Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2018-2019 | Page 18

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Feature
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EAVE was in need of a digital marketing make- hosted discussion groups and networking happy hours, and
over. The agency for survivors of domestic abuse connected members with mentors.
had opened its second retail location in Sacra-
While important, these offerings were not experiences
mento to help generate funding for its shelter a woman could “put on her resume and that would devel-
and crisis prevention services, and something op skills and ongoing relationships that would give peo-
about the online outreach just wasn’t clicking. Posts ple the leg up they needed,” former WiL President Hilary
lacked a consistent voice. Separate branding for each Bekmann explains. Bekmann wanted programming to
store created confusion. CEO Beth Hassett worried there actually boost future job and leadership prospects for her
wasn’t a clear enough connection in the messaging be- female peers. On a broader level, she hoped to help the co-
tween the nonprofit organization’s mission and the cloth- hort close the persistent gender gap at the highest levels
ing stores that helped fuel its operations. WEAVE’s Retail of business.
Advisory Board developed a new strategy, recommending
“I wanted to provide some marketable skills to the
the creation of a social media style guide and a targeted women within the program and also really provide those
Instagram campaign featuring styled outfits available at leadership opportunities,” says Bekmann.
the store.
An idea to train and place
“One driving force behind
students on nonprofit boards
the changes was an uncon-
had been f loated before. To
ventional source — not a long-
Bekmann, it seemed like an in-
time board member, or even a
novative way to get young peo-
full-time one. It was Kelly Gil-
ple into executive settings that
lett, an MBA student on loan
are nonhierarchical; where
to WEAVE from the UC Davis
they have inf luence without
Women in Leadership Club’s
authority. “A nonprofit board,
Board Fellowship Program,
vs. a lot of our general work ex-
a new initiative that places
perience, really gives people
graduate students on nonprof-
insight into peer-type leader-
it boards.
ship experiences — just the
“Having Kelly there made
exposure to making high-lev-
— Rob Shanahan, board chair, PUENTES
a big difference,” Hassett says.
el decisions,” she says. “[You]
“We’d had a lot of the same
learn an enormous amount.”
people on [the committee] for a while. Bringing her new
Bekmann and other club members gauged interest
energy and new blood to the organization was really help- among area organizations and secured $10,000 in seed
ful. She brought that younger shopper voice to the table.” funding from the school’s business development pro-
This need for new energy isn’t unique to WEAVE. Many gram. They marketed the Board Fellowship Program as
nonprofits find themselves seeking new, young members a win-win: Students would gain valuable leadership and
to bring fresh perspectives to their organizations — con- management insights, and the nonprofit boards would
tributing to avid interest in the UC Davis program. The get new blood without having to search for and vet ap-
benefits don’t just f low one way, either. Gillett got a front- plicants themselves. That first year, 2015, WiL trained 19
row seat to the inner workings of a board, gaining expe- students and placed four with partner organizations. By
rience and skills that she’ll carry into her career in busi- year two, the number of partner organizations doubled
ness, she says.
to eight.
“Every nonprofit I reached out to was keen on the
REAL WORK, REAL SKILLS
idea,” Bekmann recalls. “It sort of sold itself.”
For most of its six-year existence, the Women in Leadership
Club focused on the activities you’d expect from a student THE NEED FOR NEW ENERGY
organization aimed at developing future female leaders. It The need for nonprofits to stay relevant is particularly strong
“We’re always looking
to add new board
members, especially
ones who are an
infusion of excitement.”
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