Giving Back Guide

Girl Up

Why We Love Them: Girl Up champions girls to rise above their circumstances and unite to change the world.

Mission: Girl Up envisions a world where all girls, no matter where they live, have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders.

How You Can Help:

• Girls make up more than 1/2 of the 140 million children and adolescents that are out of school. Support #girlseducation with @GirlUp today by donating your latte money to the campaign. $5 can help a girl stay in school.
• Our movement just surpassed 300,000 and continues to grow. Come join us. Get to know the campaign by following along on Facebook (facebook.com/girlup) and Twitter (@GirlUp).  And sign up for emails from our campaign on GirlUp.org.
• Girl Up Clubs have taken off in more than 30 countries around the world. Clubs have exclusive privileges in the Girl Up community, an action platform built just for them and new resources that come out on a monthly basis. Have a girl in your life who might be interested? Show them GirlUp.org/Clubs and get them involved today.

Women’s Way

Why We Love Them: WOMEN’S WAY courageously takes positions on cutting-edge issues and fearlessly imagines a future of infinite possibilities for women and girls.

Mission: WOMEN’S WAY is the leading funding, advocacy and education organization for women in the Greater Philadelphia region, at the forefront of identifying needs, sharing knowledge and building awareness to challenge social inequities and empower women.

How You Can Help:

• Make a Gift Today! To support WOMEN’S WAY is to support a multi-faceted holistic approach to positive social change for women & girls.
• Take Action! Visit our online Action Center to learn about upcoming legislation and make your voice heard!
• Volunteer! If you’re in the area, we would for you to volunteer at an advocacy event or join a committee. Not in the area? We’re always looking for guest bloggers. Contact dghosh@womensway.org for more info.

Finding the Fabulous

Why We Love Them: Fabulous believes that uniqueness should be inspiring, not inhibiting.

Mission: Finding the Fabulous is a non-profit that connects young girls with positive role models who have a passion for breaking down stereotypes and building up confidence. When 92% of teen girls want to change something about the way they look and only 2% would call themselves beautiful, Fabulous’ mission is to effect the status quo. Through an annual summer camp and monthly outreach programs, Fabulous explores issues including self-esteem, respect, health, body image and ambition through team building and artistic activities, meaningful discussions and video campaigns.

How You Can Help:

• Buy a t-shirt and help sponsor a girl to come to camp or sign up as a volunteer counselor
• Donate supplies through our website or by contacting thefabulousinme@gmail.com
•  Become a Fabulous Ambassador and start a Fabulous camp in your area

Girls Educational and Mentoring Services

Why We Love Them: GEMS supports the beauty and worth inherent in all women by spreading the message “Girls are not for sale.”

Mission: Girls Educational and Mentoring Services’ (GEMS) mission is to empower girls and young women, ages 12–24, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking to exit the commercial sex industry and develop to their full potential. GEMS is committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth.

How You Can Help:

• Host a screening of VERY YOUNG GIRLS, an exposé of the commercial sexual exploitation of girls in New York City as they are sold on the streets by pimps and treated as adult criminals by police. Rachel Lloyd, our Founder and Executive Director co-produced this important documentary.
• Donate through our website!
•  Text GEMS to 85944 and donate $10!  Once you receive a reply text, don’t forget to reply “YES” to confirm your donation!

Women’s Venture Fund

Why We Love Them: The Women’s Venture Fund starts women entrepreneurs on the right track to build their confidence and grow their dream.

Mission: The Women’s Venture Fund is a non-profit organization that helps women of diverse backgrounds establish thriving businesses in urban communities. WVF offers training, small business loans, and a network of business advisors to help women reach their business goals. By troubleshooting specific challenges and encouraging women to share their experiences with other entrepreneurs, WVF is able to expedite the growth of businesses participating in their programs.

How You Can Help:

• Volunteer your time and expertise to support the WVF program
• Support the WVF organization by attending our Highest Leaf Awards (June 14th, 2012)
• Donate, your support allows WVF to offer small business loans, business workshops and counseling services for women who are struggling to start or grow their businesses

GlamourGals Foundation Inc.

Why We Love Them: GlamourGals reminds women that they deserve to feel beautiful at any age and that a little pampering can go a long way!

