Tag Archives: communications

President’s Message 

President’s Message By Nancy McCabe


After a break of six years, I’m back again as branch president and a lot has changed in that time. Most of our paperwork is now on the computer, which will take a bit of learning. That doesn’t affect most of you until it is time for renewal of membership. The larger change is more recent and it is in the organization of the leadership positions.

 

Strangely, a number of our officers aren’t fans of monthly evening meetings. A group met for strategic planning and divided the tasks into five Directors who will get reports from their respective officers and will attend the meetings as their representative. The first one is Membership Support, who will report for Member Outreach, Membership Treasurer, Interest Group Coordinator, Directory and Sunshine. The second one is Membership Development, who covers Membership Recruitment, College/University Relations, and Diversity/Equity and Inclusion. Third is Director of Local Projects, covering Scholarship, Speech Trek, Tech Trek and Gov Trek.  Fourth is Director of AAUW Priorities, covering Public Policy, Civil Rights Advocacy, Title IX, and AAUW Funds. Fifth is Director of Communications, which covers the newsletter (which you are reading,) Social Media, Technology Coordinator, Email Tree, Newsletter Mailer and Webmaster. The Parliamentarian keeps the President in line, and the Reservations and Hospitality Coordinators assist the Program Vice Presidents.  

 

If I still have your attention, we still need to fill several positions:

– Gov Trek, which has a knowledgeable committee member who can offer help and guidance.

– Public Policy, which has a number of knowledgeable otherwise occupied members who can supply guidance.

– Title IX, which can be designed by the volunteer.

– Hospitality, who contacts members for help with snacks and keeps track of the requisite paper goods. Failing volunteer bakers, there is a budget for grocery store cookies. We all know how important meeting snacks are! This is a public service!

 

If interested, you can find out who is doing what by clicking <here>. I hope to see you at the September meeting, which is the kickoff for our business year. More information on the September Kickoff can be found in this newsletter. We will be voting on the year’s proposed budget, which you can find <here>. At the meeting, please introduce yourself if we don’t know one another. 

Did You Know?

Did You Know? By Karen Burley

The U.S. Postal Service is issuing a Ruth Bader Ginsburg stamp! The Postal Service has announced plans for a first-day-of-issue ceremony to unveil a new Forever stamp that honors the legacy of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The ceremony is scheduled to take place Monday, Oct. 2 at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. at 6 p.m. ET.

Sacramento born-and-bred Greta Gerwig’s movie, “Barbie, ” is now the biggest movie of the year so far at the domestic box office, as of August 25th. Way to go, Greta!

Printable Newsletter Articles

Click here for Printable Newsletter Articles.

AAUW CA Tidbits

AAUW CA Tidbits, Forwarded by Liz Jordan

AAUW CA Office New Mailing Address:

Due to the closure of our local UPS facility, we have moved our mailing address to:

AAUW California
PO Box 160067
Sacramento, California 95816-0067  

AAUW FUND                                                                                                                           

Karen Vanderwerken, Director, AAUW Fund Committee Chair, aauwfund@aauw-ca.org
END-OF-YEAR DEADLINES AND DONATIONS!
Zooming In: factoids from our record four Fund Events:

  • 38 of 41 California scholars/grantees presented.
  • 376 members registered with 141 unique viewers.
  • 57 average number branches attended each session.
  • 17 branch positions participated.

View the 2022 recipients, read their bios, watch any of the videos of the four Fund Events, and/or donate to AAUW by clicking HERE.

Are you looking for a branch or IBC program speaker?  Schedule one of our scholars/grantees to provide a more detailed presentation through April 2023. Click HERE to request a scholar/grantee speaker for your branch.

***

Dec. 31, 2022, is the deadline for donating this year to AAUW Fund. Use Branch/Individual Contribution Form when sending in branch and member donations.

Remember Legacy Circle Gifting!  What will be your AAUW legacy?
Contact Charmen Goehring at charminme@yahoo.com or Judy Horan at queenjah@pacbell.net

Consider using your IRA RMD (required minimum distribution) by giving directly to AAUW. Contact: cfo@aauw-ca.org.

Giving your time, your energy, and your dollars — all make AAUW California Fund great.

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NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS                                                                                   

Charmen Goehring, Nominations & Elections Chair, nominating@aauw-ca.org
LOVE AAUW? WANT TO GIVE BACK?
This year we are looking for a President-Elect to serve one year followed by two years as president. I know that Sandi will be leaving some big shoes to fill. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses to share. Come forward and let your light shine. We need someone who cares about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Women’s Rights, Financial Security and so much more.Please think at least twice before you say you can’t do it.  AAUW matters, women matter, everyone deserves a chance.  If President-Elect is too big a bite, how about CFO or one of the director positions?

