The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
Supporting + Connecting Patients, Caregivers, Providers
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Women With Pain Coalition (WWPC) was started in 2004 to raise awareness of gender disparities in pain management. Because of competing priorities and parallel missions of board members, this organization remained dormant until 2011. In 2012, the Board approved a proposal to adopt the DBA (doing business as) name “The Pain Community” (TPC) and established a steering committee to continue the work of promoting access to comprehensive integrative pain management. The steering committee endeavored to build an informed virtual community in which people with pain, caregivers, family members, and healthcare professionals can share information, education, advocacy, and, above all, generous and compassionate support.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Virtual Community
To improve the overall health, wellbeing, and quality of life of people with pain. This is a much needed support organization that has been created to build an informed virtual community in which people with pain, their family members, and friends can receive information, education, advocacy and above all, generous and compassionate support. The organization brings people together to support one another through discussion forums, chat rooms, webinars and support group conference phone calls. Collaborating with other patient support organizations to increase education, awareness and advocacy about integrative pain management care.
Pain College
Interactive programming to learn about and how to incorporate integrative treatment options into an individual's pain treatment plan.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
GreatNonProfits 2021
External reviews

Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Pain Community’s (TPC) overarching goal is to improve the overall health, well-being, and quality of life of people with pain. The Pain “Community” consists of patients, healthcare providers, caregivers and family and friends of those patients, providers and caregivers. TPC provides education and advocacy tools to all website visitors. Free membership provides access to TPC’s Pain College and interactive community. To support an active, energized and diverse community by promoting Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM) education, wellness information and advocacy for quality pain care.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
TPC is a well-established, web-based organization operated by a diverse team of volunteers representing patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, academics, researchers, and advocates. We believe that our team of volunteer board members reflects diversity of perspective and expertise with years of experience working in, and navigating through, the complexities of pain management.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The team of volunteers, which includes a Board of Directors and Steering Committee, understands the complexity of pain and the many ways it interferes with people's lives. All have years of experience working, and navigating through, the complexities of the pain management system and are knowledgeable about quality resources and useful tools available for people with pan. In addition, the team has experience in working together to encourage, coach, and support people with pain to become empowered and understand that, ultimately, people with pain have the power to effect positive change in themselves, their pain care, and overall health are. TPC strives to help each individual become an advocate for themselves and for others with pain from the local to the international level.
What differentiates TPC from other organizations is that TPC engages all stakeholders in advocating for and supporting Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM) . Together we embrace, promote, and educate others about a comprehensive integrative approach to care which is positive, hopeful, and empowering. A caveat: it requires an understanding that there are no quick fixes for pain, particularly when pain becomes chronic. To heal and achieve a new level of wellness takes work by both the person with pain and their health care provider(s).
TPC provides a safe and informed place for everyone – all genders, races and ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, spiritualities, and more – with discussions in chat rooms, blogs, and fact sheets for people with pain, advocates, and professionals. We recognize that our experiences are similar and we encourage empowerment and participation in healthcare choices through education and dialogue. Additionally, healthcare professionals and researchers can find information and perspectives of people with pain. This fosters empathy and opens up opportunities for discussions to facilitate best practice treatments.
TPC shares their key messages to others based on this model of pain management. In addition, TPC is committed to demonstrating transparency about fiscal health and operations. This information is publicly available in the financial transparency section.
In addition to the website, The Pain Community volunteers host weekly telephone support group teleconference calls.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Pain Community has successfully built a website and continues to add sections for general pain and for disease specific sub-groups.
The Pain Community launched the online Pain College programming in 2017 which is interactive programming to learn about and how to incorporate integrative treatment options into an individual's pain treatment plan.
The Pain Community is looking for ways to partner with Healthcare Provider Professional organizations to develop content that incorporates the patient perspective in professional training programs.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The Pain Community (a DBA of Women With Pain Coalition)
Board of directorsas of 10/27/2021
Karen Kiefer
The Pain Community
Term: 2019 - 2021
Micke Brown
The Pain Community
Term: 2012 - 2021
Maggie Buckley
The Pain Community
Micke A. Brown
The Pain Community
Yvette Colón
The Pain Community
Teresa Shaffer
The Pain Community
Kay-Diene Robinson
The Pain Community
Karen Kiefer
The Pain Community
Cindy Leyland
The Pain Community
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
No data
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
No data
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data