Updates, Celebrations, Community, and More!
Dear Friends,
As we close the fiscal year at the Women's Foundation of Oregon, we also approach my first year as Executive Director at WFO. I am proud of our achievements and contributions. We have a brand new team that has defined our work and strategies with grace and confidence. We distributed over $230k in grant funds across the state of Oregon. We fundraised three times more than the average year of revenue at WFO and we awarded the organization's first multi-year grant. Not to mention a list of internal improvements that will help keep us in compliance, focused and advancing our mission of gender justice.
We are truly grateful for your support and your love of WFO and gender justice. This work is hard because it matters. We must continue to find ways to elevate our community in ways that fortify them and our deep respect of their right to joy, growth, integrity, liberation, courage, collectivity, and justice.
In community,
Libra Forde
Executive Director
Women's Foundation of Oregon
The 2023 Pay Transparency Report is Here!
We are delighted to share the hard work of our partners at The Intersectional Group has been compiled into a detailed Pay Transparency report. After months' of data collecting, analyzing, report writing, and designing, the 2023 Pay Transparency Report is here. On a high level, this year's report tells us a few things: U.S. employees want pay transparency. 94% of our survey respondents would vote for state pay transparency legislation. Pay transparency may be beneficial for employers and executives are starting to embrace it. Pay transparency legislation is gaining momentum in the U.S.
The complete report provides recommendations to employers and employees on responding to and embracing pay transparency as it is a trend that is not going away.
Pride Month is more than a festival, parade, or celebration: it is about ACTION for equity and equality. Pride Month is a powerful moment to resist the ongoing oppression faced by LGBTQ2S+ individuals every single day. Our Queer and Trans communities are on the frontlines, facing legislative, political, and legal attacks. These times are unsettling and frightening. We are in solidarity with our LGBTQ2S+ community. We honor the Trans and Queer-led groups, who continue to bravely confront and dismantle systems that seek to oppress them. We work alongside and as accomplices in creating a world where everyone, regardless of gender, is able to live full, robust and thriving lives.
Join us in Building a Better Oregon for All
We are looking for passionate folks to join us. We work with many nonprofits throughout the state who are often underfunded and lacking capacity. Are you an accounting ace, a social media maestro, or a savvy salesperson? We are seeking dedicated individuals in all industries who are willing to donate their time and skills to helping these incredible organizations. If you are interested please click here.
Our Continued Commitment to Transparency and Internal Improvement
WFO has just finished an evaluation plan with four wonderful Graduate students at the OHSU – PSU School of Public Health. These students challenged us to examine our grants process from beginning to end in order to better evaluate if the experience is low-barrier, accessible and fair to our grantees. The grant making process is often complicated, burdensome and inaccessible for many. Our grant making model is rooted in relationships and begins with outreach to organizations and groups with a focus on gender-based services uplifting women, girls, and their families and communities, including Gender Expansive Communities who work towards the explicit goal of dismantling gender oppression.
The students have provided thoughtful recommendations in addition to a toolkit in order to complete a full evaluation of our process to ensure that our process remains aligned with our mission. We are currently planning to conduct the evaluation and will share our results.