Author: SMayuga

By Cimi Douglass, GFWC Atlanta Woman’s Club President
Judy Reece, Atlanta Woman’s Club Communications Chair
Britton Rogers, Atlanta Woman’s Club Social Media Chair

The mission of the Atlanta Woman’s Club is to encourage our members to become interested and involved citizens of the community by engaging in charitable activities that benefit the community as a whole. Our mission statement answers three basic but incredibly important questions that make our club work more meaningful—what are we doing, why are we doing it, and who we are doing it for?

When we move forward on anything, whether it’s supporting a charity or writing our social media posts, we consistently keep these questions in mind.  The common phrase “Actions speak louder than words” reminds us of the importance of living out our mission on social media and to show the public what we are doing, why we are doing it, and who we are doing it for.

Our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram followers increase every month. Our Facebook posts give the public a glimpse of our members and demonstrate how we are fulfilling our mission. The Atlanta Woman’s Club Facebook page is linked to our Twitter and Instagram feeds for individuals and other nonprofits to follow and learn more about what we are doing within the club and our community. All of our social media platforms use the hashtag #atlwomansclub to connect public conversations into a single stream.

In addition to social media buttons on our club website, each year we create a “Members in Action” video highlighting a few of our activities. The video shows our members out in the community and spotlights a few of the charities we support. This video is posted on Vimeo, which gives the viewer a general sense of what we do set to inspiring music. The club also has a profile on LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Without engaging and inspiring content, social media is meaningless. Without social media, nobody will know who we are, what we are doing, and why we are doing it. There are three main components to any successful social media strategy—type of content, time of posting, and frequency of posting. We consistently keep these in mind. We also realize that every action we take on social media networks should be a part of a larger social media marketing strategy. That means every post, reply, like, and comment should all be guided by a plan that is helping us meet our mission and charitable goals.

We want to have a presence on any platform that will allow us to share information about our club, whether that means Facebook for all demographics, Twitter for mass exposure, Instagram for visual content, LinkedIn for professionals, or Pinterest for the leisurely hobbyist. We feel it is key to stay relevant with technology and to participate in social media. By doing so, the message of the Atlanta Woman’s Club will reach a wider audience and we will fulfill our mission.

To view the social media accounts of the Atlanta Woman’s Club, visit www.atlwc.org and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday. During this time of the year, many GFWC clubs and clubwomen begin to consider their own holiday and end-of-year charitable donations. Here are just a few of the ways GFWC clubs can get involved in Giving Tuesday this year.

Donate to GFWC Partners

GFWC currently partners with thirteen 501(c)3 charitable organizations that reflect GFWC’s mission of community improvement through enhancing the lives of others. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Operation Smile, Heifer International, and all of our Partners offer assistance and hope to women and children around the globe. Find the best fit for your club and make a donation for Giving Tuesday! Click here to view the complete list of GFWC’s Partners.

Donate to GFWC

Clubs can also make a donation to GFWC Headquarters for Giving Tuesday. Donations enable GFWC to fund grants and awards, maintain GFWC Headquarters as a National Historic Landmark, support the GFWC Women’s History and Resource Center, and meet community needs in times of disaster. Here are a few ways to donate to GFWC!

1734 Society

Campaign for the Future

Disaster and Relief Fund– Library Replenishment

Endowment Fund

Friends of WHRC

GFWC Signature Program Fund

Gifts to Headquarters

Complete a Local Service Project

Participating in Giving Tuesday does not require your club to cut a check! Your club can create its own service project to benefit your local community. Your club can collaborate with local businesses to fundraise for a charitable cause or spend time volunteering at an area charity. Click here to view a list of ideas that could help your club!

Social Media

Promote and participate in Giving Tuesday via social media. Tell everyone you know about this day of giving by using the hashtag #GivingTuesday. For the full planning tool-kit and sample social media messaging, click here.

This week, GFWC is celebrating the 17^th anniversary of the Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children. Although the program itself is fairly new in the scope of GFWC’s 126-year history, advocating for youth and supporting children all over the world is a core part of GFWC values and tradition. A push for improved public schools, the establishment of kindergartens, and public libraries were among the very first civic missions of GFWC in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

During the 1896 GFWC Convention in Denver, Colorado, members focused on solving problems affecting women and children that had been exasperated due to rapid urbanization and industrialization. In Denver, clubwomen unanimously resolved that no child under the age of 14 should be employed in a hazardous setting, and that proper sanitation and safe working conditions must always be provided. This resolution would become the cornerstone of legislation preventing child labor. Clubwomen such as Jane Addams led the way in advocating for children by heading GFWC’s Child Labor Committee in 1901. GFWC is proud of our history of supporting children and providing a voice to those without one.

