For chapters
Marilyn Murphy 2026
20
Aug, 2026

For chapters

A Rising Tide: Marilyn Murphy

This month we are featuring Marilyn Murphy, chapter leader of the CA, Thousands Oaks – 1 chapter. Marilyn has spent her adult life traveling the world, leading a small travel company and founding the WOW Travel Club in 2006. She had an instant interest in starting a Together Women Rise chapter when she heard about the organization and our mission. Now retired, Marilyn is focused on promoting her new book (a memoir about her travels as a 24-year-old) and managing her 15-year chapter.
Details

Headshots of Debra Berman and Jean Wohlever
22
Jan, 2026

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Storytelling

A Rising Tide: Debra Berman and Jean Wohlever

Debra Berman and Jean Wohlever are co-chapter leaders of the MI, Ann Arbor – 2 chapter. Debra, a Rise member for 6 years, and Jean, a member for 4 years, also serve in additional volunteer roles with us. Debra is a member of the Featured Grants Committee and former Regional Leader, and Jean Wohlever is a current Chapter Support Liaison. A former ICU nurse, business owner, and Technology Customer Experience Manager, Debra left corporate America to travel the world with her wonderful husband in 2016. Jean had a career as an economics advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and has lived all over the country including Connecticut, California, and now, Michigan.   Details

Mary Lukach Rising Tide Headshot 2025
21
Oct, 2025

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Storytelling

Rising Tide: Mary Lukach | Chapter Support Liaison

One of our goals for this Chapter Leader newsletter is to create a forum for chapter leaders to learn from each other and about each other. We’re calling this feature “A Rising Tide” because when one of our chapters succeeds, we all succeed – and we should share those strategies and successes with each other to lift all our boats, metaphorically speaking.

This month, we’re featuring Mary Lukach, who joined Together Women Rise in 2018 as a member of the IL, Western Springs-1 chapter. Over the years, Mary has served in multiple volunteer roles with Rise and currently serves as a Chapter Support Liaison supporting 10 Rise chapters in her region. Mary grew up in Washington, DC and is a retired elementary school teacher. She currently lives in Chicago but has been summering at the Delaware beaches for over 60 years. Her passions include family, water coloring, “peloton-ing” and traveling!
 Details

Beverley Francis-Gibson Colleen Kill and Vicky Bush Joseph smile at the camera with their arms around each other
19
Aug, 2025

Together Women Rise, For chapters

A Rising Tide: Vicky Bush-Joseph

Image above (from left to right): Rise CEO, Beverley Francis-Gibson, Board Member Colleen Kill, and Vice Chair Vicky Bush-Joseph

This month, we’re featuring Vicky Bush-Joseph, Together Women Rise Vice Chair and Chapter Leader of IL, Chicago – 8. Vicky has been a Together Women Rise member since 2018 and became a Rise board member in 2023.  She also serves on Rise’s Community Building and Learning Committee, the Grants & Partnerships Committee, and the Book Club Committee. She is a member of the IL, Western Springs – 1 chapter in the western suburbs of Chicago and the chapter leader for a new downtown Chicago chapter. A retired attorney, Vicky loves to travel with Rise, having participated in five Rise trips to India, Malawi, Dominican Republic, Bhutan, and Guatemala, and is getting ready to go on the upcoming trip to Indonesia. She also loves to read, bike, garden, cook, and eat and drink her way around the world.   Details

A headshot of Maryanne Schiller smiling at the camera
21
Nov, 2024

For leaders, For chapters, Storytelling

A Rising Tide: Maryanne Schiller

One of our goals for this Chapter Leader newsletter is to create a forum for chapter leaders to learn from each other and about each other. We’re calling this feature “A Rising Tide” because when one of our chapters succeeds, we all succeed – and we should share those strategies and successes with each other to lift all our boats, metaphorically speaking.  

This month, we’re featuring Maryanne Schiller, one of four chapter leaders of the PA, Philadelphia – 8 chapter. Her co-leaders are Cheryl Boyd, Harriet Williams, and Lee Tracy. 

