Frequently Asked Questions

What is the address and contact information for GFWC Headquarters?

1734 N St NW 
Washington, DC  20036-2990
P: 202/347-3168
F: 202/835-0246
E: gfwc@gfwc.org

What are GFWC's regular business hours and days of operation?

GFWC business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
GFWC observes the following holidays each year: New Year's Day, Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving (the last Friday in November), and Christmas Day.  In addition, GFWC Headquarters generally is closed the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

Does GFWC offer tours?

Tours of GFWC Headquarters are provided Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., by reservation. Walk-ins are welcome; however, we request that reservations be made when possible to ensure a timely and thorough tour experience. Please direct inquiries regarding tours to the Women's History and Resource Center at 202/347-3168.

When was GFWC founded?

GFWC was founded in April 1890, when 61 clubs from around the country convened in New York City and formed the General Federal of Women's Clubs.

What is the GFWC motto and how did it originate?

The GFWC motto is "Unity in Diversity." The first time it was used was in a speech given by New York clubwoman and newly installed President, Mrs. Ella Dietz Clymer, at the birthday banquet of Sorosis, a founding club of GFWC, on March 20, 1889. The words "unity in diversity" expressed Mrs. Clymer's hope that the women of Sorosis would "form a lasting union of the women's clubs throughout the United States and possibly throughout the world. We do not feel that sectional differences will separate us; on the contrary, we hope that these very differences will form a bond of sympathy."

What is the official GFWC song?

The official song is "America, The Beautiful" written by Katherine Lee Bates. GFWC selected the song in 1922, as it "…is a song of dignity and beauty, easily sung, and reflecting the true spirit of America and the ideals of this Federation."

What is "A Collect for Clubwomen"?

Mary Stewart, a Colorado school principal, wrote the words to the Collect in 1904 as a personal daily prayer.  Mary titled her poem "A Collect for Club Women" when it was first published because she felt it might have special appeal to clubwomen.  According to Mary, "The first women's organization to hear or use the Collect or to print it in its year books and biennial reports was the General Federation of Women's Clubs."  Prior to her death in 1943, Mary Stewart's own account of the history of the Collect was recorded. During GFWC President Dorothy Houghton's administration (1950-1952), the American Home Department published Mary's history along with an interpretation of the text and suggestions for using it in GFWC programs.

Download a copy of Mary Stewart's Collect (PDF)

The words for the Collect are as follows:

A COLLECT FOR CLUBWOMEN

Keep us, oh God, from pettiness; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.
Let us take time for all things; make us to grow calm, serene, gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create differences, that in the big things of life we are at one.
And may we strive to touch and to know the great, common human heart of us all, and oh Lord God, let us forget not to be kind!

What is the GFWC emblem?

The insignia or emblem used by GFWC depicts a circular band signifying eternity. In the center of the circular band, the crusader's shield emerges from a darkened world (represented by the field of black), which represents enlightenment. The enameled colors–red, white, and blue–are the colors of the United States of America. The red implies courage, the white equals purity, and the blue stands for constancy.    

What is the GFWC color?

The Federation's color is blue.

What is the GFWC flower?

The Federation's flower is the red rose. It was officially adopted at the Council Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisc., May 1940.

Does the GFWC have a flag and where did it originate?

GFWC does have an organizational flag. It was first used at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of GFWC in Atlantic City, N.J., on Pioneer Night, May 19, 1941. The flag has a blue background with an embroidered GFWC emblem in color.