March 2020 - Navigating Our “New Normal,” Together
I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt hope that each and every one of you, your friends and families are all healthy and safe. Times have certainly changed with the current COVID-19 pandemic, and the fundraising and philanthropic communities, as well as society-at-large, are finding ways to navigate the literal distance between us now. For four decades, WID has thrived on the sense of networking and community that comes with the ability to see each other in-person. Rest assured that we are preparing to continue that sense of community in the virtual realm.
This being Women’s History Month, we planned an extraordinary webinar panel on Women, Money and Pay Equity for March 19th, but the sheer weight of online webinar traffic happening at the time meant that particular platform was unable to maintain its bandwidth. Undeterred, we will prevail and present that same webinar (via a different platform, however!) on Friday, April 3rd at 10:15am. It will now include special perspectives on pay equity as related to the pandemic. You can register for it here.
In addition to the COVID-19 response webinar: Successful Fundraising in Changing Times which WID offered on March 25th, we are in the process of planning further webinar opportunities, as all current plans for in-person WID events are rescheduled, postponed or on hold. A recording of Successful Fundraising in Changing Times can be accessed for free by WID members or is available for a fee for non-members. For member access or to purchase, please contact widny@widny.org. On April 22nd, we plan to offer the previously scheduled program on board development via webinar. More details will be available on that soon. Then, I am thrilled to announce that WID will join forces with The Chronicle of Philanthropy on a new webinar series, set to begin later this spring. You’ll find more information below in the newsletter, along with our updated plans for the annual Woman of Achievement Luncheon, which will now be held on October 30th. This will be a seamless shift, as everything from our venue and time to our honoree are the same; we are simply shifting the date to the fall due to the pandemic.
Last, but certainly not least, in this edition of our e-news you’ll find important resources that WID has found to be helpful during these uncertain times.
Until we see each other again, I’m wishing you every good thing. Stay strong, stay encouraged, stay safe, stay vigilant and stay creative, carving out new ways of communicating and continuing to achieve our goals as the incredible Women In Development community we are.