NEW DC PHILANTHROPY PROMISES FUND RAISING WITH A SIDE OF FUN AND FRIENDSHIP

Melanie sat down with Shannon Wright who recently launched the DC chapter of the national charity WGirls. A charitable organization open to all women interested in giving back to their community, volunteering to make DC a better place, meeting and interacting with like-minded professional women and having a good time doing it. Shannon is a lawyer who is a major donor fund raiser for a national trade association.

Q: Tell us about WGirls.

WGirls was founded by a small group of like-minded, professional women in New York City. The group started out informally as a social bunch that met regularly on Wednesdays (thus the “W”). As the group grew and became more organized, they transformed into a charitable organization, donating their time, energy, and talents to help underprivileged women and children in their community. The WGIRLS organization was incorporated in 2007 and granted not-for-profit status in August 2009. Also in 2009, the WGirls founded new chapters in New Orleans, Milwaukee and New Jersey. The Las Vegas, San Francisco, Pittsburg and DC Chapters were founded in February 2010.

Q: What inspired you to launch a chapter in DC?

My good friend from law school is very active in WGirls NYC. She is in charge of new chapter formation and asked me to spearhead the launch of the DC Chapter. Although the task was a bit daunting, I knew that WGirls was a perfect fit for the professional ladies of DC. We have the flexibility to tailor our events to support local charities and organize our events in a way that suits our community. At the same time, the national chapter provides us with plenty of guidance, support and structure, so we aren’t starting from scratch.

On a personal level, I was looking to give back to the community in a more meaningful manner than writing a check. WGirls seemed like a perfect fit for me- there plenty of networking opportunities and social activities that accompany the good work we do.

Q: WGirls bills itself as “a perfect combination of fun, friendship and fund raising.” Do you see the model of having fun while doing good as a trend in philanthropy?

Absolutely. With all of the responsibilities facing today’s busy professionals- work, family, school- there needs to be an upside to giving back to the community. Fun is a great upside! Like anything else in life, you work harder and with more dedication when you like what you are doing. I believe that if WGirls members look forward to meetings and events, their commitment will be greater. Our regular meetings are in conjunction with a happy hour and our projects are designed to be entertaining and exciting. That is a major draw of this organization. It’s fun.

Q: Any advice for someone who wants to start a similar project? Any challenges you’ve faced yet?

I would do what we did. That is, find an existing organization that is up and running in another city and start a branch chapter here. While it is lots of fun to have autonomy and generate new ideas, having support and structure makes the initial sailing a lot smoother. The biggest challenge is the volume of work it takes to launch a charity. Eventually I will have board members to help me out, but it has been a one-girl show so far. However, fantastic and enthusiastic girls are signing up everyday, so I will have plenty of help very soon.

Q: You’ve just launched the DC Chapter—tell us about some of your events coming up?

WGirlsDC’s first event is a prom dress drive called “As Second Dance”. WGirls nationwide are participating in the drive, but all dresses donated in DC will benefit a great local organization, “Once Upon a Prom”. This is a wonderful way to recycle bridesmaid dresses and formal dresses to help underprivileged high school girls find a dress for their big night. Dresses are being collected through April 15. If you have a dress to donate contact us at wgirlsdc@yahoo.com.

We will also have a bachelor/bachelorette auction in early summer. We haven’t selected the benefitting charity yet but stay tuned!

Q: How do you choose the projects you get involved with?

The national chapter puts a few main projects on the agenda every year so there is consistency among the WGirls organizations nationwide. However, many of the events will be decided upon and generated by our DC members. For instance, we have a member who works in the art world who would like to support a charity that exposes children to art. So that effort is on our “to do” list for 2010.

Q: How can DC Ladies get involved?

DC ladies can sign up at any of our regular meetings, held at least twice a month. Email us at wgirlsdc@yahoo.com and let us know you are interested, and we will let you know when and where we are having our next meeting. You can also join our WGirls DC Facebook Group and you will receive automatic meeting and event updates. Find us on the web at www.wgirls.org