From Lake Wobegon to Lake Havasu, Donut Security and Progress Made In China: Spark News Digest

From Lake Wobegon to Lake Havasu, donut security and progress Made In China: This is your Spark News Digest.

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NATIONAL: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Calls Out Military Leaders For “Good Order And Discipline”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a word, ROCKS. Our Senator will not accept rhetoric for an answer. Last week Sen. Gillibrand questioned military leaders on sexual assault, demanding zero tolerance in the military justice system.”I appreciate the work you’re doing, but it’s not enough,” Sen. Gillibrand told military officers during a recent Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee. We appreciate your leadership, Senator. Rock on.

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NEXT GENERATION PHILANTHROPY:  NPR Wants To Click With Those Who Tweet

Pivoting from Lake Wobegon to Lake Havasu, NPR is taking a crack at the under 30 crowd. Their presence at South by Southwest Interactive Conference (SXSW) was part of their Generation Listen campaign. Their aim is to inspire a new generation of listeners to support local stations to keep public programming alive and out of retirement.

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INTERNATIONAL: Empowering Women To Improve Food Security – What Works and Why

Food security is not just hiding the last donut from your co-workers. In Olivier De Schutter’s report to the UN on Gender and the Right to Food, he notes that one of the most promising approaches to alleviating poverty is to include gender-sensitive elements to existing food security programs.

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INTERNATIONAL: China Signals Greater Role For Private Nonprofits

Social progress – Made in China. Last week, China declared  that it will allow nonstate groups to take a bigger role in tackling economic and social issues within the country. This is a big, positive step for a government that has been repressive to social sector actors.

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS: Speak Up, Believe In Yourself, Take Risks

Lean In closer to the debate. In this opinion piece and video, Sheryl Sandberg takes notice of the conversation swirling around her book and movement, Lean In, explaining that we need a national dialogue in order to break the barriers holding women back from achieving true equality in the workplace. Can Lean In help create a world where passions, interest, and talent are king, and stereotypes take a backseat?

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Millennials, Women, and Impact: Spark News Digest

Next gen donors, a girl’s battle at home, and contraceptive prowess. This is your Spark News Digest.

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PHILANTHROPY: Next Generation Donors And Their Plan For Greater Impact

Next generation donors, Gen Xers and Millennials are shaking up the state of philanthropy. A new report on our understudied generation states that next generation donors  ”perceive their parents and grandparents as driven by obligation, recognition, and tradition, [and] they see themselves as driven by strategy and impact.” Once criticized for being cynical and entitled, next generation donors are proving their worth by pushing philanthropic strategy to be more effective.

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INTERNATIONAL: Girl Soldiers Face Tougher Battle On Return To Civilian Life

40% of child soldiers around the world are girls, and while programs are in place to help soldiers reintegrate into society, these programs are not addressing the needs of girl soldiers. This articles discusses the alarmingly low enrollment rate of girls into disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) programs.

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EDUCATION: Women – The World’s Best Investment

Who runs the world…GIRLS! Although research links the success of women with increased GDP,  women in developing nations face limited access to education and economic advancement. Programs’s like Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement) help narrow this gap by teaching women factory workers in developing countries technical and life skills.

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INTERNATIONAL: Justice Is Blind, But Not In The Case of Gender Violence

Famous South African paralympian sprinter Oscar Pistorius was charged with premeditated murder of his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day. Similar to the gang-rape in India, this case has rightly attracted massive public attention and may be a catalyst for fighting violence against women in South Africa.

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GLOBAL: Sexularism and The Female Body

Should there be compromises in contraceptive governess? In her opinion piece, feminine theorist, Zillah Eisentein discusses the blurred lines between public and private; political and religion; church and state; and secular and religious divides and what we can do as a worldwide community to stand for a women’s rights to her own body.

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On the Town with SparkNYC

By JENN WILCOX, Spark Board Member and Chair of SparkNYC

Cathy Raphael and SparkNYC

On Monday, May 14, members of the Spark community attended The Gloria Awards, The Ms. Foundation for Women’s annual gala.  Unlike many of the black tie galas held across New York City, The Gloria Awards focused on creating a friendly, warm and inclusive atmosphere. The women were sassy, empowered, and, as our host Cathy Raphael noted, awesome.

As a 25 year old woman, it was amazing and inspiring to meet Gloria Steinem, hear about all the work done to advance the cause of women’s rights, and gain a deeper appreciation for the history and promise of the women’s movement. As one of my friends and fellow Spark member Carlo DaVia put it, the experience really brought home just how large the shoes we have to fill are as we grow older and take on more leadership roles within the movement.

A Spark Sister

In listening to the speeches, I learned more about just how inspirational Gloria has been to women across the world, and how important her leadership has been in helping bring women to the movement at different phases of their lives. One of the greatest moments of the night was when Gloria said to us, “Spark… I know your work, what you’re doing is fantastic. I think we are sisters.” Yes, Gloria. We sure are.