Maryanne Schiller was born, raised, and raised her children in and around the Philadelphia area. In retirement, she moved back to the city and has been an active member of Together Women Rise for over 10 years. She sees her involvement in Rise as a continuation of the stimulating environment that she had while teaching high school world cultures for 35 years. She loves to read, socialize, and participate in civic actions both locally and nationally.  

Details

Dec 15, 2022

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters

Your Next Chapter Meeting – Reflecting on the Past Year 

As we wrap up 2022, we invite you to share a few major Together Women Rise moments with your chapter members at your meeting in January. Here is a list of select 2022 accomplishments (by the numbers) as well as a few questions for you to research and discuss with your members. These questions are meant to jog your memory on the many things we have done this year and how we have connected. This is an excellent opportunity to recognize what we have accomplished as an organization and in your individual chapters. Just like the eight days of Chanukah, or the 12 days of Christmas, here are our ten Reasons to Rise!   Details

Nov 17, 2022

For leaders, For chapters, For members, Fundraising

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Setting up a Together Women Rise Fundraiser

This year, we have a new tool to help our members create their own fundraisers for the Together Women Rise annual appeal. Several chapter leaders and members have already set up their fundraisers, including Debra Berman, our Central Regional Leader. We recently spoke with Debra about the individual fundraiser she set up using this new tool.  Details

Oct 18, 2022

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices

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Sharing Best Practices: Planning for the Future of Your Chapter

Achieving global gender equality cannot be accomplished alone – and neither can running this organization or sustaining your chapter. Planning for the future of your chapter and sharing chapter responsibilities are key factors in maintaining successful Together Women Rise chapters. At our National Chapter Leader Event on Oct 16, we discussed best practices for continuity planning and inviting members into leadership roles.    Details

Apr 22, 2022

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Best Practices

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Sharing Best Practices: A Philadelphia Chapter’s Study Group

Learning is one of Together Women Rise’s key focus areas: we learn together to increase our understanding of global gender equality issues and to fuel our collective action. Our PA, Philadelphia-8 chapter has taken this one step further! About four years ago, the chapter – led by Maryanne Schiller, Cheryl Boyd, and Harriet Williams – created a study group for those members interested in learning more and having deeper discussions about global gender equality, outside of their regular chapter meetings. As one person describes it, this study group has led to more connection and community amongst members. The following blog has been written by Chapter Leader Maryanne Schiller. Details

Jan 27, 2022

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Grantees

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The Importance of Focusing on Women’s Critical Mental Health Needs

Though the start of 2022 has brought with it continued global upheaval due to the pandemic and a devastating conflux of crises in Afghanistan, the first quarter of this new year is an important one for Together Women Rise, its grantee partners, and its members. For the first time, there is a deliberate focus on mental health and trauma recovery in this quarter. Details

Jul 20, 2020

For leaders, For chapters, For members, Connections, President's Perspectives

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A New Normal?

It’s now the second half of 2020 … a year that will surely go down in infamy. Around the world, people are grieving the loss of loved ones, experiencing illness and ongoing health issues, as well as unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us started this year with plans that have since been derailed, postponed, or outright canceled. In my own family, both of my brothers’ weddings in North Carolina and Colorado were postponed. This was disappointing, but I’m fortunate to have my family healthy so far. I know that we all have stories about how our lives have been impacted.  Details

May 27, 2020

Together Women Rise, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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President’s Update

Dining for Women is a little different than it was three months ago, isn’t it? We have had live conversations with over a dozen grantee representatives and hundreds of members on our weekly virtual meetings. We have grantees who have modified their projects or budgets when we made our funds flexible so they could meet their most urgent needs.  Our Advocacy Chapter, which started just a month before the shutdown, has been growing its impact every month. We impacted a congressperson’s decision to sign onto important legislation and have had letters to editors published all over the country! We have more than 100 chapters meeting virtually now – a transition that took only TWO MONTHS! Details

Mar 17, 2020

Together Women Rise, News, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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DFW Virtual Chapter Meetings Will Begin this Week

