Dear Volunteers, Thank you! --NYWSE

As we start 2010, New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE) would like to express our gratitude to all of our amazing volunteers.

Dear volunteers, thank you!

NYWSE volunteers have donated over 6,285 hours of professional services which have helped the organization grow. NYWSE would not be able to offer the high-quality, cutting-edge programs and services it does without the help of its dedicated volunteers--whose total in-kind donations amount to US$100,000.*

Since January 2008, NYWSE has grown to a membership of over 1,000 women, hosts monthly events on social innovation, and runs four programs--including the Incubator, Mastermind Mentoring Initiative (MMI), Book Club, and Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Program.

We look forward to continuing to grow with you, the NYWSE community.  Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Please join us in celebrating the successes of 2009 by recognizing our outstanding volunteers!

NYWSE Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Program:

• Ashby Andrews, Business Development Manager, Fast Forward Fund
• Danielle Coutinho, Equity Sales, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Stephanie Niloff, Strategic Business Services, Deutsche Bank

NYWSE Incubator Program:

• Maryam Rashid, Strategic Management & Analysis, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
  
• Karima Lahrach, Master of International Affairs, Columbia University
  
• Melissa Osborne, MPA candidate, Carnegie Mellon University
• Annika Many (via Catchafire), Project Manager, College Board
• Elmira Bayrasli, VP of Partnerships & Outreach, Endeavor

NYWSE Events Committee:

• Alicia Marin, Deputy Director, ALAS
• Danielle Coutinho, Equity Sales, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Jennifer Apple, Attorney
• Tara Pyle, Senior Marketing and Events Manager, Center for Architecture
• Marcela Restrepo

NYWSE Fundraising Committee:

• Heather Rees, Founder and Board Chair, NYC Venture Philanthropy Fund
• Devyn Fomer Humphrey, External Relations Associate, Achievement First
• Tara Monroe
• Rebecca Lee, MPH candidate, Columbia University
• Sharmila Gordon, Legal Assistant, Seward & Kissel LLP

Graphic Design:

• Amy Anderson

Steering Committee & Advisory Council:

• Molly Alexander, Business Development Manager, Acumen Fund
• Marisa Guber, Cultural and Organizational Development Strategist, ABC Home
• Allison Lynch, COO, Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union
• Shari Aaron, Founder, Climb the Green Ladder
• Janet Wise, Founder, The Collaborative Factor
• Elmira Bayrasli, VP of Partnerships & Outreach, Endeavor

NYWSE Leadership/Management:

• Natalia Oberti Noguera, Executive Director
• Shari Aaron, Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Director
• Allison Lynch, Incubator Director
• Janet Wise, Mastermind Mentoring Initiative (MMI) Director
• A. Lauren Abele, Strategic Initiatives Manager
• Milena Arciszewski, Book Club Manager

Special thanks to our partners: LaTeisha Moore & Calgary Brown (Net Impact NYC Professionals Chapter), Angela Jia Kim (Savor the Success), Taryn Miller-Stevens (StartingBloc), Adelaide Lancaster (in Good Company Workplaces), Diana Ayton-Shenker (Fast Forward Fund), Mekaelia Davis & Dana Skallman (YNPN-NYC), Geri Stengel (Ventureneer), Allison Lennox (Chelsea Green), Rachael Chong (Catchafire), Michelle Lapinski & Sara Ellis Conant (YWSE)

Ways to contribute to the NYWSE community in 2010:

Volunteer: Email NYWSE Strategic Initiatives Manager A. Lauren Abele at lauren@ywse.org

Donate online: http://www.bit.ly/NYWSEdonate

Host an event: Email newyorkcity@ywse.org

Invite a friend to join the NYWSE LinkedIn Group

*Assuming $40.67 mean hourly earnings for "Management, Professionals, and Related," taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Compensation Survey for the NYC-metropolitan area (May 2009).

Announcing NYWSE Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Program

Join New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE) for their upcoming Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Program.

NYWSE ESL will provide you, a female professional, with the support and training you need to ensure your workplace becomes more sustainable.  Wherever you are in your sustainability efforts at your company (starting a recycling program, creating a sustainability committee, reducing packaging, greening your supply-chain, etc.), this program will provide the tools to empower you. 

Sustainability is a critical issue for all industries and affects organizations of all shapes, sizes, and missions, from corporations to government offices, from academic institutions to nonprofits.  It is not enough to know WHY sustainability needs to be integrated into the workplace.  NYWSE ESL will teach you HOW to help your company take practical steps to become more sustainable and profitable.  You will:

• Receive cutting-edge training from a leading sustainability expert
• Learn from the latest case studies 
• Understand the six key principles that you will need to succeed
• Get feedback from thought leaders in the field on your sustainability initiative

The program will provide training based upon the book Climb The Green Ladder: Make Your Company and Career More Sustainable (Wiley).  Climb The Green Ladder interviewed 80+ sustainability leaders and hundreds of employees from around the world who have made sustainability happen at their workplaces.  They shared best practices, lessons learned, and advice on how to implement a sustainability initiative from within. 