Proper hygiene for children, as well as nutrition and care for infants, also became a rallying point for clubwomen throughout the 20^th century. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the March of Dimes in 1938, clubwomen immediately found an ally in the fight for proper health care and hygiene for mothers and their children. Today, GFWC continues to partner with March of Dimes through our Juniors’ Special Program. Clubs like the Junior Woman’s Club of Loudoun in Virginia support March of Dimes by hosting fundraising events such as a wine and chocolate pairing fundraiser, and participating in the March for Babies Walk. The GFWC Boulder Valley Woman’s Club (Colorado) has collected loose change at their meetings to benefit March of Dimes. Whether hosting an event, participating in a walk, or collecting spare change, clubs are dedicated to helping March of Dimes in its mission to end premature birth and infant mortality.

At the 2015 Annual Convention in Memphis, Tennessee, GFWC was proud to begin a partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, giving clubs another way to support the Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children. GFWC has demonstrated our commitment to ending childhood cancer by bringing all hands on deck for the St. Jude Run/Walk to End Cancer. Members have created 31 teams in 19 markets, collected 422 donations, and raised more than $27,000.

Advocates for Children Week, which takes place this year from October 23 to October 29, gives members the perfect opportunity to shine a light on all that they do year-round for children. Many clubs, like the Ridgefield Park Woman’s Club EMD in New Jersey, submit proclamations to their local government declaring GFWC Advocates for Children Week in their community. Consider starting a project focusing on children this week. For example, the Pio Pico Woman’s Club in California is collecting stuffed animals and donating them to a local hospital. The GFWC Emerald Coast Junior Woman’s Club in Florida collected juice boxes and held a non-perishable snack drive for the Children’s Advocacy Center’s Sexual Abuse Treatment Program.

What will your club do to celebrate Advocates for Children Week? Stay tuned to the GFWC Facebook page for more historical facts and highlights of club activities, and read the Juniors’ Special Program section of the Club Manual for information on how you can be an advocate for children.

By Deb Allen
GFWC Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children Chairman

GFWC clubwomen will celebrate Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children Week from Sunday, October 23 to Saturday, October 29, but members continue to help children all year long! One of the things that makes me proud to be a clubwoman is the passion our organization has for children. If you are looking for projects to make a difference in your community, consider one of the following:

Invite a local firefighter to bring turnout gear to speak about fire safety.
Have you seen firefighters wearing their full turnout gear? Have you heard their breathing when they wear oxygen masks? Now, imagine encountering this for the first time as a child, in the dark, when your house is on fire. Invite a local firefighter to speak at elementary schools or daycares. Ask them to bring their turnout gear to put on while talking to the children about fire safety. If appropriate, have them put on their oxygen mask so that children can hear what it sounds like. Help the children to recognize the gear that looks and sounds scary is helping to keep the firefighter safe.

Help authorities find victims of child trafficking.
Traffickers post pictures of their victims in hotel rooms as a way to advertise their business. Click here to download the TraffickCam app and then upload pictures of hotel rooms to help authorities find sex trafficking victims. TraffickCam uses these to identify the background in pictures of trafficking victims allowing authorities to identify where the victim might be. Ask your local hotels to allow you to take pictures of their rooms as well as upload pictures while you are on vacation. (Unsure how to download and upload? Ask a Junior or Juniorette to help!)

Help those who are about to age out of foster care.
Children in foster care age out when they are not permanently placed in a home or reconciled with their families before they turn 18. Identify these children and set up classes or workshops to teach them life lessons, such as managing money or cooking to prepare them for life as an independent adult. Help these children develop a plan to finish their education and consider providing scholarships if your state charges for the GED test.

Remember to report what you are doing!
Don’t wait until January to notify me of the good work you are doing. I am often asked to brag about what GFWC is doing as Advocates for Children. I would love to be able to brag about your club, district, state or region.