Our hearts go out to the people who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic here in the U.S. and all around the world, especially those who have lost loved ones. We appreciate the healthcare workers, local communities, and governments who are on the frontlines of caring for people and containing this virus. I want to share with you some steps that Dining for Women is taking as a result of this unprecedented situation.
Details

Mar 12, 2020

Together Women Rise, News, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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DFW Statement on Coronavirus Outbreak

Dining for Women has been closely monitoring the coronavirus outbreak here in the U.S. and globally, and we are following the guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In everything we do, our top priority is the health and safety of you, our members, our staff, family members, and communities. Details

Feb 27, 2020

Together Women Rise, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Dear DFW Family,

Dining for Women (DFW) is an organization that is fully committed to gender equality for all, and we carry out our programs understanding this great responsibility. I am happy to announce that DFW is also rising to the challenge of addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in a formal and deliberate fashion.  Details

22
Aug, 2019

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Fundraising

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Have Fun and Support Dining for Women with Chapter Fundraisers

By Betty Purkey-Huck, Rocky Mountain Regional Leader and Chair of the Chapter Health & Retention Committee

Want a fun way to raise money to support DFW? Have a chapter fundraiser. Fundraisers are not only a good way to raise money, they can also be a great way to build relationships and community within your chapter, spread the word about DFW locally, and possibly encourage new members to join. Details

27
Jun, 2019

Together Women Rise, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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Growth Mindset

By Anna Schoon, Dining for Women Regional Leader Committee Chair

Have you ever wondered why some people encounter a challenge and face it courageously and others give up without really even trying? The answer is their mindset. Some people have a fixed mindset, the belief that their potential for success is limited by qualities they possess, like intelligence or talent. In contrast, individuals who believe they can develop qualities by working diligently are said to have a growth mindset. Details

Apr 16, 2019

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices, Connections

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Sharing Best Practices: Building Community in Your Chapter – Do Something Outside of Your Chapter Meetings!

One of the greatest impacts of DFW, in addition to supporting women and girls in developing countries, are the communities which our chapters become. Within those communities come movements and relationships that impact our lives and those around us. For some chapters, their communities are enhanced and strengthened through activities outside of their monthly meetings.  Here are two great examples of how we touch more than we ever imagined with the power of DFW: our DC, Washington-4 chapter and our DE, Wilmington-2 chapter. Details

19
Mar, 2018

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices

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Sharing the Workload of Running Your Chapter

By Judy Bacon, Volunteer Mentor, Chapter Leader of WA, Spokane Valley-1, and member of DFW’s Chapter Health and Retention Committee

 

You are a fantastic and devoted Dining for Women chapter leader. In fact, you’re Wonder Woman! You do it all, and you do it well.  You schedule the meeting, you plan the meeting, you invite everyone, you find a hostess and a presenter, you run the meeting, you deposit the checks– you’re amazing. But wait! You are beginning to feel exhausted, and no one else knows how to do what you do. Your chapter would fold without you. For your own sake and for the sake of your chapter, you need help. Details

29
Jan, 2018

Together Women Rise, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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From A Simple Meal to Changing the World: 15 Years Later

It all started around the dinner table. In 2003, Dining for Women Co-Founder Marsha Wallace celebrated her birthday with a simple fundraising dinner with friends. That meal would lead to DFW and its first chapter – SC, Greenville-1 – which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary.

“After  15 years of inviting DFW into our Greenville homes, we celebrate the power of an individual to shape the lives of others,” said Co-Founder Barb Collins. “Our fervent belief that investing in the futures of women and girls transforms the world is proving that collective giving is a powerful force for change.” Details

Jan 29, 2018

Together Women Rise, For leaders, For chapters, For members

You Did It Again!