*****

National Member Perks

You may not know or, perhaps, have forgotten that AAUW members get all sorts of perks. You can get discounts on cruises, cars, and car insurance. Check out the bucketsful of deals on the national website HERE. And whenever you take advantage of these benefits, AAUW receives royalties to support its work.

*****

Public Policy

NOVEMBER 8th WAS A GOOD DAY FOR WOMEN!
The election is finally over and overall, AAUW members can be pretty happy with the results.  Here are a few highlights:

  • One woman was added to each house of Congress: the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, bringing the numbers to 124 (H) and 25 (S).
  • Of the total of 149, 54 are women of color.
  • With Nancy Pelosi stepping down as Speaker of the House, we lost the most powerful woman’s voice in government, but still have a woman on the minority leadership team, Minority Whip Katherine Clark.
  • Governors of 12 states are now women.
  • 23 percent of all mayors across the nation are women, including our brand-new and first woman mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass.
  • 32 women won seats in the California Legislature (total confirmed 44, three pending)
  • All executive positions in California except Governor are filled by women, including Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, and Controller.
  • Proposition 1 prevailed and women’s right to control their own reproductive choices is now enshrined in our constitution.

The state Public Policy Committee thanks each and every AAUW California member who voted, who assisted in our Voter Education (VE) campaign by spreading our messages on social media, who took the pledge to vote for Prop. 1 (we had 437 sign up!), and who worked within their branches to do their own VE events.

Next challenge:  Let’s add California to that list of states with a woman governor!  Together we can – and will – change the world!

Bits and Pieces

Bits and Pieces from around California AAUW… By Liz Jordan

AAUW CA is on YouTube!

Watch out for Spam and Scam!

A spammer can hijack the name of someone that you recognize.

  • Before opening it, hover over the name with your mouse to see if the sender’s actual email address is legitimate.
  • If it’s a phishing expedition, the email will not be theirs and will often be noticeably odd looking.
  • Look at the subject line carefully too.
  • Beware if something sounds too good to be true.
  • Watch for spelling and grammar errors.
  • Don’t open links unless you trust the source.
  • Don’t forward spam emails to anyone else to “check them out.”

What is STEMEd for Girls???

What is STEMEd for Girls??? By Liz Jordan

Did you know? 

In the summer of 2021, more than 600 teen girls from across the U.S. and the U.K. took part in AAUW’s inaugural STEMEd for Girls virtual workshop series, which was designed exclusively for girls in grades 9 through 12, and their parents and guardians.

The program, which was made possible through the generous support of Arconic Foundation, was designed to pave the way for girls’ STEM success in college and beyond.  AAUW especially encouraged girls of color to participate.

Girls took part in six 1-1/2-hour sessions over two months that showcased how accessible and exciting STEM fields can be.  Twelve (12) STEM Ambassadors, scientists and educators who are leaders in their fields, provided advice and inspiration while highlighting a variety of subjects, including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, math and technology.

Guess What!?!

AAUW is announcing that STEMEd for Girls is returning for this summer 2022.  For middle school and high school girls, just starting to explore interest in science and math, for girls who have already decided on a probable career path, this program can offer girls and their parents/ guardians/caregivers support and encouragement.

https://www.aauw.org/resources/programs/stemed-for-girls/

STEMEd for Girls is a series of lively, informative and engaging virtual workshops that will pave the way for your success as you move through high school, into college and eventually on to your career. Designed for those who want to stand out among their peers, the program:

  • Demystifies the world of STEM and shows how accessible—and exciting—these fields can be.
  • Explores the different subject areas that you can choose as a college major, including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, and technology/computer science.
  • Shows the many types of lucrative jobs and careers a STEM education can prepare you for.
  • Connects you up with a STEM Ambassador who can inspire and guide you in your education and beyond.
  • Works with your parent, guardian or caregiver to make sure you have all the support and encouragement you need on your pathway to STEM.

Gain confidence, have fun, get inspired — and join a national community of girls and women excited about the endless opportunities in STEM.

https://www.aauw.org/resources/programs/stemed-for-girls/

Nominating Committee – Slate and Vote

Nominating Committee Report By Liz Jordan
With Two Positions for Membership Vote

The Nominating Committee, Linda Sparks, Vicki Nicholson, Nancy Lawrence, Cherril Peabody, and Liz Jordan, present an incomplete slate of candidates for the Branch vote on April 9, Branch meeting and Author’s Event.