You will have the opportunity to speak directly with Bob Willard, a leading expert in sustainability. 

At the last session, you will present your business case to a panel of experts who will provide you with key feedback, on your strategy and implementation tactics, to ensure the success of your sustainability initiative.

NYWSE ESL will provide you with the community, support and thought leadership that you need to succeed.  To learn more about the NYWSE ESL, download the NYWSE ESL application.

Ensure you move your career and your workplace forward. Join us.

Download NYWSE ESL Application

Deadline: January 25, 2010

Contact Information: Shari Aaron, shari.aaron@climbthegreenladder.com      

Announcing the NYWSE Online Silent Auction!

Shop for the holidays and support NYWSE!

New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE), a nonprofit with 700+ members, is proud to announce the launch of our first Online Silent Auction, hosted on eBay. All proceeds from the auction will benefit our innovative programs, which include: the NYWSE Book Club, the NYWSE Mastermind-Mentoring Initiative (MMI), the NYWSE Incubator, and the NYWSE Emerging Sustainability Leaders (ESL) Program.

We would like to thank all of our generous donors who contributed to NYWSE's first online auction! Special thanks to the In Good Company Workplaces community for their continued support of NYWSE and our programs and to NYWSE volunteers Rebecca Lee and Sharmila Gordon for all of their amazing help getting the auction off the ground!

Please help spread the word about our great online auction through Facebook and Twitter (#NYWSEauction)!

Happy bidding!

Thanks to all of our wonderful auction donors:

Sports Club/LA
Care4Hire
Sense Your Style
Lady of the Lake Designs
In Good Company Workplaces
Lost Your Job Now What
Gotham Concierge
Kittichai Restaurant
Marianna Lead, PhD
Best Effect
Resume Revamp
LifeStyled
Raandesk Gallery of Art
Everyone Into the Kitchen
World Pulse
EILEEN FISHER
Your Healthiest You
Andrea Strongwater
Helping Hands for Africa
Michelle Kawka
C. Marchuska
Climb the Green Ladder
Appeal Jewelry
Carey Kirkella
Cloverleaf Energy and Environmental Design
Meghan Gill
Family Records
Engine Room Recordings
Ariella Jasmine Jewelry
Yoga Retreat Adventures

NYWSE Master-Mind Mentoring Initiative (MMI) Wrap-Up

by A. Lauren Abele, NYWSE Mastermind-Mentoring Initiative (MMI) graduate

There are lots of great things to do in New York City in the summer. This summer I, along with several other women, participated in the first ever New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE) Mastermind-Mentoring Initiative (MMI). Read on!

I is for Information

As I write this I am sharing a link on Facebook, checking out a client’s portfolio on Flikr, and reading my husband’s review of a survey I created. I am also listening to the radio and sipping a cup of earl grey tea.

I am multi-tasking simply because I have easy access to extensive amounts of information.

I was reflecting on said access to information this weekend, when I was encountering streets and sidewalks around the University of Pennsylvania (near where I live) crowded  with parents and children tenuously navigating the transition from familiar family life to pseudo-independence. As I was cursing the inability of these parents to drive efficiently on city streets (must I really be that uptight?) it struck me how prepared these students must be. Surely they have:

Don’t Give Up, Adapt

by Elizabeth Grace Saunders, Founder of Real Life E

My first nine months in business, I could barely keep up with the work. I had an extensive network in the journalism industry, and in 2005, there was still more than enough magazine freelance work to go around.

But in 2006, everything changed. I went from saying, “No” to work that wouldn’t fit into my packed 

schedule to hearing, “No” when I asked editors if they had any assignments for me. 

Ouch. If I wanted to stay afloat, I needed to adapt.  

Incubator Friendraiser & Silent Auction

by A. Lauren Abele, NYWSE Mastermind-Mentoring Initiative (MMI) graduate

The New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE) held their first ever Incubator Friendraiser last month. The private event was held at the Bowery Wine Company and was a fundraiser and silent auction for NYWSE's Incubator Program for budding women social entrepreneurs. The 2009 Incubator Participants were:

•  Early Earners – Online education destination for youth and families promoting positive financial habits
• Girl Guides USA – Outdoor program that develops girls’ environmentalism, leadership and teamwork
• Illume – Online mentoring and career resource for young women from illiterate families in India
• Out Against Abuse – Online resource to stop domestic violence in the South Asian community
• Public Stuff – Software to connect government and citizens to improve services and community life
• Start Your Engine – Exercise, nutrition, stress and time management program for low-income women 

The event featured a keynote speech by Diana Ayton-Shenker, Founder & CEO of Fast Forward Fund (FFF), a youth-investing-in-youth social venture fund, who spoke of the importance of investing in young social entrepreneurs who will become tomorrow's leaders.