Even during a year in which the United States suffered through 16 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each, you, our members, showed up each month to support Dining for Women.  Thanks to your record-breaking donations, in 2017 we were able to fund grants and partnerships that directly impacted the lives of nearly 40,000 women and girls in 18 countries around the world. Details

22
Jan, 2018

For leaders, For chapters

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Cloudy with a Chance of Sleet and Snow: Keeping the momentum going in every sort of weather

By Susan Prener, Co-Leader of our Northeast Region and member of our Chapter Health and Retention Committee

 

As we shared in last month’s issue, chapter health and retention is very important.  We want all our chapters to stay healthy, active, and engaged long into the future. Our volunteer Chapter Health and Retention Committee is focusing on best practices for chapter longevity and sharing these practices with you through a series of monthly blogs. Our goal is to bolster existing chapters, even as we grow more chapters throughout the country. This month we are talking about the importance of holding regular chapter meetings and the challenge of winter weather! Details

21
Dec, 2017

Together Women Rise, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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West RLs Stepping Down

Many thanks to our West Regional Co-Leaders Patty Karabatsos and Linda Dougall for their years of faithful service to DFW. Both are completing their terms and stepping down from their positions at the end of February. We are currently seeking volunteers to serve as our West Regional Leaders. For more information, please contact Wendy at wendy@togetherwomenrise.org. Details

29
Mar, 2017

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices, Advocacy

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Advocacy: A Best Practice to Change the World

By Betsy Dunklin, DFW Advocacy Committee Chair

When our board of directors adopted advocacy as one of DFW’s four programs, it put into place something that many members have been requesting for years. In fact, at DFW’s national conference in 2013, members called for a plan to add our voices to our dollars. They wanted DFW to have a larger role, through advocacy, in setting U.S. public policy related to poverty and inequality for women and girls in developing nations. Making advocacy part of DFW’s 2020 Vision is exciting because it means we can make an even bigger impact — by combining our collective donations, our collective knowledge, and our collective voices! Details

Mar 8, 2017

Together Women Rise, For chapters, For members

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Sacramento TV Station Covers Local Chapter Meeting

KCRA News covered the CA, Rancho Cordova chapter meeting on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2017) and DFW’s Biggest Chapter Meeting Ever. Special guests at the meeting were members of the first Muslim Jr. Girl Scouts troop, who presented the featured grantee and conducted a community fundraiser on behalf of DFW.  

WATCH CLIP 

Jan 25, 2017

For leaders, For chapters

Welcome New Regional Leaders in Central and Northwest Regions

We are thrilled to welcome two new Regional Leaders: Leslie Galup is joining Corinne Blakemore as Central Region Co-Leader, and Kathi Jaworski is joining Karen McCune as Northwest Region Co-Leader. Both of these ladies bring dedication, experience and exceptional skills to their positions. We are grateful for their commitment to helping women and girls around the world. Details

16
Nov, 2016

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices, Fundraising

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Sharing Best Practices – Celebrating International Day of the Girl and Supporting DFW Too!

By Cynthia Sawtell, Mentor in our West Region, and Chapter Leader of CA, San Anselmo-1

On Oct. 9, the three chapters of Marin County, CA (San Francisco area) hosted a public event in honor of the International Day of the Girl Child.  The concept was to share with a broader circle of women the work that DFW has done for girls.  We had three goals in mind:  1) to spread the word that investing in girls is critically important for spreading peace and prosperity in the developing world; 2) to do this outreach in hopes of gaining new members; and 3) to raise a little money for DFW.  We called the event “Celebrate The Girl”. Details

22
Apr, 2016

Together Women Rise, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Best Practices, Communications, Fundraising

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DFW Implements Best Practices in Program Funding

2015 was a big year for Dining for Women! Significant changes took place that have strengthened the vision, management, and operations of our organization. In her first full year at the helm, our Executive Director, Beth Ellen Holimon, realigned the duties and reporting structure of staff, led the Board of Directors through an extensive visioning process, and successfully created and executed DFW’s first, formalized fund development plan.

Details

23
Mar, 2016

News, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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Let Girls Learn Partnership is a Big Step Toward Our 2020 Vision

What a month we have had at Dining for Women! Less than a year ago we were hammering out the details of our 2020 Vision and on March 8th we met the First Lady of the United States to celebrate our partnership with the Peace Corps’ Let Girls Learn program.

