Dear CWIP Community Members,
We write to you in gratitude and to invoke the strength that comes through community. CWIP has long been dedicated to advancing our vision of an equitable, inclusive, and connected social sector. We advance this mission through our members and all those who work both hard and smart to support the vulnerable, generously fund improvements to lives and communities, and provide vital support to Chicagoland and our people.
In recent weeks, we have seen how the barrage of policy activity seeks to change how we fund, operate, and advocate for our vital social impact sector. In collaboration, our communities can both preserve essential practices and replace harmful ones. As Grace Lee Boggs wrote, “movements are born of critical connections rather than critical mass.” With that spirit of partnership and solidarity, we are sharing both gratitude and fortitude for the daily work you do.
Our commitment is to all our Chicagoland women and non-binary neighbors, friends, and colleagues, including and especially women and girls of color, trans women and girls, disabled women and girls, and immigrant women and girls.
Our sector and the communities we serve are under attack, but CWIP is committed to continue doing what we do best: building community and belonging. We invite you to join us in this effort.
Gather. This is a time for connection, collective wisdom, reliable information sharing, and strategic preparation. CWIP has a full calendar of events and programs this year, each of which aims to build our individual and collective sense of community and capacity for positive impact. We plan to add one or more informal, virtual gatherings for community members to connect and discuss current events and what they mean for each of us and our work. Please stay tuned, and join us (come as you are), for support and community.
Practice. The work that our members do is vital to our economy, wellbeing, and community. CWIP’s work in service to our members spans racial equity and social justice, mentorship by and for women and girls, and professional network development. For more than a decade, we have been explicit about doing the work of CWIP through a gender and racial equity lens, to advance and support diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice across Chicagoland’s social sector. We will continue to practice in this way as we go forward.
Amplify. So much important work is happening across Chicagoland and beyond, and CWIP intends to increasingly amplify the work of our members, partners, and information creators/aggregators to the great benefit of our sector. We have assembled a starter list of resources we are finding helpful at this moment, and we will continue to share more through our communications.
- Forefront Social Impact Sector Resources
- Women Employed “For the Common Good” Resource
- Health & Medicine Policy Research Group Immigrant Resources: Know-Your-Rights, Health Care Settings, and Mental Health
- Better Government Association Illinois Bill Tracker
- National Council on Nonprofits EO Tracker
- Democracy Forward EO Legal Response Center
- United Philanthropy Forum Resources for Philanthropy-Serving Organizations
Again, thank you for your work and thank you for partnering with us to make our sector, and each of us in it, stronger and more connected.