Feel free to share your Advocates for Children history with me as well. Do you have a project that has been ongoing for many years? How did Advocates for Children begin in your club or state? Have you won any community awards for your efforts? Were you part of GFWC’s adoption of the Advocacy for Children’s week?

Remember General, Junior, and Juniorette clubs may report under the Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children category. Start writing your reports now while it is easy to remember the details of your project. Remember to explain your project in detail so that another club may be able to utilize your project in their area.

Thanks for all that you do in the lives of children during Advocates for Children Week and throughout the year! Mark your calendars for our 2017 GFWC Juniors’ Special Program Advocates for Children Week to be held Sunday, October 23 to Saturday, October 28, 2017.

That GFWC has been a powerful force in shaping national politics, legislation, and even moral standards is no secret. However, our role in molding popular culture and entertainment also presents a formidable history. From our founding in 1890, GFWC clubwomen have seen themselves as harbingers of the arts and public education. When the first motion pictures debuted in America, in the early 1900s, clubwomen saw the new medium as an opportunity for education, and as a natural fit into their already established platform for artistic standards.

The first motion picture footage was screened in France in 1895 by the Lumiere brothers. However, GFWC’s history with motion pictures is even older. In 1889, Thomas Edison developed the Kinetoscope. Unlike the cinematograph, which was used in France, the Kinetoscope was a device that only allowed one viewer to observe the film through a small peephole. Only two years later, Edison, whose wife was a clubwoman, demonstrated his invention during GFWC’s second annual Convention. By 1905, the new art form had picked up traffic, and the first Nickelodeon was opened in Pittsburgh. Taking off at a rapid pace, feature films became a major form of entertainment for Americans everywhere by the start of WWI.

Despite reservations about the film industry, GFWC clubwomen primarily regarded the advent of film as a major educational force. Attending movies got people out of the saloons and into the theater, and was seen to have positive potential. However, the early film industry was unregulated, and clubwomen had quandaries about inappropriate materials. In 1916, GFWC President Anna Pennybacker proclaimed that “no question has aroused more interest among the homes of our land than that of the motion picture. We realize that this institution has come to stay… we realize that it can be made into a great educational force. We also realize that the average motion picture tends to degrade rather than uplift the moral status of the spectator…”

Acting on their concerns, GFWC joined forced with the National Board of Review (NBR) in 1916. A Motion Picture Survey Committee was created, and women were sent into their local communities to take stock of and rate the motion pictures which were available there. However, after campaigning across the country with the NBR for censorship of the movies, GFWC clubwomen realized they fundamentally disagreed on the means of censorship and proclaimed that the NBR was using the support of women’s clubs as a way to provide “camouflage to the industry’s evils.” In 1918, GFWC clubwomen were rocketed into a debate about the dangers and necessities of censorship. In a 1918 Clubwomen edition women debated their stances on censorship in personal opinion pieces, and even solicited the opinion of famed director D.W. Griffith.

After a unanimous vote to split with the NBR in 1918, clubwomen continued to campaign for federal censorship of movies on both the local and national levels. Despite its split from the influential NBR, GFWC continued to put pressure on the Motion Picture Industry, and pushed towards a cohesive and unified ratings system. Forming committees, clubwomen regularly screened and reviewed movies, and their recommendations were often printed in the magazine Moving Picture Age. In the 1920s, William Hays, founder of the Moving Picture Association of America, commissioned 10 organizations to sit on the Film Board of National Organizations. Members of the Board, GFWC helped to give recommendations for how to incorporate a unified ratings system. The Hays code, the first national ratings system, was developed to ensure that offensive material was not included in movies.

Under the influence of GFWC, the code remained in place until 1968, when it was replaced with the current ratings system, which granted artists and directors more artistic freedoms. GFWC remained active participants in film review, and in advocacy for educational merit through the 1960s, and its impact is felt daily by the millions of movie-going Americans.

Domestic Violence is something that many people don’t want to talk about. Instead of addressing this devastating issue, some would rather stay away from such a heavy topic and claim it doesn’t happen in their community. But the truth is, domestic violence can happen anywhere and to anyone, regardless of age, financial status, race, religion, or education. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, more than one in three women has experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by a partner, and three women are killed by a current or former partner every day in the United States.