The venue was a-buzz with interesting conversations and was a great opportunity to meet other faces in the world of NYC social entrepreneurship. And, in addition to the great company, the Bowery Wine Company staff was fabulous!

I had the pleasure of helping organize the event and had the opportunity to work with some really fabulous women including Natalia Oberti Noguera (NYWSE Director) and Melissa Osborne (who is off to graduate school this fall! Congrats!).

If you are a woman interested in social entrepreneurship and considering applying for next year's Friendraiser, check the NYWSE Incubator section for the 2010 Program Applications.

 

By day, I am an economic development program assistant at a community development nonprofit in Brooklyn. By night, I volunteer with other nonprofits helping them with fund development, strategic planning, and social media. I am one of the 2009 NYWSE Mastermind Mentorship Initiative (MMI) participants (love it!) and big-time NYWSE advocate. Find me at: www.alaurenabele.com.

NYWSE Incubator Friendraiser - July 7, 2009

Save the Date!

NYWSE Incubator Friendraiser @ Bowery Wine Company

featured speaker, silent auction, jazz trio, open bar

July 7, 2009

7-10 P.M.

The NYWSE Incubator Friendraiser marks the successful conclusion of the NYWSE Incubator program.  Join us in celebrating the first co-hort of NYWSE Incubator participants, including the selected social entrepreneurs, their apprentices, and their mentors.

Diana Ayton-Shenker, Founder & CEO of Fast Forward Fund (FFF), a youth-investing-in-youth social venture fund, will speak on the importance of investing in young social entrepreneurs--particularly women.  The NYWSE Incubator is an FFF Pipeline Partner. 

Six budding women social entrepreneurs were selected from a competitive pool of applicants to participate in the NYWSE Incubator.  The entrepreneurs were assigned a female mentor and a female apprentice.  The teams worked for six months to realize the entrepreneurs' social ventures with the support of workshops, resources, classes, coaching, and pitch opportunities.  How did they fare?  Come find out!

2009 NYWSE Incubator Selections

• Early Earners – Online education destination for youth and families promoting positive financial habits
• Girl Guides USA – Outdoor program that develops girls’ environmentalism, leadership and teamwork
• Illume – Online mentoring and career resource for young women from illiterate families in India
• Out Against Abuse – Online resource to stop domestic violence in the South Asian community
• Public Stuff – Software to connect government and citizens to improve services and community life
• Start Your Engine – Exercise, nutrition, stress and time management program for low-income women

If you would like to learn more about applying to the NYWSE Incubator, make sure to meet NYWSE Incubator Founder & Manager Allison Lynch at the Friendraiser.

Interested in volunteering?  Email Melissa Osborne at: melissa@ywse.org

Margaret Prusan Inspires the NYWSE Incubator Participants to go from "Eclipsed to Extraordinary"

Saturday June 6, 2009 Margaret Prusan of Ilumin led the NYWSE Incubator entrepreneurs workshop called “From Eclipsed to Extraordinary”. Illumin’s mission is to help extraordinary women entrepreneurs realize their potential. She says, “For me, the greatest joy of this business is seeing the ‘aha!” moment on the client’s face. The moment when all her talents and experiences are fully illuminated, and she truly gets just how amazing she already is!” Margaret’s pension for working with starting, growing or evolving women-owned businesses comes from her own soul searching to find a career that fit her interests and passions. Mrs. Prusan’s background is in business development and marketing communication. She has worked on many high profile projects, as well, like the Kerry-Edwards 2004 presidential campaign. She explained that it took a conversation with close friend to help reveal her own greatest strength: acting as other peoples’ north star to help them build businesses that reflect their real assets and interests. Realizing that she can help identify and define the purpose of other peoples’ businesses, Illumin was born.

NYWSE Incubator Social Entrepreneurs Master Image Management

The Stylist blogger Busting Diva says: “Style is absolutely essential in developing a personal brand. It often affects the rise or fall of a model, movie star, designer or performing artist.” Skillful image management of entrepreneurs is also a reality of the social media age. And social entrepreneurs are not immune.

On Saturday April 4, The New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE) Incubator Program held its first photo-shoot at Baruch College, helping to give participants a competitive advantage when representing their brand and pitching to potential partners and funders. Seven women participated, including Keren Perry-Shamir, Ami Desai, Caitlin Dean, Morena Vattuone, Jacqueline Muna Musiitwa, and Lily Liu. Staff and models all had a blast but could not have done it without our friends Jacques Cornell and Steve Hart of Happening Photos and stylist Tijana Beca.  The results, below, speak for themselves.