Earlier this year, our wonderful Coro fellow Leila Pree asked us why we love working at the Women’s Foundation of California. Some of our answers are below.
We decided to post these heartfelt messages because we’re looking to fill two very important positions—Director of Finance and Director of Programs—and we wanted to give our applicants a better idea of who we are and why we love this work.
Tiauna George, Grants Manager
I chose to work for the Women’s Foundation of California because I wanted to work for an organization that puts a premium on empowerment. In other work places, you don’t necessarily get the sense that the work that you put forth is really valued. That is absolutely not the case at the Women’s Foundation. Each day I come to work I know that I am able to make a difference and that my thoughts, opinions and reflections are appreciated.
The staff here take an honest interest in what I am doing and who I am as a person and that really shows each and every day. It makes me want to continue to work hard to combat threats to the economic security of women and families and to be a support system and a resource to my fellow colleagues. I am very fortunate to be at a place where my personal values and the values of the Foundation intersect in harmony.
Judy Patrick, President & CEO
I love working at the Women’s Foundation of California because our work and values completely align with my values, my faith, my heart and my own life mission. There are so many things I love about my work: the opportunity to be creative and strategic, the gift of looking forward to seeing my co-workers every single day and never having a day when I don’t want to come to work, the chance to always be learning, the opportunity to watch others grow in their careers, the chance to work on big, hairy problems, the gift of being able to work with lots of different people in lots of different places, and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those who often live at the margins.
Sande Smith, Director of Communications
What I love about the Women’s Foundation of California – I love our passion and conviction. I love our vision that everyone has a part to play in mobilizing resources on behalf of women, girls and families in California. One of the reasons that I work at a public foundation is because I love the fact that we’re using money, and encouraging the redistribution of money, to right wrongs and make a difference in the world.
I love that we value and respect those we make grants to as well as those we raise money from, and that whenever possible, we find ways to bring grant partners and donors together to listen, learn from and inspire one another. I love and appreciate the humbleness and empathy and collaborative practices that come from being in the position, as we are, of both giving and raising money.
I love that we are willing to take a stand and articulate a vision of how California can be, and how women—of all income levels—should actively participate in making that better California a reality. I love that our team—staff and board—is so smart, passionate and willing to have fun while striving for a better world.
Agnes Uboma, Executive Assistant
To be simple: The Women’s Foundation of California and I chose each other. The Foundation’s mission, core values and leadership aligned with what I was looking for at my next place of work. Here, I am surrounded by present day and future leaders. Not every day is one able to see how their work not only directly but positively impacts the lives of those whom are just like one’s own self.
This feeling that I speak of is what’s needed and longed for by many at their places of work. In life I may attain titles and notoriety, be promoted and demoted (as it’s all up to the universe and my ambition), but one thing is for certain—I was born to be a WOMAN! Hard-loving, hard-working, opinionated, yet soft enough to soothe a weeping baby—WOMAN; and may God bless any one and/or thing that is down with the cause of my womanhood.
Katie Egan, Program Associate
For a social justice advocate, the Women’s Foundation of California is an incredible place to work. After working here for only five months, it is so clear to me that the Foundation’s goals are not only centered around philanthropy, but also focused on creating systemic social change in the state of California.
Our work is not only about giving to those in need, but about creating a more just and equitable society in which women and their families can thrive, regardless of their social class, sexual orientation, racial ethnicity, immigration status or gender identity. It is about giving women the opportunity to become leaders in their own communities and allowing them to take action on the issues that affect them most.
These are all issues that I care about deeply and I am so proud (and extremely thankful) to work at an organization that values social justice and advocates not just for women, but for all those who have been underserved and undervalued within our society.