News Archive

By Patricia Schaefer, NonProfit Quarterly

Hound your U.S. legislators. Shortly after the women’s marches, organizers published “10 Actions for the First 100 Days” to mobilize participants, the first of which is sending branded postcards to elected officials on specific issues and tying these actions to social media.

• Get local. The old adage, “think global, act local” couldn’t be more true today. People start entering politics through school boards, town or village boards, and citizen action committees. Know where your local lawmakers stand and, if their values align with yours, do what you can to support them. If not, run against them.
• State politics are critical too, whether it’s education, housing, environmental or health care policy. In addition to letting them know where you stand on issues, the men and women in your state house often have money available to support your nonprofit efforts. Their offices are always open and the squeaky wheel really does get the grease.
• Participate in conference calls and webinars when they’re offered by groups that resonate with you. These are good opportunities to listen in on upcoming strategies among activists and learn what everyone can do to support their efforts.
• Volunteer, donate, host events, and campaign with local NGOs and charities. Whatever your passion, there’s an organization for that.
• Try, wherever possible, to present a united front. Keep the mission front and center and keep the squabbles and inside baseball inside the organization and work it out amongst yourselves.
• Remember, it’s not just the Supreme Court that matters. Informed citizens need to pay attention to their state and local courts, too. The Leadership Conference hosts an excellent website where you can learn more about this most misunderstood of the three branches of government, as does the National Constitution Center.
• Be respectful. Don’t get bogged down in the trivial. Don’t post or share negative memes. No one is going to be turned around by a mean-spirited meme. Don’t be ugly or hateful and don’t give people ammunition to use against your organization or cause. And, as a writer on Saturday Night Live recently learned, kids are off-limits. Enough said.
• Be dignified yet creative, and value quality over quantity in oration. We need to consider the valuable role of curation from the podium in events like this going forward. Finally, for NGO leaders, defend your ground. There is a lot of bad information making the rounds about nonprofits, and some or all are likely to be targeted under this new administration.

Source:  Excerpt form Patricia Schaefer's Article January 26, 2017, Nonprofit Quarterly

America was founded on the principal of equality for all and derives its strength from individuals working together for a common good. This public policy platform is BPW/FL’s blueprint for our work in respect, justice, and equality for working women. Women should have the opportunity to be well educated, healthy, economically strong, secure, and their families should be able to live and work in communities that are environmentally clean.

This public policy platform represents a vision based on supporting and defending American values as they specifically relate to working women’s hopes and dreams for the future. We will work with elected officials and activists to achieve this vision in government and in our communities.

Item I: Equality for All

BPW/FL members acknowledge the fundamental equality of all persons and are devoted to the defense of their inherent dignity. We believe in fairness and inclusion so that all have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. We protect our communities and our liberties, ensuring peace, justice, freedom, and humanity. We believe that the rights of women require constant vigilance and a thorough examination of laws to eliminate those that harm women disproportionately. Therefore, BPW/FL supports legislation that calls for equality for all, including but not limited to, passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, which states: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged or denied by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”

Item 2: Economic Equity, Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency

BPW/FL supports legislation which assists women in obtaining pay equity and equal employment opportunities; promotes opportunities for women-owned business; encourages women-owned business to compete at the local, state and federal governmental levels; promotes affordable, quality dependent care to help ensure economic self-sufficiency for women; and, supports social security reform options that benefit women.

Item 3: Safe Workplace

BPW supports legislation that creates a safe workplace; a workplace free from violence, harassment and assault.  We support legislative funding and education that will ensure workplaces are free from all forms of violence, harassment and assault.

Item 4: Health Care

BPW/FL supports legislation that ensures reproductive choice and full access to all reproductive health education and services, including prescriptions. We support legislative funding and initiatives for women’s health care needs, with special emphasis on heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and breast cancer early detection, treatment and recovery. We support the expansion of Medicaid in Florida, recognizing that working women and their families have the largest need for affordable and accessible health care.

Item 5: Environment

BPW/FL supports legislation that ensures clean air, water, soil and energy. We support legislative funding that will ensure the continuation of clean air, water, soil and energy and specific interactions with the environment. We support these environmental concerns as they relate to women’s health, wealth and well-being and recognizing the large impact the environment has on them individually and their families.