Social Justice

Seeking Understanding By Lisa Howard

Kathy Papst and Carole Cline presented a fantastic overview of the history of our Constitution and voting rights at October’s meeting.  The Social Justice committee would like to build on this momentum and ask each member to take a moment to reflect and complete the sentences below:
1 “At the founding of the United States, some of the country’s most important political values were (Insert your answer here).”
2. “After .50 years of U.S. history, I would describe the country’s ‘track record’ of following through on those values and ideals as (Insert your answer here).”
3. “Right now, an outside observer would likely look at our politics and say we value (Insert your answer here).”
4. “When it comes to the United States as a country over the next decade or the next century, I want to see (Insert your answer here).”

Send your answers to Lisa Howard; her email address is in the Membership Directory . The committee will consolidate and share back responses with the organization in a future newsletter.

AAUW Funds By Karen Burley

As we head into the last months of 2025, please consider a gift to the AAUW
Fund. Women and girls can reach their full potential when the barriers holding them back are broken down. Help AAUW smash the obstacles that hold women back.

It is easy to give online where you will be able to choose which fund you would like to support. AAUW has three targeted funds:

  • The Greatest Needs Fund (9110) allows AAUW to pay its bills as well as stay nimble to respond to issues and needs as they arise.
  • The Public Policy General Fund (4514) aims to increase the number of advocates across the country and provide timely, accurate and actionable information about our key issues such as Title IX, student debt and pay equity.
  • The Defend Higher Education Fund (4513) elevates the critical higher education issues impacting women and provides strategic resources to students.

You can access the AAUW Fund donation information online <here>.

If you choose to send a check to AAUW, please make sure you write “AAUW Sacramento” in the memo line and include a cover letter specifying that you are in the AAUW Sacramento branch and where you would like your donation to be designated.

If you are planning to give by way of an IRA Distribution (or a Required Minimum Distribution), contact your account custodian to request a “Qualified Charitable Distribution.” The check, accompanied by your name and address information, must be sent directly from your financial institution to AAUW. Provide the recipient information below to your custodian, along with AAUW’s Tax ID #52-6037388. Before sending, please also notify AAUW by sending an
email to planned-giving@aauw.org so they can keep an eye out for your gift and be sure to include the amount, your name, address and the designation of your gift (for example: Greatest Needs), and the financial institution sending your gift. Please direct your check, drawn on your IRA account and made payable to AAUW, to:

AAUW
Attn: Planned Giving-IRA Distribution
1310 L St. NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005

You can learn more about Planned Giving <here>.

One other consideration for those of you who love this organization and want to see AAUW continue to fight for equity for all into the future, you can become a Legacy Circle member. This is a gift that you leave from your estate and there is no minimum amount. There are many ways to set this up; contact Charmen Goehring for more information. We have about 140 Legacy Circle members in California, including a number in this branch, and we welcome more! As Judy Horan says, “Live, Love, Leave a Legacy!”

If you have any other questions, please reach out to Karen Burley, whose contact information can be found in the Membership Directory. Thank you for your consideration as we move into the season of giving!