 

The slate is:

Secretary for a two-year term: Carole Cline. 

Carole has just served one year as secretary, completing the previous term left vacant.

Finance Director for a two-year-term:  Susana Mullen

            Susana has an MBA in accounting and is retiring from an accountant position.

Open and Unfilled:  President or Co-Presidents

            This position is necessary for branch function.  Leads the board action and in decision-making.

Open and partially filled: Co-Directors of Program

One member volunteered with qualification for this position; she needs a co-director.  She is very experienced but will not serve as the sole director.

The Branch is slated to vote on April 9 at our branch meeting designated as the Author’s Event.  Every member can vote. 

Job descriptions for open positions are available on the sacramento-ca.aauw.net website under the Membership tab, Members Only link. Anyone interested in serving in either of the two open positions, please contact Liz Jordan, Vicki Nicholson, Angela Scarlett, or Nancy Lawrence.  Phone and email available in the Directory.

What Happened at the Leadership Crisis Meeting?

What Happened at the Branch Leadership Crisis Meeting? By Liz Jordan

On Wednesday evening, March 16, more than 35 members signed into a branch meeting, open to the entire membership.  The goal of the meeting was to help solve a leadership crisis: to find members willing to serve the branch.

Who Will Lead?  The annual Nominating Committee has not been able to find a volunteer[s] to serve as President or Co-Presidents or as Program Director or Co-Directors.

Other branch leadership needs discussed were for volunteers to lead our Tech Trek Program and one to lead our Public Policy activities.

Job Descriptions are available from Nominating Committee Chair Liz Jordan and/or by clicking on the Membership tab through to the Members Only link of the AAUW Sacramento website sacramento-ca.aauw.net.

Survey: The membership was alerted to this meeting by eblast and each eblast contained a link to a survey about branch activities.  The survey gleaned responses from about a quarter of the membership and then comprised the focus for the meeting discussion. (See article by Gloria Yost about what members responded).  The members attending this meeting were able to see some of the members responses, and then members were randomly assigned to one of five break-out rooms where they discussed one of the questions, as well.

The five questions from the survey, then discussed by the break-out groups, were:

  1. What are your reasons for being a member of AAUW Sacramento?
  2. Our mission is to empower women and girls. How do you think we can motivate our members to participate in mission-based activities?
  3. What reasons do you have for serving or not serving on a committee or as a board leader?
  4. Do you ordinarily participate in Branch meetings and programs? Why or why not?
  5. If we reduced the number of our branch outreach activities, which ones would you eliminate?  Or change and in what way? These four activities were discussed:
    • Scholarship – women 25 years or older, returning to college
    • Speech Trek – high school kids speak to a question about gender equity
    • Tech Trek – six middle school girls who have talent but may lack motivation go to STEM Camp on a college campus for a week.
    • NCCWSL – National Conference of College Women Student Leaders – conference once a year over Memorial Weekend at University Maryland.

Discussion: Volunteer recorders in each of the five breakout rooms kept notes and reported back to the larger meeting during the last half hour.  The discussion was wide-ranging, and all possible ways to restructure branch activity were on the table.  A strong possibility of a Strategic Planning Committee to work on streamlining branch activities and leadership positions is under discussion.

Please:  Anyone willing to serve in either of the open board positions or on the Strategic Planning Committee is strongly encouraged to call or write Liz Jordan, Nancy Lawrence, Cherril Peabody, Linda Sparks or Vicki Nicholson.  Please see the directory for contact information.

Membership Response to Recent Survey

Membership Response to Recent Survey By Gloria Yost

AAUW Sacramento branch leaders put out a plea to members for help in dealing with a leadership gap and just under one fourth (42) of our membership responded with their ideas.  In addition, these questions were discussed by the 35 members who participated in a robust exchange of ideas about the future of AAUW Sacramento.  Below is a summary of responses.

We are members because:

We enjoy the friendship of other educated women and support AAUW’s mission.  We enjoy our interest groups and want to continue promoting education by helping women and girls.

We can motivate participation in mission-based activities with:

We want improved communication and sharing within our branch and more opportunities for more gratifying personal interactions.  Our interest groups are important to us and could also incorporate some mission-based activities.  We’d like stronger interpersonal links with those we empower through our outreach efforts.   We also think we need to do more to broadcast our accomplishments

Our reasons for serving, or not, on committees or as board leaders are:

We serve because we think it’s important and to share some responsibility for branch operations, and we like to be in the know and help with planning.  We also appreciate learning new skills from fellow board members.

