Dress for Success Highlighted on "National Makeover Day"

Today is "National Makeover Day" on QVC, featuring Dress for Success and the stories of clients, including two local women, Clara and Lynette. Clara (pictured right) was featured this morning; Lynette will be featured tonight at 11 p.m.

Both women's stories are inspiring. Clara, for example, had worked the same job for 22 years and was laid off with one day's notice. She learned that she needed to develop computer skills in order to apply and market herself for new jobs, so she enrolled in computer classes at a community center, which led her to access services with Dress for Success Indianapolis (DFSI) in 2003. Since 2004, she has been employed as a customer service representative and trainer. Clara is an active member of DFSI's Professional Women's Group, helping launch the program in 2006 and currently having a leadership role. Clara has achieved great success—personally, on the job, and at DFSI.

Clara's story illustrates how women progress on their path to self-sufficiency in partnership with DFSI, which has served 5,700 women over ten years—including 1,000 in 2009. The average age of a DFSI client (as of March) is 45.5. 75 percent of women who participated are employed (65 percent full time), and they have an above-average wage of $10 per hour.

DFSI offers three main opportunities for clients:

• A suiting program, pairing clients with a volunteer personal shopper and allows a woman to shop in the boutique (pictured right) for head-to-toe interview attire, including a suit, shoes, hosiery, hair products, makeup, and purse. Women can also obtain a complete work outfit, including business attire and uniforms, such as scrubs, catering uniforms, and work boots.
• The Career Center and computer lab (pictured right), which allows women to develop a resume, learn basic job-seeking tips, and hear from motivational speakers, for example. Women attend meetings and events to help them learn social norms when interacting with others. DFSI often works with other organizations, who recommend clients to the Career Center. Starting in June, they will partner with Training Inc., another Women's Fund grantee, to serve additional clients and provide a tailored program.
• The Professional Women's Group (PWG), which includes opportunities for women to make personal plans, learn skills, and develop a support network (see participants' "Steps to Success" goals, pictured right). Graduates of can become members of a lifelong group. There is also a post-incarceration group, which helps women stay on track, set goals, recognize negative support systems, and have access to advocacy and other resources.

As you can see, Dress for Success Indianapolis does an amazing job helping women on their path to self-sufficiency. Women's Fund is proud to have supported them since their inception, including seed money to support their start in 1999. DFSI has grown in earnest since then, and has impacted countless inspirational clients, such as Clara, who are now living independently in our community.

Financial Literacy Month

April is Financial Literacy Month. Experts report that Americans carry more than $2 trillion in consumer debt, which is more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of some countries. While those numbers are outrageous, they are also completely understandable. In this economy, we are living paycheck to paycheck, and using credit cards to bridge the gaps.

This problem cuts across all socio-economic, class and gender lines. I have personal experience with substantial credit card debt. In the last five years, my husband and I opened our own business, had twin sons, and bought a new house before selling an old one. Before we knew it, we were in trouble. And bear in mind that my husband and I have three advanced degrees between us, were raised by upper middle class parents, and have no excuse for getting up to our armpits in debt. But if it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone.

What is so striking about the problem of financial literacy is the shame involved. People simply are too embarrassed to get the help, guidance, or education that can go such a long way in digging themselves out of the hole. And there is so much help available. Simply calling your credit card companies can make a huge difference in reducing interest rates.

This month, everyone has something to learn about becoming more financially savvy. The days of our husbands handling all the money in our families is over. Women should be empowered to know about their financial situations, to engage in the decision making process, and to make use of the resources available to understand their financial situations. Women’s Fund has been committed to this endeavor for a long time, both by funding non-profits that educate women about financial issues, and by recognizing the importance of the issue as a whole, for its recipients, donors, and supporters. I am a great example that anyone can fall into a financial trap. The lesson I learned is that when it comes to financial awareness, ignorance is most certainly not bliss.

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate women's contributions to history, culture, and society. It's only fitting to pay tribute, as we have through our blog recently, to women such as the WWII WASPs and female black civil rights workers, in honor of their tireless efforts to provide a foundation for women's success today.

This week, I had the opportunity to attend a Women's History Month luncheon at Franklin College featuring Dr. Fred Hord, Professor and Chair of Black Studies at Knox College. Dr. Hord shed light on an area of history that receives little attention: black women and their impact on the civil rights movement. In 30 minutes, he highlighted several amazing women:

• Montgomery Improvement Association: Mary Fair Burks, Jo Ann Robinson, Claudette Colvin
• Little Rock 9: Daisy Bates
• Southern Christian Leadership Conference: Ella Baker
• Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC): Bernice Johnson Reagon, Diane Nash, Gloria Richardson, and Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson
• Mississippi Freedom Democrat Party: Fannie Lou Hamer
• Writers and poets: Mari Evans, Christian Hunter, Eugenia Coller, Lucille Clifton, and others.