Of course, the evening was filled with amazing talks from honorees who are working around the world on tangible issues and large visions to help make the world a safer and better place for women. We had the privilege of hearing from Felicia Brown-Williams on the importance of comprehensive healthcare for women in the South. (We learned that Mississippi’s child mortality rate is worse than that of Sri Lanka, and on par with Botswana.) Klarissa Oh shared sobering details about her work as an advocate for survivors of childhood abuse. Gert Boyle shared in her no-nonsense way her personal story of taking over Columbia Sportswear once her husband died, only to grow the company to a $1.7 billion valuation. In Gert’s words, the key to success is “early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.” Throughout the evening, we were struck by the balance between the humility of the speakers and their willingness to acknowledging their value to society.

In it together

The evening ended with Jacki Zehner and Helen LaKelly Hunt welcoming all the Women Moving Millions donors on stage and leading them in a version of the song “we’re all in this together.” As I looked across the Spark table and across the room, it was impossible not to feel inspired and hopeful about the future.

Spark would like to thank Cathy Raphael for her sponsorship to attend The Gloria Awards. 

Spark’s Seal of Approval

By SARAH MIERS

In addition to providing financial and in-kind support, Spark’s investments increase awareness of little-known, grassroots women’s organizations. Spark’s grants often act as a seal of approval to other  well-established funders, helping our grantees secure larger investments in the future. We’ve seen this success with grantees like Akili Dada, and our 2011 grantees are no exception. From receiving a personal honor from President Sarkozy of France to winning New York’s prestigious Union Square Award, our 2011 grantees are propelling into the New Year with substantial support.

At Spark’s Spring Speaker Series, members meet with Jenni Williams, founder of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). We were so inspired by WOZA’s  nonviolent push for democracy and human rights that many Spark members immediately chipped in with funding and technology donations to improve WOZA’s ability to organize. Since Spark’s initial grant, others have caught on to WOZA’s exceptional work, including the French government. Just a few weeks ago, President Sarkozy awarded Jenni Williams with the French National Order of Merit.

Spark New York’s first grantee, Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition, also received substantial recognition and support. Much like Spark, YWCHAC understands the benefit of linking fun with volunteerism. Their unique model resulted in the successful engagement of New York’s youth in comprehensive HIV/AIDS education–not an easy task. Last week YWCHAC won the prestigious Union Square Award. This award includes a $50,000 general support grant. For a small organization this level of unrestricted funding will be transformative.

Spark seeds grassroots women’s organizations with cash grants, pro bono services, connections and attention. Our intention is to position these incredible organizations for larger funding opportunities. The recent success of WOZA and the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS shows this model in action.

You can help Spark’s efforts with your own seed grants! Choose the cause you want to support, and we’ll help leverage these funds in 2012.

Got 3 Minutes? – Flexing Resources Round 2

BY SARAH MIERS

Turn 3 minutes of attention into a $5,000 grant by voting for Spark’s grantee Sweet Dreams in the “Give Back” Challenge! Yesterday, Shannon Farley wrote about Anna, a Spark member, who turned $7 of unused flex spending into 3 months of medical supplies for a women’s shelter. With just 3 minutes, you, too, can have an exponential impact!

Sweet Dreams is a contestant in the GOOD + Brookside Foods “Give Back” Challenge. The winner of this challenge receives a whopping $5,000 grant to implement their programs. The winner is dictated by the number of votes received, so your vote really counts! Voting is easy; it just takes a few minutes of your time.  Let’s all take a quick break from our Tuesday routines to make a difference in these young women’s lives.

The Details:

1. Voting is open NOW through December 9th, 12pm PST at http://brooksidefoods.maker.good.is/

2. Follow the link above, search for Sweet Dreams (currently #47 out of 120 applicants) and vote though Facebook or by email.

3. Each person can vote once during the voting period, so alert your network about the challenge!

The $5,000 grant would make a significant impact on the 12 young women entrepreneurs, ages 14-21, by supporting their business development and training.

Rally your networks and VOTE Sweet Dreams to the top!

Flexing Resources

Two years ago in December, a Spark member, Anna, was up late doing her bills when she realized she had $7 left in her Flex Spending Account. This money was taken out of her paycheck and put into this health savings account. She couldn’t get the money back. If she didn’t spend it by the end of the year, it would go to waste. $7 was not that much money to Anna, but it felt irresponsible to waste it. Then, she had a crazy idea.

She worked at a company with great health benefits and she was healthy. Anna knew others did not share her fortune. Indeed many of the grantees that Anna learned about through Spark could benefit from basic health supplies. Anna had seen requests on Spark’s Facebook page for first aid kits and other health needs. Spark grantees could use that $7. They could probably use more than $7.

Anna had three healthy co-workers who sat in her cube bank. She figured they too might have a little extra cash in their flex spending accounts. So she asked for their help. Over the next few days, Anna and her co-workers pooled their resources and purchased $300 worth of health supplies. Then with Spark’s assistance, they donated three months of health supplies to a local women’s shelter.

Spark’s investment model harnesses non-traditional, social capital resources to support grassroots women’s organizations. That’s exactly what Anna did when she grew $7 into $300 into 3 months of health supplies for an under-resourced organization. Every year Spark honors Anna and her act of ingenuity by collecting health supplies in the month of December from our members and distributing them to our local grantees.

