From The Case Statement of The White House Project
I have pledged to use readers' contributions plus $100 of my own money to donate at least $1000 to The White House Project by January 20, 2009.
Update: 7 December 2008 9:32 p.m.. eastern: $800 collected. Only $200 to go to hit the minimum donation attempted. Even $5 dollars will help. Upon collecting $1000.00 I will make the first donation on behalf of readers of Heidi Li's Potpourri. Anything beyond, I will donate on January 20, 2009.
A regular reader of this blog has just written to me a most wonderful, extraordinary message:
I have already received one installment from this reader's as a contribution to this blog. One of the goals I set for myself after this political year was to use what I had learned as a fundraiser to carry on raising funds for the causes and institutions that push for justice for all. With women representing 51% of our population but certainly not occupying 51% of positions of power, justice cries out for a correction.
The White House Project does aim to put a woman in the Oval Office, but as the generous reader quoted above advocates, it does not aim simply to do this. It has a number of initiatives aimed at "empowering woman in general, encouraging and helping them to go into politics, to dare to bring female intelligence and emotional competence into play, with it find creative, wise solutions to problems and hopefully less cockiness." Below, I highlight a few. For fuller information go to this page at the website for The White House Project.
I intend to use this reader's generous contributions toward this blog to make it possible for me to support the White House Project. I hereby pledge to raise at least $1000 toward this goal by January 20, 2009. Counting my benefactor's commitment, I'm halfway there. I will put in $100 of my own funds. This leaves $350 $300 as of 11:52 eastern on Sunday, December 7, t to hit at least $1000 to contribute. By pooling our resources and acting together we become a set of salt-marchers on behalf of the cause of 51% placement of women in positions of power. Men and women welcome. The button below is for donating specifically for the drive to raise at least $1000 for The White House Project by January 20, 2009. Any amount welcome - as I learned in 2008, it is amazing what $5 at a time can accomplish. Let's march together.
Beginning this effort makes me look forward to January 20, 2009, a symbolic day for donating to The White House Project.
After the jump some information about some of The White House Project's initiatives:
A. Corporate Council
Founded in 2006, The White House Project’s Corporate Council fulfills a unique mission: to engage senior business women on issues that arise at the nexus of government policy, private philanthropy, academia, and business, and to facilitate engagement between senior business women in the private and public sectors.
Members
are corporate women who are active agents of change within their
corporations, and are in, or have access to, their executive suite.
Members bring their intellectual and social capital to changing the
perception of women leaders, and to advancing women’s leadership in
both the private and public sectors.
Over the next year, the Council plans to raise the visibility of women business leaders in the media and within national and international venues, build relationships across sectors to further the reach/impact of the Council’s efforts, and communicate on the status of women’s leadership in America.
B. SheSource.org
What is SheSource.org
SheSource.org is an online braintrust of female experts on diverse topics designed to serve journalists, producers and bookers who need female guests and sources. SheSource.org includes spokeswomen from a variety of backgrounds, representing demographic and ethnic diversity as well as expertise in areas, ranging from security, the economy, and politics to law, peacekeeping, humanitarian crisis, and more.
SheSource.org is the cornerstone of an initiative by The Women's Funding Network, The White House Project and Fenton Communications to foster a more representative public discourse by increasing the number of women whose opinions are reflected in the news media.
Why SheSource.org
On the influential Sunday morning political talk shows, women represent only 14% of guest appearances
"Who's Talking?" The White House Project, 2005
Despite their growing ranks as experts in fields ranging from national security and military spending to technology and health care, women continue to be drastically underrepresented in the news media as policy shapers and leading voices of authority on critical issues. We've heard from journalists that say the main reason they do not quote women as experts on a range of topics is simply because they do not know how to find them.
SheSource.org closes the gender gap in news coverage by making it easy for journalists to connect with women experts on topics of interest. With a few quick clicks, journalists can find women experts in a variety of fields across the country.
Journalists can search for experts by issue, keyword, name or region using our advanced search tool. A list of women who fit the search criteria will be displayed with a link to their biographies, photos, and video (where available). Our expert’s full biographies include detailed information about their area of expertise, media experience, background, and contact information. As a journalist you can sign up for our news advisories with available experts on the week’s news by clicking here.
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions to see if yours can be answered here.
Media can contact Sarah Bacon at Fenton Communications at 212-584-5000 or [email protected]
Experts contact Gillian DiPietro at The White House Project at 212-261-4775 or [email protected]
PartnersFounded
in 1985, the Women's Funding Network (WFN) is an international
organization with over 100 member funds (and 20 associate members) that
are committed to improving the status of women and girls locally,
nationally and globally. WFN works to strengthen and empower member
funds. As a worldwide partnership of women's funds, donors, and allies
committed to social justice, and seeks to ensure that women's funds are
recognized as the "investment of choice" for people who value the full
participation of women and girls.
The
White House Project, a national, nonpartisan, not-for-profit
organization, aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and
sectors, up to the U.S. presidency. By filling the leadership pipeline
with a richly diverse, critical mass of women, we make American
institutions, businesses and government truly representative. Through
multi-platform programs, The White House Project creates a culture
where America’s most valuable untapped resource—women—can succeed in
all realms.
With
more than two decades of experience serving the public interest, Fenton
Communications harnesses the full range of multimedia services - from
strategic planning and media relations to advertising and online
marketing and advocacy - to help our clients protect the environment,
improve public health and advance human rights and social justice.
Make a donation to the Inaugaration Day contribution to the White House Project and receive a pin:
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