The Policy Circle
Inform. Equip. Connect.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Policy Circle proudly works to advance women’s civic engagement. Why do we specifically focus on women? Women are more inclined to be civically engaged but less likely to be in leadership roles Women have a greater influence on elections than men. By 2030, women will control two-thirds of the wealth in the United States. We work to equip women with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to be leaders in their communities. In addition to the need for women's civic engagement, there is a civic literacy crisis in America. Less than 47% of Americans can even name all three branches of government. People need a civics refresh and The Policy Circle provides both foundational knowledge and timely data on pressing issues with our Policy Briefs. These robust resources highlight the power of entrepreneurial solutions, personal responsibility, and local agency. Each Brief is designed to spark constructive conversations and local action.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Inform
The Policy Circle delivers foundational knowledge and timely data on pressing issues with our Policy Briefs. With an emphasis on entrepreneurial solutions, personal responsibility, and local agency, each Brief is designed to spark constructive conversations and action.
Our team curates resources from vetted data sources, reliable media, and think-tanks, offering a holistic view on policy matters. An expert panel ensures each Brief's accuracy and relevance. Our extensive multimedia library addresses diverse topics, from literacy to foreign policy, fostering solution-driven discussions, enhancing civic literacy, and promoting civil discourse.
Additionally, The Policy Circle offers interactive, on-demand programming. Our virtual events allow members to engage with policymakers, experts, industry leaders, and more to unpack complex issues and provide actionable steps for change.
Equip: Civic Leadership Engagement Roadmap
The Policy Circle equips women with the tools to drive impactful, local change through the Civic Leadership Engagement Roadmap (CLER) program. CLER is a three-month, experiential leadership development program that launches civic leaders who value freedom and personal responsibility. The innovative and action-oriented curriculum in CLER is designed to equip the next generation of community leaders with the information, skills, connections, and confidence they need to step up to the challenges facing their local communities.
The CLER program provides a refresh on the foundational elements of the U.S. Constitution and civic principles, drives understanding of the opportunities for civic engagement, and creates a roadmap on how to impact local change and expand personal influence. This program delivers impressive results, with women successfully running for local leadership positions and securing high-level appointments to task forces and commissions.
Connect
The Policy Circle serves as a connector for women who understand the profound impact of local efforts and who are eager to transform their ideas into action. Our members convene in their local circles, at our virtual and in-person events, and at our annual Leadership Summit, to create meaningful dialogue, learn from one another’s diverse backgrounds, and forge connections.
Whether they are calling their elected official to voice an opinion, running for a political office, or starting up dialogue amongst their peers, women of The Policy Circle are active leaders in their communities.
With over 12,000 members, our mission is to be the catalyst that propels action-oriented women to get more civically involved and use their unique talents to find solutions to complex issues.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of research or policy analysis products developed, e.g., reports, briefs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Policy Circle Briefs are developed using a structured methodology to provide substantive yet approachable 360 view of issues that impact people and businesses' ability to innovate and grow.
Number of conferences held
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Related Program
Connect
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our Annual Leadership Summit provides reliable information, build leadership and critical thinking skills, and fosters and ecosystem of membership nationwide.
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 Policy Circle is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization that provides three interconnected pathways to achieve our mission. We inform a diverse and significant national audience who is hungry for fact-based resources. We equip women through our proprietary Civic Leadership Engagement Roadmap to serve in elected and appointed roles. Importantly, we connect in-person through round table conversations in 45 states and a world-class national Leadership Summit. Our community focuses on solutions rooted in entrepreneurial values, personal responsibility, and local agency. The Policy Circle is building a national community of informed and prepared citizen leaders that will increase the number of women in key roles at all levels of government.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Policy Circle provides three interconnected pathways to achieve our mission – we inform, equip, and connect.
Inform: We inform a diverse and significant national audience who is hungry for fact-based resources with out Policy Briefs. Our Policy Team sources from reliable data, media, and think-tanks to offer in-depth policy insights. Each Brief undergoes expert validation to ensure accuracy. The Policy Circle's library of 71 multi-media Briefs ranges from literacy to veterans affairs and housing to foreign policy, promoting informed dialogue, civic literacy, and civil discourse. Additionally, our on-demand virtual events allow members to engage with experts and leaders, fostering discussions and actionable community solutions.
Equip: The Policy Circle equips women with the tools to drive impactful, local change through the Civic Leadership Engagement Roadmap (CLER) program. CLER is a three-month, experiential leadership development program that values freedom and personal responsibility, equipping participants with the information, skills, connections, and confidence they need to step up to the challenges facing their local communities.
Connect: The Policy Circle’s members convene in their local circles in 45 states across the country, at our virtual and in-person events, and at our annual Leadership Summit to create meaningful dialogue, learn from one another’s diverse backgrounds, and make connections with other civically-minded women.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Over the last six years, The Policy Circle has achieved great growth using a sustainable model through efficient operations to:
- Provide governance of the hundreds of circles across the country, The Policy Circle national board oversees the management of the organization and sets the strategy for the future.
- Fund the infrastructure of The Policy Circle, fundraising, stewardship, and grant writing activities are needed to continue the growth of the organization.
- Leverage our network of thought leaders and aspiring leaders to bring The Policy Circle community together to create meaningful change.
The Policy Circle is operated by a lean, efficient team utilizing cloud technologies and remote associates to reduce costs. Good governance policies and procedures are enforced, such as accounting audits and internal financial controls, along with proper legal services and insurance coverage. Importantly, The Policy Circle communicates regularly with its donors and supporters to keep them informed on the progress and outcomes of The Policy Circle.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2015, our community has grown to more than 12,000 members, with over 400 circles in 45 states and four countries. Our Policy Brief Library has grown to include 71 multi-media Briefs, and in the last year, we've experienced an 80% increase in Policy Brief views. 222 women have participated in our Civic Leadership Engagement Roadmap (CLER) which equips them with the information, skills, connections, and confidence they need to step up to the challenges facing their local communities.
In 2022 alone, our events attracted 1200+ participants, and we garnered 19.4 million web impressions, 235,000+ Policy Brief Views, and 17,700+ program views. Our 6th Annual Leadership Summit in Fort Worth, TX, brought together 830 total in-person and virtual attendees, and featured 47 world-class speakers.
2022 was a year of immense growth for The Policy Circle, with increased action, impact, and engagement across the country. The Policy Circle community is continuing to build on this momentum to launch a movement of solutions-oriented, innovative, and impactful leaders. What's next? In 2023, The Policy Circle is laser-focused on quality engagement with both our consumers and member community. We do have a bias – for action. Every program, resource and experience we provide drives constructive local-level solutions. We are looking forward to producing and refining new Policy Briefs, expanding our CLER program to reach a greater network of women, building new digital architecture to improve our members' experiences, and convening in Tampa, FL, for the 7th Annual Leadership Summit.
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 identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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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, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently
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
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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 Policy Circle
Board of directorsas of 10/12/2023
Sylvie Légère
The Policy Circle
Term: 2015 -
Kathy Hubbard
Angela Braly
Laura Cox Kaplan
Carol Greene
Sylvie Légère
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
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/22/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.