These women are responsible for actions that impacted not only the black civil rights movement, but women's rights as well. In one example, Ella Baker served as Acting Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, but never was honored as the Director, even though she did most of the work. Some, such as Claudette Colvin, Daisy Bates, and Ruby Doris Robinson, were in their teens and early twenties when they courageously stood up for what they believed in.

Dr. Hord characterized these women as Bridge Leaders, women who lead for the collective good of the group, not themselves. He also asserted that these women should be known by everyone; they are leaders, yet many of them don't make it into history books. The barriers these women faced are rarely-told stories of bravery and heroism.

In celebration of Women's History Month, here are a few facts about women today:

• For the first time in our history, half of U.S. workers are female. Source: The Shriver Report
• Women-owned companies employ more people than the largest 500 companies combined. Source: “Female Power,” The Economist, December 30th, 2009
• Women are paid 23 cents less than men for every dollar earned in our economy. Source: The Shriver Report
• Mothers have become the primary breadwinners in 4 out of 10 American families. Source: The Shriver Report
• Half of all families rely on the earnings of two parents and in more than 20% of all families a single mother is the primary breadwinner. Source: The Shriver Report

As you can see, women have come a long way in recent years, but inequity still exists. At Women's Fund we focus our funding on marginalized women, women who lack access to sufficient resources, quality caregiving options, and safety from violence. I challenge all of us to find new and creative ways to support central Indiana women so women can continue to succeed and flourish.

Honoring Black Women in History

February marks Black History Month, a time dedicated to reflect on the contributions made by women, men, and children in black history. One woman I learned about more recently is Anna Julia Cooper, who is currently featured on a U.S. postal stamp. According to the USPS, Cooper "helped establish local organizations for women, young people, and the poor that addressed a range of issues including education, housing, and unemployment" (http://www.usps.com/). In addition to obtaining advanced degrees, Cooper went on to become principal of a high school and teach at the collegiate level in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Anna Julia Cooper was not only a pioneer for black women in her time, she fought for issues Women's Fund cares about today; namely, insufficient income and economic empowerment for women.

As an undergraduate student, through The Other Side of Middletown book project, I had the opportunity to work closely with members of the black community in Muncie and meet many local women. The leadership of these women made an impression on me and led in part to my interest in issues impacting women and girls. One woman I will never forget is Daidra, a single mother raising a preteen son. Daidra lived in a house she built through Habitat for Humanity and, along with other women in her neighborhood, she helped look after the well-being of children in her neighborhood. While the importance of women like Daidra and her peers may never be written in history books, their significance is not minimized.

This month, the Indianapolis Star is highlighting important contributions by black Hoosiers, such as IPD officer Emma Christy Baker - the first black female police officer for the department. Women's Fund is thankful for the leadership of women like Anna Julia Cooper, Daidra, Emma Christy Baker, and other women who are inspiring leaders in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities. What black women have inspired you?

Unemployment Impacts Women

Unemployment is an issue we see frequently in the headlines. In the last 18 months or so, as much as ever, it has served as a indicator of economic recovery. Many of us know someone who has been unemployed and the resulting challenges; or, we have at least heard stories that hit close to home.

Last week, the December statistics were released for unemployment. In Indiana, the rate has stayed steady at 9.6 percent, while nationally the rate is 10 percent. Unemployment in this time is directly impacting men more than ever, and women are more frequently the only income provider for their household. Specific groups of women are also being hard hit, as the competition for jobs increases.

When visiting one of Women's Fund's grantees last year, I found out that the typical woman they served had changed; more women with advanced degrees and polished resumes were seeking services to do whatever they could to gain employment.

An article from November, 2009 points out that unmarried women, as well as younger women and women with less education are harder hit in the job market right now. When these challenges are compounded by the fact that women working full time and year round in central Indiana earn 74% of a man's earnings, women in our community have an even greater disadvantage.

What will help? Thankfully, in central Indiana there are organizations like Training Inc., Business Ownership Initiative, and Dress for Success Indianapolis helping women position themselves to be successful and employed. I'm grateful for these services to women in our community, and proud of Women's Fund's support of these organizations.

Discovering “Did You Knows”

I truly have had a great time getting to know Women’s Fund better over the past few months. Yes, I went through OPTIONS several years ago. Yes, I know several of the organizations who benefit from Women’s Fund grants. Yes, I have a few friends on committees and/or the board. But I’ve discovered some new things I didn’t know (or maybe didn’t remember). Take, for example, some of these “did you knows” that I’ve discovered – or rediscovered.