However, some of us have been there and done that, and though we might help on committees, we don’t want to be in charge.  Time commitment, health issues and concern about technical proficiency are reasons for no participation.  Some of us also find other organizations providing us with more focus and new input.

We do, or do not, participate in branch meetings and programs because:

Participation provides us an opportunity to keep up with the work of the branch and branch members, visit with friends and make new ones.  We also get inspired by what we learn from women who are working to improve our community and the world.

Some of us don’t find program topics to be engaging.  We want business and announcements to be as brief as possible.  Transportation and meeting times are difficult for some and Zoom is not a welcome alternative.  Zoom can also be hard for those with young children.

We want to keep participating in all of our outreach programs, but if that isn’t possible, eliminate NCCWSL.  (National Conference of College Women Student Leaders)

Some of our ideas about other ways to change branch activities are:

Reduce the size of the board and streamline its activities to increase member willingness to serve.  Embrace the fact that interest groups are a vital part of Sacramento Branch and the board should strengthen ties with them.

Eliminate some branch meetings and focus on doing the others well, perhaps getting out of a rut of doing the same thing again and again. Bring back WOW (Women of the World) or something similar, as we all need to be connected with the whole community.  Do things more collaboratively with other groups and agencies to learn about problems and solutions.

“I’m so proud of all that we have done and will do to empower people to have better lives. These outreach programs make me feel like I’m part of the solution, especially as a retired person who no longer contributes in a paid position.”

President’s Message

President’s Message By Angela Scarlett

Hi all,

When I started my presidency, one of my goals was to make our branch’s board meeting

minutes and financial documents available to all members.

To that end, Karen Burley, our communications director, worked with AAUW National to add a secured web page to our website. I wanted to remind members that this is now a resource.

If you haven’t visited our website before (it’s at https://sacramento-ca.aauw.net/), let me show you what the main landing page looks like:

To navigate to the Members-only page, hover over the Membership link at the top and click on the “Members Only” link.

Once you are on the “Members Only” page, you will see a password prompt. I won’t share this information here for security’s sake, but you can reach out to Karen Burley or me for the password. Our contact information is in the directory.

When you are on the page, you will see links for our current governing documents, other archives, board meeting minutes, and financial records. I want to encourage our members to use this secured page to familiarize themselves with our branch business and documents. We welcome feedback!

If you have problems viewing the screenshots, click here to view a PDF, which might help.

Thanks,
Angela Scarlett, Branch President

AAUW CA Annual Event

2022 CA Annual Event– A Real Adventure!

Calling all AAUW adventurers!

Grab your compass and join the expedition to AAUWLand at the AAUW Annual Event on Saturday, April 30th 9-3 via Zoom.  We will all be explorers, searching for new routes to connect to AAUW and its mission.

To launch the trip, the morning session will: 

  • Kick off with inspirational words from Gloria Blackwell, AAUW CEO, and Lisa Maatz, Senior Adviser, Ohio Citizen Action and former AAUW Policy Rock Star.
  • Focus our telescopes on the year’s accomplishments.
  • Honor our AAUW expedition leaders with the announcement of the Named Gift Honoree, Equity Champion, and Top 10 Branch Fund Contributions.
  • Review our advocacy efforts.
  • Share important news and updates.
  • Hear inspiring words of the three Speech Trek finalists.
  • Listen to the hosts of the breakout sessions pitch their topics.

During the afternoon route we will:

  • Be introduced to the accomplished candidates for the 2022-23 board of directors.
  • Meet a dancing scientist, Jasmine Sadler, owner and founder, The STEAM Collaborative.
  • Honor the three winners of the 2022 Branch Activity of the Year Award and hear about what they did.
  • Award a Speech Trek winner.

Along the way, we will wind into unfamiliar territory. You will have the chance to venture out and “Choose Your Own Adventure” with a self-guided journey deep into the “topical” jungle of AAUW ideas that you might be interested in talking about.

There will be multiple Zoom breakout rooms hosted by Trail Guides, members who have offered to host informal conversations on topics they hope you might want to talk about.  No agendas. No PowerPoints. No handouts. We’ll just network and share thoughts, stories, experiences, and maybe some debate. You will be able to move freely back and forth between breakout rooms to stay and share or take off and find another!

Don your pith helmet and register for Adventures in AAUWland! Click HERE to Register.