Jewish Women International
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
This is a critical time, when our core issues - ending domestic violence, building pathways to long-term economic security, and driving access to leadership positions for women - have been deeply affected by the COVID pandemic. We know there was not only an uptick of domestic violence during Covid, but advocates reported that the degree of violence is more horrific than they have seen before. We know that more women lost their jobs or were forced to step back from their careers during Covid and that there is current concern that more women will need to take advantage of flexible work schedules, putting them at risk of being set further behind their male colleagues, who are able to be in the office (getting face time and opportunities). And, finally, we have continued to see misogynist disinformation campaigns against women running for public office, as well as continued workplace inequities and harassment. JWI's comprehensive approach to build a world in which all women may thrive mean
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Young Women's Impact Network
JWI’s Young Women’s Impact Network brings together Jewish professional women in their 20s and 30s to grow as leaders in their workplaces, their communities and their personal lives. This peer-led program began as a single network in Washington, D.C. in 2013, and has since expanded to New York City (2015), Denver (2016), Los Angeles (2017), Chicago (2018), San Francisco (2019), and Tel Aviv (2020).
More than 5,000 young women participate in the Networks, forming friendships, learning from each other, and building community and enhancing their connections with other Jewish women. Each community holds monthly events and workshops with honorees, other highly accomplished women, community leaders, and JWI trustees, giving the Network unparalleled access to women in fields such as business, philanthropy, international and national politics, media, and law. This aspect of the project builds connectedness and identification with other Jewish women and offers a safe space to ask tough questions, learn from one another, and grow together.
At the end of the year, an annual conference is held in Washington, D.C., bringing together the Young Women’s Leadership Network for a day of workshops, networking, and mentoring events. The Network is peer-led, providing opportunities to build leadership through programmatic and board leadership opportunities.
The project connects Network participants to a vibrant intergenerational community and shows how Jewish women are each other’s best resources. Highly accomplished Jewish women, often JWI’s former and current Women to Watch, lead programs and share personal and professional advice. This aspect of the project builds connectedness and identification with other Jewish women and offers a safe space to ask tough questions, learn from and grow with each other.
National Library Initiative
For a woman fleeing an abusive relationship, the immediacy of danger often means leaving home with only her children and the clothes on their backs.
JWI helps ease this traumatic upheaval by creating children's libraries in domestic violence shelters - transforming basic spaces into comforting havens with colorful furniture and rugs, hundreds of new books, computers and toys.
For kids whose lives have been upended by violence, JWI libraries provide a safe place to relax, escape into a book, and keep up with homework when they're most at risk of falling behind in school.
Our goal is to complete 100 fully-furnished new libraries in shelters across the country, and continually restock the shelves as each child leaves the shelter with a favorite book in hand, ready to start a new life.
Flower Project
More than 45,000 women and children spend each Mother’s Day in domestic violence shelters.
JWI's Flower Project sends bouquets of flowers and financial literacy resources to 200 shelters across the U.S. on Mother’s Day.
For each $25 donation you make, we'll send a beautiful Mother’s Day card to anyone you choose to honor - mom or dad, brother or sister, grandparent, in-law or friend.
Join thousands of donors giving a Mother's Day gift with true meaning this year!
National Alliance to End Domestic Violence
Professionals working in the field of domestic violence seldom have the time or resources to seek out training or stay up to date on the latest best practices or emerging studies.
JWI's National Alliance provides 10 monthly 90-minute webinars each year, on a variety of relevant topics, led by the country’s top experts on domestic violence and attended by attorneys, social workers, counselors, educators, advocates, DV organizations, task forces and clergy of all faiths, from every state and seven foreign countries.
Through our partnership with the National Association of Social Workers, webinar attendees receive 1.5 continuing education units (CEUs) per webinar as well as a Professional Development Certificate and a copy of the webinar recording.
Women’s Impact Network
The Women’s Impact Network is a community of women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, looking to connect with and learn from each other.
The Impact Network give you access to incredible events, at least twice each month, throughout the year, including:
Inspiring conversations with change-makers in business, politics, the arts, and more
A discounted ticket package to Women to Watch
Workshops on topics from wellness to professional skills
Mentoring opportunities with our Young Women’s Impact Network
Monthly virtual meetups - a relaxed but meaningful opportunity to connect with your Impact Network community
Members receive recordings of all virtual events, so even if you can’t join us in real time, you won’t miss a thing.
Jewish Communal Women's Leadership Project
With 75% of Jewish organizations scheduled to be looking for new top leadership in the next five years as baby boomer CEOs retire, JWI’s Jewish Communal Women’s Leadership Project is clearing the path for women to ascend to these executive positions. A select group of senior-level women seeking C-suite positions piloted the project in fall 2019; in 2020, JWI is taking the project national.
Workshops will be held monthly, February through November, led by highly-accomplished professional Jewish women in business, finance, media, and development. Many of these leaders have been honored by JWI as Women to Watch.
This is not your typical Jewish leadership workshop: In addition to career-building topics, discussions will also focus on policies and procedures to create safe and equitable workplaces, and how to mentor the next generation of women leaders.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Safety Respect Equity Network 2023
External reviews
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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?
JWI's comprehensive approach to build a world in which all women may thrive means we must address all three issues. Lifting women leaders in our Young Women's Impact Networks and our Jewish Communal Women's Leadership Project; working with fraternity men to change the culture on college campuses to working with male staff and lay leaders to change the culture in the Jewish workplaces; and giving women the power to have options and control their lives through our financial education programs for women of all ages to our federal advocacy efforts for legislation that supports pay and workplace equity. Following our deep work during Covid, we are now poised for tremendous growth. Our more than 150 virtual programs connected JWI with young women throughout the world. As a result, we are reimagining our Impact Network structures, launching "ambassador" positions for women living in cities that do not currently have an established Network. We have restructured our Network board positions, identifying chairs in DEI, financial education, healthy relationships, professional growth and mentorship, and advocacy to more deeply align the Networks with the mission and work of JWI. We are committed in 2021 and 2022 to ensure every woman in our Network has access to our financial education offerings and that every young Board member has governance training and a pipeline to serve as young leaders in their Jewish communities. While we have expanded our national Board of Trustees to include two women of color, it is our goal that our young women's networks reflect the full diversity of the Jewish community. Additionally, following our needs assessment, we are expanding our work supporting Jewish survivors of domestic violence by launching a Community for local Jewish domestic violence programs (i.e., Shalva) -- giving them peer support forums, connecting and sharing resources and programs nationwide, providing high level trainings, and working on national, systemic issues the local groups do not
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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?
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.
Jewish Women International
Board of directorsas of 10/24/2023
Toby Graff
The Graff Group
Term: 2021 - 2024
Ellen Stone
Susan Feldman
Toby Graff
Kim Oster-Holstein
Rabbi Susan Shankman
Beth Sloan
Leslie Speisman
Michelle Carlson
Pam Sherman
Erica Keswin
Laura Rebell Gross
Vivian Bass
Rain Pryor
Tami Ackerman
Bobbi Rebell Kaufman
Mimi Brodsky Kress
Rachel Braun Scherl
Rachel Shader
Linda Youngentob
Heidi Hookman Brodsky
Stephanie Kaplan Lewis
Carrie Seleman
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 ? Yes -
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
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/12/2021GuideStar 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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- 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 have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- 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.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.