DFW’s Partnership Program is now initiated with this proactive, issue-based funding for girls education. This partnership allows us to coordinate our work with other organizations to make a global impact. It is the necessary balance to our Featured Grants in which we are able to respond to needs identified by in-country organizations. Now, in the company of organizations like Proctor and Gamble, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, J. Crew, and Salesforce Foundation, we are part of a bigger movement to eliminate the barriers to education for girls all over the world. Details

Mar 14, 2016

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters

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Sharing Best Practices – Welcoming New Members

By Wendy Frattolin, Communications & Membership Director

As you know, Dining for Women’s goal is to grow to 20,000 members by the year 2020. Some people have asked how we plan to accommodate 20,000 new members into our nearly 400 existing chapters! Clearly, this is not possible. We know that, in order to meet our membership target, we will need to significantly increase our number of chapters. Promoting new chapters throughout the U.S. will be the main focus of our growth strategy over the next five years. Details

22
Feb, 2016

For leaders, For chapters, For members, Communications

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New Committees Set Up to Advance Our 2020 Vision

We are very excited to announce our latest steps toward achieving DFW’s 2020 Vision.  We are launching a new Operational Committee structure which will allow our members to engage more in the decision-making processes of DFW and influence the directions we will take in the future. Details

17
Feb, 2016

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices, Fundraising

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The DFW “Salon”: An Alternative Chapter Model

By Leslye Heilig, Co-Leader, Northeast Region and Chapter Leader of MA, Great Barrington-1 and 2

For the past four years, I have been the Chapter Leader of a large, successful potluck dinner-based chapter, with approximately 25 to 50 members attending each month. This past spring, at the request of some members who did not feel comfortable driving in rural areas at night and who were looking for a more intimate and in-depth discussion, I started a daytime chapter. I continue to lead both chapters, and thoroughly enjoy each of them for their very different yet equally wonderful aspects. Details

27
Jan, 2016

Together Women Rise, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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Laying the Foundations for Growth

Last year, Dining for Women announced its 2020 Vision, with plans to grow our organization to 20,000 members by the year 2020. This is indeed a bold goal, and one that we believe is achievable over the five-year period. Our focus this year is on laying the foundations for our future growth, and we are off to a great start! I want to tell you about an important initiative that has recently been under way. Details

20
Jan, 2016

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices

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Sharing Best Practices – Showing Our Appreciation

Dining for Women relies heavily on our committed and passionate volunteers, especially the 600+ chapter leaders and co-leaders like you. We simply could not achieve all that we do without our volunteers, and we want every volunteer to know that their contributions are recognized, valued and appreciated. Details

28
Dec, 2015

Together Women Rise, Programs, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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Dining for Women’s Theory of Change

As the board and I worked to culminate the voices of members, leadership volunteers, and staff for the 2020 Vision, we had to look hard at the desires of the future.  Most importantly, we had to understand what Dining for Women is trying to change.  This instigated a very interesting discussion because, as we have been pointing out throughout this year, there are many points of change in our model.  As we pursue our vision of change, we recognize that Dining for Women must create a number of transformations along the way: Details

28
Dec, 2015

Together Women Rise, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Communications, Fundraising

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Speaking With Our Hearts

I’ve been writing and rewriting this message for over a decade. The heart of it is always the same: collective action drives social transformation. When individuals believe they have found a way to change the world, it’s a powerful force for good. Dining for Women is a way to change the world. And in this world of unprecedented division, Dining for Women is a movement where individual differences are inconsequential and unity and solidarity prevail. Details

16
Dec, 2015

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices

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Sharing Best Practices – The Joys of Mentoring

By Peggy Smith, Regional Leader for the Mid-Atlantic Region

 Let’s hear it for our DFW Mentors. These are our foot soldiers, they walk the talk.

So what does it take to be a mentor? It takes a commitment to DFW and its mission, and an interest in sharing that passion to inspire and motivate others.

