When it comes to educational attainment, business ownership, poverty, and access to health insurance coverage for women, Pennsylvania earns a C, ranking 21st in the U.S., said a report released on Wednesday, April 8, by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).
Such statistics motivate the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls, which wants people to know that they can help reverse those number.
The fund’s annual Making a Difference Luncheon – now in its 10th year – is already sold out, but raffle tickets are available for both attendees and non-attendees by contacting the fund office before Wednesday, April 29.
Proceeds from the luncheon are used for fund’s strategic grant-making that addresses safe housing, job training, after-school programs, prenatal health, food security, and much more.
Lawyer Nikki Johnson-Huston will be the featured speaker at this year’s luncheon. She will share her inspirational story of how she went from homelessness at age 9 to founding her own law firm. Johnson-Huston continues to be motivated by the words she heard from her grandmother: “Greatness isn’t just in what you achieve – it’s also in what you help others achieve.”
This year the luncheon will recognize Phyllis Copeland with the Kitchen Table Award, which honors outstanding Chester County women who have demonstrated leadership and make substantive contributions through service and/or philanthropy to improve the community.
Copeland’s involvement with Chester County institutions and initiatives is extensive, and her tremendous loyalty to the people of Chester County is unquestionable. She has been a compassionate champion for women and girls, and puts her heart and soul into everything she does, the release said.
For more information on the IWPR report, visit www.statusofwomendata.org. To learn more about the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls and the many activities it sponsors, visit www.ccwomenandgirls.org.
(2 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)
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I had never heard of this organization before, but the mission certainly sounded worthwhile so I did some more research because I like “giving local.”
This “charity” spends 57% of the funds it collects on programs. The rest (43%) is fundraising and staff salaries and other administrative expenses. It’s small to begin with — raises less than a million dollars each year. Yet there are five, count ’em five, staff members.
Most United Ways aim to keep fundraising and administrative expenses at 10% or less. Charity Navigator, widely respected for its evaluations of charities, says this:
“7 out of 10 charities we’ve evaluated spend at least 75% of their budget on the programs and services they exist to provide. And 9 out of 10 spend at least 65%. We believe that those spending less than a third of their budget on program expenses are simply not living up to their missions.”
The CCFWG Board needs to seriously consider whether it should dissolve the organization and leave the fund-raising and grant-making to other local organizations that clearly do a much more effective, efficient job. This is an unconscionable misuse of donor funds. I hope word will spread that the value of a dollar donated is far less with this charity than with many other worthy local groups.