• Grants: I was familiar with the fact that Women’s Fund supports women and girls in Central Indiana. However, I didn’t recall their primary focus on caregiving, domestic violence and insufficient income. The even greater “did you know” … Women's Fund has awarded a total of 236 grants totaling $3,244,077 to 89 different organizations since its inception in May 1999. This year alone they granted over $330,000 to 13 organizations. Wow!


• Programs: I was familiar with OPTIONS because I went through the program, but what I didn’t know was some of the specifics about their other philanthropic educational programs, such as GO: Give Back and Power of Girls – programs specifically designed to teach youth about philanthropy and giving back to the community.


• Research: I was familiar with their “Still On Shaky Ground” reports, but I find the work, passion and commitment to research on the critical issues facing women and girls in our community remarkable. Again, my “did you know” moment was realizing that the research and key findings help form Women’s Fund priorities when making grants.


• Funding: This isn’t a “did you know” defining moment, but it was a great reminder, Women’s Fund continues to fund programs that improve the lives of women and girls in our community, but in order to do so, they need our help. They can’t continue to fund at the level they have been if we don’t continue to fund them. “Did you know” you can donate online now too?

I look forward to discovering even more about Women’s Fund -- about the organizations they support and the programs they develop; their research and key findings; and how Women’s Fund will continue to make an even greater impact in the work they do throughout the community.

Business Ownership Initiative - Another WF Success Story

Three years ago, I attended my first Women's Fund dinner. I was in awe of thousands of attendees, all of whom were involved with and passionate about Women's Fund. Fresh off my OPTIONS class, I was feeling happy and motivated about staying involved, but I wasn't sure what avenue would best suit my enthusiasm. During the dinner, Jennifer announced a bold and transformative grant to an organization called the Neighborhood Self Employment Initiative. I was impressed. I loved the idea of helping women help themselves by giving them the tools to start and run small business, like daycares and cleaning services.

For a while, that was the extent of my involvement with the NSEI. In the meantime, they changed their name to Business Ownership Initiative. With the help of the bold and transformative Women's Fund grant, BOI grew into a much bigger, broader organization, offering one on one business counseling services, planning, and workshops to help people with any of their small business educational and support needs. In June of this year, I started a law practice with a focus on small business and entrepreneurial services. I contacted BOI and was thrilled to hear about all the programming being offered to small business owners. What was most impressive was the full slate of workshops BOI offered, everything from basic instruction on how to incorporate a business in Indiana to complex topics about sales and marketing. And now, I have worked with BOI to assist in teaching some of their legal related topics, even developing a new class for their clients on the legal risks of marketing using social media tools.

It was just a happy coincidence that I was introduced to BOI from Women's Fund, but it is not a coincidence that both organizations are meaningful to me. Women's Fund yet again exposed me to an organization using innovative tools to help women and girls in Central Indiana, and I am sure BOI's success is in no small part because of the Women's Fund grant that I saw awarded in 2006. There are so many other organizations out there that need our dollars and or time. My experience with BOI is just a great example of how I have been able to give both, directly and indirectly because of my involvement with Women's Fund.

Bank on Indy

How did you first learn about managing money? As a child, you might have had an allowance and a piggy bank, and as you got older, perhaps you had a part time job and a checking account. At some point, you probably learned something about the value of money and keeping it safe. Through economic literacy programs at local Girls Inc. chapters, for example, many central Indiana girls are developing money management skills at an early age.

79,000 Marion County residents do not use bank accounts, according to today’s Indianapolis Star article “Indy to help 79,000 ‘unbanked’ open accounts.” Instead, these residents utilize cash or payday loan companies that charge a fee to cash a paycheck. “Bank on Indy” is a campaign to encourage these residents to obtain bank accounts. Twelve area banks participating in the program will forgive those who have made financial missteps in the past and allow them to establish free or low-cost bank accounts, as well as access support services provided by ten local community centers and five Centers for Working Families (click on the article and program titles to learn more).

"Bank on Indy" allows community members to gain access to a resource many of us take for granted. For a woman living paycheck to paycheck, utilizing a payday loan company that charges a fee of $8-$12 per paycheck she cashes, the ability to establish a bank account charging no more than $15 a year may help her stabilize herself and teach her children about money management. Coupled with support from other community resources, such as Making Connections and Business Ownership Initiative, “Bank on Indy” is an important part of a woman’s path to economic self-sufficiency. Women’s Fund applauds this new initiative!