Mentors play an important role at the grassroots level of DFW by answering inquiries from people who want to join an existing chapter or start a chapter of their own. They have to know their territory well so they can match up potential new members with the most appropriate chapter within their geographic area. They also help launch new chapters, which includes educating potential Chapter Leaders about how to start and manage a DFW chapter, helping them organize their first meetings, attending the new chapter’s first meeting where possible, and answering any questions that arise.

Details

29
Nov, 2015

Together Women Rise, Programs, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Communications

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DFW’s 4 Programs Add Up to Big Impact

In my very first week at Dining for Women, I sat around a table with our Board of Directors while Barb Collins, Board Chair and Co-Founder, asked each of us to share our “Dining for Women Story”. It was my first time meeting Anne Capestrain, but she told a story I will never forget. She shared how DFW had given her the opportunity to be a part of other women’s lives and, in doing so, she was inspired and her life had been transformed. I have visited about 50 chapters this year and have heard similar stories across the country.

Details

11
Oct, 2015

Together Women Rise, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Fundraising

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The Benefits of Recurring Donations

Monthly recurring donations are the easiest and most convenient way for you to give to DFW and ensure that ALL our programs receive your support – even if you cannot attend your chapter meeting that month.

Recurring donations provide a predictable source of income we can count on to fund our grants program and our member services. They also help us increase our efficiency and reduce costs, allowing us to help even more women and girls.

So what does it mean to be a recurring donor? It means that your credit card or bank account will be charged on a certain date every month according to your specific instructions. You can set up a recurring donation for our funded programs, support DFW’s 13th Month Campaign all year long, or both. You can change or cancel your automatic withdrawal at any time.

There are several ways to set up an automatic recurring donation:

  1. Complete our Monthly Giving by Automatic Withdrawal Form and mail it to DFW’s home office. You can set up either a bank or credit card withdrawal by using this form. For bank withdrawals, you must send in a voided check with the form.

(PLEASE NOTE: An automatic bank withdrawal that is set up by completing this form is the least expensive payment method for DFW, costing only about 11 cents per transaction.)

  1. Go online to DFW’s donation page and choose the “repeat payment option”. Online recurring donations can be set up via E-Check (electronic bank draft) or credit card. If you set up a recurring donation online, you do NOT need to fill out the Monthly Giving by Automatic Withdrawal Form, nor do you need to send in a voided check for an electronic bank draft.
  1. Call DFW’s home office at 864-335-8401. DFW staff will be happy to help you set up your recurring donation.
17
Sep, 2015

Together Women Rise, News, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Fundraising

NEW!! Click & Pledge for Online Donations

Donating online to Dining for Women is now easier than ever with our new Click & Pledge processing system. Members can conveniently make one-time, recurring or in memory/in honor donations all in one place – whether they are on their computer, tablet or mobile phone.

Click & Pledge is a simple, user-friendly, and highly secure system that is designed specifically for non-profits and is widely used throughout our industry.

Details

15
Sep, 2015

Together Women Rise, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Fundraising

One Chapter’s Take on 13th Month

This month, Merle Steiner, Co-Leader for the MD, Rockville-1 chapter shares what the 13th Month Campaign means to her chapter.

Our Rockville, MD Chapter is about to celebrate its 8th Anniversary. We are very proud to have been one of the early chapters joining the Dining for Women family. We have watched DFW grow from a group of creative, intelligent women working from their kitchen table to the amazing organization it has become.

Details

26
Aug, 2015

Together Women Rise, Programs, For leaders, For chapters, For members

How are DFW’s program grantees selected?

A look at the work of our Program Selection Committee

By Janine Baumgartner and Susan Garrity

Members frequently ask how programs are selected for funding. We consider the selection of program grantees one of the most important decisions we make.  As with every important decision, there is a designated person or body and there is a process.

Details

19
Aug, 2015

Together Women Rise, News, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Fundraising

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Setting Our Course for 2020

A Special Message from DFW’s Board of Directors

Over the past year, our Board has been listening to and reflecting on many points of view from our members, our volunteer leaders, committee members, and our staff.   From this, a dream has emerged for the future of our organization, and we want to share it with you.