Mission: GlamourGals Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit who fosters self-esteem and mutual respect among two generations. They create teen volunteer chapters who provide companionship and complimentary beauty makeovers to women living in senior homes. These chapters follow their “hot pink leadership” curriculum, which inspires and organizes teens through multiple media. The seniors in the program feel a renewed sense of beauty and dignity and the teens are able to discover their potential as leaders and compassionate community volunteers.

How You Can Help:

• Participate in a makeover
• Volunteer at GlamourGals events
• Join the GlamourGals Advisory Board
• Donate

Empower Generation

Why We Love Them: Empower Generation connects renewable energy technology (RET) suppliers with female entrepreneurs living on less than $2.50 per day to supply clean energy to 1.6 billion people.

Mission: Empower Generation provides women with the technical training and support to start their business, and offer BoP (base of the economic pyramid) energy-consumers microfinancing for RET purchases. Supplying clean energy to the people living without access to electricity is one of the largest opportunities of our time, and women are the key to unlocking potential. Already acting as household energy managers and disproportionally undervalued in their communities, Empower Generation’s entrepreneurs are empowered to become the leaders of the clean-energy revolution.

How You Can Help: Plug into the EmpowerGrid!

• INVEST in a women’s renewable energy business or a community Renewable Energy Fund!
• Host an awareness and fundraising event for your family and friends.
• Volunteer your time and expertise to support our program work- mentor women entrepreneurs and visit them as their businesses grow! Our entrepreneurs are looking for product and design support and mentors with business acumen.

Zimele Community

Why We Love Them: In Zulu, “Zimele” means “to stand on one’s own two feet” and Zimele Community confronts the root causes of poverty to make that possible for the women of South Africa.

Mission: Zimele Community empowers women with the skills, resources, and support networks to start businesses and social service projects to sustain themselves, their families, and their communities.

How You Can Help:

•  Share with your network of friends, company and organizations our stories “Rich in Hope” and gather support for our work towards women empowerment.
• Partner with us by adopting a Zimele community and become a support mentor for 10-15 women.
• Help women stand on their own two feet by pledging $25 a month or buying one of our products.

Nest

Why We Love Them: Committed to the preservation of artistic traditions around the world, Nest collaborates with communities to alleviate poverty, empower women and promote peace.

Mission: Nest is a non-profit that provides customized training and capacity building to artisans around the world. Combined with the provision of market access through relationships with retail partners, Nest’s participatory model enables these artisans to grow self-sustaining businesses that transform their communities by alleviating poverty, empowering women, and promoting peace.

How You Can Help:

• Join the Nest Network and bring hope, love and employment to men and women who need it most for $100 a year.

• Apply for the International Development Fellowship for the opportunity to work with a group of artisan entrepreneurs in a developing country for two months.

• Whether it’s a film screening, a trunk show or Indian themed dinner part, host a Nest event to support their mission.

She’s the First

Why We Love Them: She’s the First connects girls around the globe in an effort to raise awareness about access to education and to help those in developing countries become the first in their family to graduate.

Mission: She’s the First is a not-for-profit that sponsors girls’ education in the developing world, helping them be the first in their families to graduate. In the process, She’s the First fosters leadership and self-awareness in young Americans, by inspiring them to lead creative fundraisers and correspond with sponsored students. Our efforts shape a rising generation of well-educated global leaders, future philanthropists, and cross-cultural communicators.

How You Can Help:

• Sponsor a girl! Help send a girl of the developing world to school.

• Buy a She’s the First bracelet created by Asha Patel Designers or the handmade magenta and teal special edition cupcake necklace for $20, donating 75% of your purchase to She’s the First.

• Fundraise! She’s the First offers creative, fun, and easy ways to raise money for girls in need.”

Step Up Women’s Network

Why We Love Them: Step Up Women’s Network supports the next generation of girls by connecting them with mentors who have been there and done it all.

Mission: Step Up Women’s Network is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to igniting women and girls to fulfill their potential by:

• creating and implementing impactful after-school and weekend programs that empower teen girls from under-resourced communities to be confident, college-bound, and career-ready

• propelling professional women through connections, collaborations, and continuous development

• inspiring our network to invest in the future success of girls through mentorship and financial support

How You Can Help:

• Visit www.suwn.org and join the network as an Insider, Icon, Visionary or Luminary Circle and take action.

• Watch & share Step Up’s video at www.youtube.com/stepupwn

• Like Step Up on Facebook to help grow & support the organization’s digital community