sex & Gender”

Wednesday, October 24

7 p.m.

Luther Bonney Auditorium

FMI contact the Women & Gender Studies department at          (207) 780-4289       

 

Beyond Bully Prevention:  Strategies that Work

Presented by Hardy Girls, Healthy Women

 

Monday, November 5

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 pm

Eastland Park Hotel, Portland

Keynote by Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D

 

An Evening of Activism

Presented by University of New England and Portland NAACP

 

Wednesday, November 14

5 p.m.  social

6 p.m.  program

Ludcke Auditorium

UNE Westbrook College Campus, Portland

FMI contact Donna Gaspar Jarvis, Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs, University of New England,          (207) 602-2461       

 

Building Board Effectiveness: Opportunities & Challenges

6th Annual Board Governance Conference

Co-sponsored by the Maine Association of Nonprofits & the Institute for Civic Leadership

Thursday, November 15

Eastland Park Hotel, Portland

 

Juice – Powering the Creative Economy

November 16 & 17

Camden Opera House and Strand Theatre, Rockland

 

Maine LGBTQ Symposium:  Strengthening Community, Building Alliances

Hosted by the Equity Fund of the Maine Community Foundation

Saturday, November 17

Samoset Resort, Rockport

 

JOB OPENING

 

Product Manager, Women to Women/Concordia Partners

Marketing and research, inventory, and quality assurance

 

That's it, for now.  Cheers!

 

Anna L. Kent

Director of Community Investment

anna@mainewomensfund.org

New Girls' Network Launches 8th Year

Hello, New Girls, prospective New Girls, and friends:

I am so happy to announce the launch of our 8th year of the New Girls' Network, a program of the Maine Women's Fund. We start up today with the first of four group meetings: two in Portland, one at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, and another in Bangor. We have close to 50 women enrolled (and I'm still trying to figure out how to squeeze in a few more--anyone with a vintage VW Beetle and a clown suit available to help?).

If you are registered for the Portland - Thursday group, we are meeting tonight, September 20, at 6 p.m. at the Maine Women's Fund offices. We are located at 565 Congress Street, 3rd floor, in downtown Portland, about halfway between Monument Square and the Portland Museum of Art. Parking is on-street, and you do not have to meter after 6 p.m. Hearty, healthy snacks and beverages will be provided.

If you have any questions about registering, please call me at 207-774-5513.

Thank you to everyone who helped with our recruitment process this year. It's been a real pleasure to see how extensive our network has become.

Cheers,
Anna L. Kent
Director of Community Investment
Maine Women's Fund
207-774-5513
anna@mainewomensfund.org

Q of the week: Advocacy and You

I've been thinking a lot about advocacy, specifically how to encourage board members of nonprofits to take a more active role in understanding what happens in Augusta (and Washington) and lobby effectively on behalf of their missions. A number of New Girls have had the opportunity to do this in their professional roles--Sarah Standiford, Cara Bilodeau, Lauralee Raymond, Ana Hicks, and Gretchen Ziemer come to mind--but I'm wondering who of us has advocated with our board hat on?

If so, what has been your experience? If not, what kinds of learning/encouragement/support would you need in order to do that?

We've got some great summer reading for you!

Zoe Dexter (Portland 06-07) is the founding member of our new lending library (aka "the top shelf in Anna's cubicle").  She has donated five copies of a biography about her cousin.  Katharine Dexter McCormick was a lifetime activist, philanthropist, and devoted wife, and her story is emblematic of feminism's first "wave."

We are looking to develop a piece of the New Girls' curriculum based on the book and are looking for some volunteers to identify highlights in KDM's story.  Please send me an email if you'd like to participate.

Thank you, Zoe, for sharing your personal connection to this incredible piece of herstory!

Anna Kent

Registration for New Girls Now Open

Registration for the New Girls' Network programs in 07-08 opens July 10, on a first-come, first-served basis. We are running four groups: two in Portland, one in Bangor, and one at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.

Please let your friends and colleagues know, and refer them to our website for more information: Maine Women's Fund.

Q of the Week: Guilt and Giving

Over the holiday, my mother and I were hanging out in her study and sorting through some junk mail. She discovered a solicitation letter from an arts organization, with a note attached from a good friend. He had joined the board of directors of this small nonprofit and was doing what board members do: asking friends and colleagues for donations.

My mother sighed. "How do I respond to this? I don't want to write them a check, but Thomas wrote me a note."

Without my copy of "Inspired Philanthropy" handy, there was little I could do except quote Nancy Reagan. "Just say no, Grandma."

What DO you do when someone close to you asks for money, and you don't want (or cannot afford) to give to that particular cause? And how do you deal with the guilt?

Anna Kent

Keeping track of what we've done

Hello, New Girls.  Since the February Summit, we've been busy working on improving our communications, re-energizing our program alumnae, and celebrating our initiatives!  Here's some of what we've done so far:

• Finished up the fiscal year for grantmaking through the New Girls' Fund for Social Change with two Opportunity Grants to the Family Planning Association of Maine (for their Celebrating Roe event) and Birthroots (for a laptop) -- Lindsay Cadwallader, Jen Cohen, & Zoe Dexter
• Designed and launched the spring campaign for the New Girls' Fund for Social Change -- Lauren Dietlin, Anna Kent, Patty Morris, & Shannon Nichols
• Organized a Beach-to-Beacon team, for running the annual 10K in August, and launched a blog about it -- Elizabeth Stefanski
• Convened monthly lunch group meetings in Brunswick/Topsham and Portland for New Girls and prospective New Girls -- Lacey Donle & Erin McCall
• Participated in the MWF core beliefs survey (part of our strategic planning process) -- several New Girls among the 20+ respondents
• Launched this blog -- Anna Kent & Brianna McCabe
• Plans are still afoot for a potential 5-year reunion and/or fundraising initiative for the class of 01-02 -- Andi Summers

At next week's Cabinet meeting, we will be reviewing the progress-to-date on the strategic plan and discussing how the New Girls program fits into the overall vision of the Maine Women's Fund.  We're meeting on April 23, Monday, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the MWF offices.  RSVP to Anna Kent, anna@mainewomensfund.org, or Lindsay Cadwallader, lcadwallader@gwi.net.  All New Girls are welcome.

Oh, and one more thing...

What's this blog for, anyway?  Well, we're in the middle of a strategic planning process here at the Maine Women's Fund, and it covers everything we do, including the New Girls' Network.  So the blog is one way for New Girls to dialogue about where we're going with all of this.  Not all New Girls blog, or are completely comfortable with blogging, but we hope many will give this a shot.  (Some may even find they like it--let us know if you do!)

Put yer thinking caps on, women!

First order of the day is to NAME THE BLOG!  Plan-it New Girl?  Pearls from the New Girls?  Little Miss New Girl?  The Low Down on the New Girls?  Just a few ideas to get you started.  We'll pick our fave by Memorial Day.  Whoever submits the winning entry will get a free pound of Mother's Day Coffee from Coffee by Design.