As DFW members and supporters, we know that you share our passion for improving the lives of women and girls around the world through gender equity and empowerment. No matter how far apart we live, or what our life experiences are, we are all connected in deep and meaningful ways because of our shared vision for what we want DFW to accomplish, and what it brings to each of us in terms of heartfelt connection with each other and the broader world.

Details

22
Jun, 2015

Together Women Rise, For chapters, For members, Fundraising

DFW Without Volunteers

Dear DFW Member-Volunteers,

After coming off two three-day weekends with Dining for Women volunteers, I am more grateful than ever for what you do, how you think, and the impact you have on Dining for Women.  DFW is extremely reliant on volunteers and the thought of all our volunteers going on vacation for a month at the same time is frightening.  Fortunately, because I like to think positively, this will never, ever, ever happen.   Then a tiny voice in the middle of the night says, “Beth Ellen, wake up.  What IF DFW volunteers did NOT show up for a month? What would happen?”

Details

25
Sep, 2014

Together Women Rise, News, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Communications, Connections

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A conversation with Nicholas Kristof

Marsha Wallace hosted a conversation with “A Path Appears” co-author Nicholas Kristof about the new book, the gains made in reducing extreme poverty and women’s equality — and the distance yet to go. The authors mention Dining for Women in several spots throughout the book. “Sheryl and I are such big fans of what you guys do,” Kristof said during the Hangout. View the on-demand video of this insightful conversation. Details

Feb 24, 2014

For leaders, For chapters

Women’s empowerment activist from Vietnam visits DFW chapter

DFW Feb2014-2-2

Mary Caroline Mitchell and Rachel Broughton flank Dr. Ha Ngo, who visited their DFW chapter meeting. 

 

By Mary Caroline Mitchell
Springfield, IL-3, Chapter Leader

Dr. Ha Ngo, Ph.D., is the director of a women’s empowerment program in Vietnam. Visiting the US as part of a program sponsored by the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, we were fortunate to have her join us for our February chapter meeting. The State Department program fosters citizen diplomacy and brought Dr. Ngo, the deputy director, Center for Education, Promotion and Empowerment of Women located in Hanoi, Vietnam, to Springfield. Details

Jan 18, 2014

Education, For chapters, For members, Best Practices, Communications

Questions about our programs? Here’s how to get answers

By Jamye Cooper
DFW Executive Director

Our education team works hard each month to provide key information to enrich our members’ understanding of our featured program. But occasionally members or leaders have questions that aren’t addressed in our materials.

When that occurs, people may be contacting the program director or staff directly. Some of our funded programs report that they may be answering the same question from more than one DFW member or chapter. These can be time consuming calls for the program. But beyond that, if one program has a question, there’s a good chance others might as well.

Details

Jan 17, 2014

Together Women Rise, Chapters, For chapters, Communications

You’ve got photos? We want them

blog_photos

By Laura Haight
DFW Communications Director

There are some amazing things happening in dining rooms, kitchens, living rooms and great rooms across the country. Some of them are newsworthy – perhaps to a DFW audience or sometimes for a more general interest audience.

The most common content is photos – from anniversaries, fundraisers or meetings with special speakers. Social media gives us ways to share a lot of photos that don’t find a home on our website with a large audience every day. While photos tell a story, they do need a little help in the form of captions and descriptions. It’s important for us to know who’s in the photo, what they’re doing, where they are from and why it’s significant. Large group photos of your chapter do not need to identify each person; but photos of five or fewer should include IDs with first and last name, location, title and affiliation, from left to right.

Details

22
Dec, 2013

Together Women Rise, Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, For members, Best Practices, Communications, Connections

Email: Love it or hate it, it’s an important tool for DFW

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By Laura Haight
DFW Communications Director

With 8000 members spread out from Bangor to Santa Cruz, DFW uses email as the most efficient way to communicate. These messages include monthly newsletters, donation acknowledgements, tax receipts and other messages.