We need to talk about domestic violence, not only in October, but every day of the year. We owe it to survivors of domestic violence whose stories need to be told. We owe it to the women who are currently experiencing physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse. And we owe it to those victims of domestic violence who were tragically killed by an intimate partner.

GFWC is not afraid to be a loud voice in the fight to end domestic violence. We’ve made that clear by making Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention our Signature Program, giving clubs across the country the resources they need to create change. Whether sending notes of encouragement and care packages to women at local domestic violence shelters, writing letters to the editor, or planting purple flowers around town, members are committed to spreading awareness and ending violence against women.

On both a local and national level, GFWC supports victims of domestic violence. The GFWC Success for Survivors Scholarship provides funds for women who have experienced abuse, allowing them to attend college and continue their journey of recovery. Through the GFWC Legislative Action Center, members advocate for laws that protect victims of domestic violence.

Sadly, domestic violence will continue if we don’t speak up. That’s why we refuse to back down and will show the world that we as GFWC members are united in the fight to end domestic violence. Use Domestic Violence Awareness Month as a platform to begin talking about this issue in your community. Encourage members to wear purple, whether to your next meeting, around town, or on Purple Thursday, which takes place on Thursday, October 20.

Become familiar with the Signature Program section of the GFWC Club Manual, which is filled with important statistics about domestic violence, as well as project ideas. You can download it by clicking here. The National Network to End Domestic Violence also offers valuable information about domestic violence, including frequently asked questions, factsheets, and the impact on the economy as a result of domestic violence.

By supporting GFWC’s Signature Program and organizations in your community, you are making it possible for survivors to return to school, for victims to receive help through domestic violence hotlines, and for shelters to provide a safe refuge for women with nowhere else to go. The Signature Program Committee is extremely proud of the efforts of our members as we come together to end domestic violence. We know GFWC will continue to make strides in this fight throughout the 2016-2018 Administration.

Send photos of your activities during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and your club wearing purple to pr@gfwc.org and we’ll share them on the GFWC Pinterest page.

Storms bringing more than 7 trillion gallons of water, 145,000 homes flooded and destroyed, tens of thousands left homeless or rescued from rooftops and trees, 20 parishes destroyed, not to mention 13 deaths. Louisianans will not forget 2016 any time soon.

While the economic impact to Louisiana was still being evaluated, Federation Sisters from across the nation began organizing relief efforts. One of the many who immediately headed to Louisiana was Helen Lamberth, from Liberty Woman’s Club GFWC Texas. “Texas began a fundraising effort to help our sister state, but that was just beginning. I had personal knowledge of what these families would be dealing with and I knew I could help.”

Helen contacted Louisiana State President, Cathie Ryan and learned that Tish Sedlin, a long-time Lagniappe Woman’s Club member had a very short window of time to remove debris from her home before it was destroyed with only her two children to help. Helen immediately left for Baton Rouge with a truck load of supplies. The next day, Diane Gretencord and Linda Lang of the Woman’s Civic Club of Jasper followed with another load of cleaning supplies and linens. Helen, Diane, Linda and additional volunteers located by President Ryan salvaged what they could, and shoveled the rest of the Sedlin’s belongings to the curb. Family, friends, and strangers were knee deep in mud and debris for days.

It will be years before the people of Louisiana recover. GFWC Texas will present monetary contributions and donations to GFWC Louisiana at the South Central Region Conference in Lafayette, Louisiana in mid-October.

In the early 1990s, the Women’s History Resource Center (WHRC) launched a nationwide effort to verbally collect the histories of our illustrious clubwomen. The project resulted in an impressive collection of over 200 oral histories, ranging from International Past Presidents and region presidents to members of local committees and average clubwomen. These tapes and transcripts are an invaluable resource to clubwomen and researchers alike who are looking to garner a more personal account of over 100 years of GFWC’s history.

While this effort was an admirable start, the project is still underway. The WHRC would like to continue to expand this collection of personal histories.  However, we can’t do it without your help! If you would like to share your GFWC experiences, please contact WHRC Manager Alyssa Constad at aconstad@gfwc.org to set up a date and time. Histories can be given over the phone, so location is not an issue. Our history is important and we need you to help tell our story!