On December 7^th at Spark’s Annual Holiday Party, we will be collecting these gifts. In you are in town, please stop by. If you bring health supplies (first aid kits, feminine sanitary supplies, a box of condoms, etc.), you’ll get in for free.

If you are unable to make it, you can support our grantees directly here. 100% of donations raised in the month of December will support Spark’s grantmaking program.

This holiday season we invite you to celebrate your health and join Anna in flexing your resources.

To learn more about Spark and our investment model, email Programs@sparksf.org.

Rejected by MTV

By SHANNON FARLEY, Executive Director

You’ve probably seen MADE. It’s a MTV staple in which they transform an invariably gawky teenager into a beauty queen or motocross racer.  Recently, Spark got a call from MADE. They had young woman who wanted to be MADE into a philanthropist.

We were thrilled by the prospect. Teenage protagonists who want to be philanthropists, governors, human rights activists, or Fortune 500 CEOs. That’s progress.

Here’s the catch—the two-minute webisode had to be shot over the course of one week.  The producer believed to make it work the audience needed to witness a complete story arc. Meet a homeless family, build a house, and watch them move it. The whole thing seemed a bit like speed dating.

If you are doing philanthropy right, it should take more than a week. It took a long time to create these problems and it’s going to take awhile to fix them.  That doesn’t mean they are not worthy of our attention.

So, I took two minutes to share a couple Spark story arcs with the producer–an economic empowerment program in Ghana run by former sex-slaves and a shelter for human trafficking survivors in San Francisco.  He was moved and commented, “Man, if you only built a house, too.”  We laughed—together.  He was struggling to push a television program to consider different story lines and we’re trying to push philanthropy beyond speed-giving.  Neither task is easy but both are worthy.

Beyond Hip: Connecting Actions to Rhetoric – By Jenn Wilcox

Last December, the progressive journalist Courtney E. Martin posted a powerful reflection on the state of dialog regarding women’s issues. While it has certainly become hip to advocate for women (think about Nick Kristof’s columns or the corporate engagement by companies like Goldman Sachs and Coca Cola), we must remember the importance of connecting actions to rhetoric and not assume that the current climate means our work is done.

Jenn Wilcox, Tanzania 2010

One of the things I love most about Spark is its dedication to engaging its members on all aspects of women’s empowerment. Through this blog, the Spark News Digest and the number of educational events Spark co-sponsors, members are able to learn about and engage on issues that impact women around the world. By attending Grants and Advocacy meetings, we engage in important conversations about how to prioritize projects and how to turn our values into high-impact grants. At Cocktails for a Cause events, we help support domestic and international women-focused organizations while socializing with civically engaged friends. In a vacuum, each of these activities is important, but the real power of the Spark model comes from their integration, from turning what we learn into decisions we make and causes we support.

Perhaps most importantly, this powerful confluence of engagement means that we start to more fully appreciate what Hillary Clinton meant when she declared in 1995 that women’s rights are human rights.  I don’t support women’s rights because I’m a woman, I support women’s rights because in so many places women are systematically denied opportunities and disadvantaged uniquely because of their gender, and battling this injustice is one of clearest ways to create maximum impact. Spark is a small grassroots organization – by definition we have to think about our funding not only in terms of dollars, but in terms of how each dollar will impact the community. As I learn more about the issues surrounding women’s rights, I am convinced that our focus on gender inequality and substantive discussions surrounding funding ensure that each dollar donated to Spark is deployed in a thoughtful, high-impact way.

D.I.Y Inspiration by Jenn Wilcox

On November 24, Nick Kristof published a powerful article about “Do it Yourself” philatnthropists in the New York Times Magazine. Kristof profiles courageous women who have given up lives of comfort in the US to develop low-cost sanitary pads in Rwanda, fundraise for women in Congo by running races, and run a school for Nepalese children.

Elizabeth Scharpf – Founder of She: Sustainable Health Enterprises

This article and the stories shared about the women serve as an important reminder why grassroots organizations make a difference. Biology shouldn’t be destiny—we all have the capacity to try and make the world a better place.

At Spark, we often discuss how some of the women’s greatest barriers to education or employment are often issues you don’t think about – transportation, meals away from home, sanitary supplies during menstruation. By brining a fresh perspective to many of the daunting issues facing women around the world, young entrepreneurs are able to enact real change that breaks the mold of what traditional aid workers envisioned.

While change and progress often take three steps forward and two steps back, this article serves as an important reminder of how simply engaging in these issues is both noble and adds to the greater good. As Kristof writes, “anybody wrestling with poverty at home or abroad learns that good intentions and hard work aren’t enough. Helping people is hard.” But any progress, even incremental, is exciting and deserves to be celebrated.

Today, my spark is Elizabeth Scharpf – a 33 year old entrepreneur working to create a low-cost sanitary napkin solution that may help keep Rwandan women in school and at work. She may not succeed, but her business-based approach to tackling gender inequality and working to enhance productivity in the developing world is truly admirable.

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Jenn Wilcox is a founding member of Spark NYC.