Dining for Women is very aware of the flood of emails all of us receive on a daily basis. To that end, in 2013 we significantly reduced our communications. Most months, the average member receives one email from us – The Dish; chapter leaders get two with the CL Newsletter. We have consolidated what used to be separate emails for new programs, trips or products into these monthly communications.

Details

Dec 17, 2013

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices, Communications

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DFW-branded PowerPoint presentations – a guide for presenters

By Marcie Christensen
DFW Education Coordinator

The Education Team has developed a slide show template we will use to offer each month’s program in a brief and consistent format, rather than requiring each grantee to develop a PowerPoint presentation. Beginning with our January Featured Program, presenters will have clearer options for sharing the month’s featured program in ways that work best for each chapter.

Details

19
Nov, 2013

Chapters, For leaders, For chapters

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Regions bring chapter leaders together to chart progress

Debbie Britt, right, and Cindy Ariel, left, with the retreat facilitators.

Debbie Britt, right, and Cindy Ariel, left, with the retreat facilitators.

By Laura Haight
Communications Director

Operational retreats are a fairly common practice among big business and this fall two DFW regions employed the practice to bring leaders together to discuss a variety of topics.

Chapter leaders in the Mid-Atlantic and West had regional retreats in October.

Debbie Britt and Cindy Ariel, co-leaders in the Mid-Atlantic, brought in two facilitators – both are professional leadership coaches as well as DFW members – to run the program, which included a discussion of what is working at the chapter level and what could be improved, an idea-sharing discussion that “harvested” ideas from each member. Details

22
Oct, 2013

For leaders, For chapters, Best Practices, Communications

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Managing photography in today’s digital age

By Laura Haight
DFW Communications Director 

Technology has put incredibly high-end photography features into the hands of everyone with a smartphone, but it hasn’t done a great job of educating this new class of photographer.

This becomes a problem for us when media calls and wants a “high-resolution” photo for print publication. This primer may help you understand some basics of managing digital photos – whether it’s personal or professional.

Details

Jun 24, 2013

Together Women Rise, News, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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Cornucopia: The sights, sounds and emotions

Editor’s Note: Jeanette is the daughter of DFW co-founder Barb Collins. We asked her to be our roving reporter during the 10th anniversary weekend and record her impressions, special moments and emotions from the event. 

By Jeanette Collins

I was 13 when I first heard of Dining for Women.

Marsha Wallace and my mom, Barb Collins, have done an amazing thing: They took an idea and made it a reality. I feel honored to have grown up with what began as one small gathering and is now an international organization changing the lives of women and girls. Details

Jun 24, 2013

News, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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The Power of the Girl

Tara Abrahams delivers Decade of Dreams Keynote

By Laura Haight
DFW Communications Director

tara keynote2A group of journalists known as The Documentary Group were looking for ways to continue the work of a media icon – Peter Jennings – after his death in 2005. They wanted to do the work that he would have done – telling important stories that can effect change in the world.

Their focus became ending global poverty – a pervasive issue with many causes. But as they researched the topic, reaching out to experts in many different fields including international development, public health, peace and security, economic politics, one message came clear.

Educate girls. Details

Jun 24, 2013

Together Women Rise, News, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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The Secret Sauce for Successful Chapters

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By Marcie Christensen
DFW Education Coordinator

Cari Class started her DFW chapter in Santa Cruz, CA, nearly six years ago. “That same passion for what we’re doing as an organization, which just rocks my world and gives me a deep sense of purpose in my life, is no less vibrant today than the day I started,” says Class, whose energetic presentation drew cheers and applause from conference attendees. Details

Jun 24, 2013

News, For leaders, For chapters, For members

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Speaking Truth to Power: How to be an Effective Advocate

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By Laura Haight
DFW Communications Director

If you talked to your child’s teacher, questioned your doctor or sent a letter to the editor of your paper, then you have acted as an advocate.
“We are each advocating for a host of important community and personal issues every single day,” noted Nancy Delaney, manager of community engagement for Oxfam America. “As members of the Dining for Women community, you’ve each become advocates for the women and girls whose lives and dreams you support.” Details