By Laura Bergman
GFWC Communications and Public Relations Committee Member

You may already know that elevator or sales pitches are important tools that help facilitate a quick conversation about a subject. Pitches are generally 20-30 seconds long and are designed to capture the immediate interest of your audience.
Practicing your pitch will ensure you are prepared to respond to the next person who asks you “What is GFWC?”

Let’s be honest—many of us may freeze up or fumble as we search for the words to explain all the awesome work we do as an organization. Here are some key points to help you establish a winning statement to engage potential members or supporters.

1. MAKE IT PERSONAL!
GFWC motivates us all in different ways, so think about what makes you excited to be a member. There are several aspects to choose from, including service projects, fundraising, community involvement, or social interaction. If you believe strongly in what you are conveying and are sincere, it will make your pitch more effective.

2. KEEP IT SHORT AND TO THE POINT.
We don’t always have a lot of time to talk about GFWC. Often, we are asked while in an elevator, working on a service project, or standing in the hotel lobby at Convention. When you only have a brief moment to raise awareness, your message needs to be concise and quick!

3. END WITH AN ACTION OR YOUR “HOOK.”
This will give you an opening to either continue the conversation or get the potential member’s contact information. A great example is to ask, “If you could improve one thing in your community, what would it be?” Making the question personal will hopefully encourage a meaningful conversation.

4. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
This is perhaps the most important factor of all, because when someone asks you “What is GFWC?” and you fumble and freeze, the opportunity to recruit a new member or supporter may be lost. Use your family or a mirror, or give your speech to your casserole in the oven—whatever works for you. Practicing will ensure that the next time you get to talk about GFWC, you’ll be prepared to rise to the occasion!

There are countless articles on the internet with many more tips and tricks on building a great pitch, so please use any resources you have available. Keep in mind that you won’t always have time to give a 20-30 second pitch, so be sure to
always have a GFWC business card ready to hand out.

GFWC Cyber Clubs are designed for women who want to make new friends while making a difference in their communities through volunteer service, but for whatever reason, cannot attend regular club meetings in person. To learn more about how Cyber Clubs function and the advantages of belonging we asked Sara Castelli, webmaster for GFWC Fabulous Florida Flamingo Flock cyber club to answer a few questions.

GFWC: How does your cyber club differ from a traditional club?

Sara Castelli: We differ in that we do not “meet” regularly. Instead of traditional meetings we send email blasts, post photos and project ideas to a Facebook page, and provide project updates on a webpage. The webpage also tells potential members how to join, and allows existing members to find out how they can contribute to various projects.

GFWC: Why do your members prefer a cyber club?

Sara Castelli: We currently have 81 members and they have selected to join a cyber club for a variety of reasons. Many members live in areas without a traditional club, others simply cannot get to meetings, and some like the concept of the “cyber” connection. While we do not hold typical clubhouse meetings, we do encourage lunches or get-togethers at locations where many members can easily go. Since these get-togethers are not official meetings, no one who is unable to attend misses out on information vital to a project. The lunches simply provide a fun chance to gather and brainstorm project ideas that can later be shared with the entire group via social media.

GFWC: Do you have members from across the state?

Sara Castelli: We accept members from anywhere, not just Florida. The sharing of ideas has been great and some of the out-of-state members have been very supportive of our projects, often involving additional community members in the projects. Many cyber club members are also members of “brick and mortar” clubs, this allows them to share what they learn from us with their more traditional club.

GFWC: What projects has the cyber club selected to support?

Sara Castelli: Our Holocaust Stamp project is ongoing and has been a resounding success! We also collect old nylons for recycling into park benches and write letters to Veterans for Honor Flight. In the future, we plan to write letters of encouragement to Cancer patients with the assistance of a clearing house for delivery.

GFWC: Is there anything else you would like your fellow clubwomen to know about cyber clubs?

Sara Castelli: When there is a poll to be taken, a notice is sent out via email with a time limit for submitting responses. Only the responses received within the required timeframe are counted. It requires some adjustment from the usual method of quorums. We also don’t set term limits on leadership positions due to the need to learn our electronic systems and the fact that many members are interested in participating without taking on the responsibilities of leaders. The idea is to reach as many women as possible, involve them with our projects, and acquaint them with Federation. We encourage members to join “brick and mortar” clubs if they wish and attend state, region, and national conferences if they are able. For those unable to attend Federation meetings, we make sure to report on all that happens via our website and social media exchanges.