Thanks to individual members and corporate supporters,
2011 was another exciting year for OIWC. Overall membership grew
tremendously and increasing support from corporate members reaffirms the
industries’ commitment to support what OIWC has to offer. We are
thrilled by the growth of regional programs and the number of women who
attend them. Here are a few highlights from 2011:
Over 1,500 individual members – almost 70% more than in 2010!
88 corporate members – up 52% from 2010
30 educational events in 6 regions across the country, attended by over 800 women – more than half of OIWC’s members
6 extraordinary women recognized with OIWC Leadership Awards
50 executive-level women sharing experiences through industry-specific roundtables
130+ volunteers helping OIWC succeed
Updated mission and vision, plus the launch of the advocacy program
Professional Development: Striving for Work/Life Balance
Each
year, OIWC develops educational resources and events to support members
in their professional goals. In 2011, the focus for professional
development was on "Striving for Work/Life Balance."
Throughout the year, OIWC provided webinars, articles,
interviews, panel presentations and networking opportunities that
offered tips, trainings, readings and related links to help you with
your on-the-job life and your off-the-job life. While there is no
perfect "one-size fits all” solution to creating balance, OIWC supported
you in finding what works best for you.
OIWC
members have exclusive access to the OIWC professional development news
& resources. Members can explore a variety of topics ranging from Making Decisions to Discovering Your Leadership Style. The latest news, including event recaps and member interviews can be found in the News & Resources section. And, you’ll find content on the 2011 professional development topics, and many more subjects, in the Library of Topics.
For 2012, OIWC professional development will be exploring "Leading and Navigating Change.” Stay tuned for more details on the 2012 topics.
Educational Events: From 19 events in 2010 to 30 in 2011 OIWC
members continue to ask for more regional programs and events and
that’s what OIWC delivered in 2011. OIWC had quarterly events happening
in Bay Area (CA), Boulder (CO), New England, Portland (OR) and Seattle
(WA) and - new this year - Salt Lake City (UT).
OIWC regional events are an opportunity for members to connect
with other women in the outdoor industries and grow through educational
content. OIWC hosts two different types of regional events. The
Education Series events are OIWC’s premier events and are the
opportunity for OIWC members to learn from experts. OIWC Network Nights
are hosted at a Corporate member headquarters and provide the
opportunity for members to learn from each other. You can see all the different types of events OIWC offers online.
In 2011, OIWC educational events attracted over 800 attendees – more than half of the OIWC membership.
Membership: More than 1,500 Members Strong
OIWC’s
membership rode a groundswell of momentum in 2011. The organization
welcomed its 1,000th member in March and increased its membership roll
to 1,520 by the year-end – a 68% increase from the previous year.
And companies that comprise the outdoor, snow and bike industries continue to recognize and support the mission of OIWC. Ninety-five percent
of companies continued their corporate membership in 2011 (in
non-profit circles, a membership renewal rate of 85% is the gold
standard). This brought the total number of OIWC Corporate Members to 88
– up 52% from 2010.
Look for OIWC’s membership to continue its growth in the coming
year as OIWC works with corporate members to encourage their employees
to have a stake in the organization and as it reaches out to educate,
support and advocate for women in other sectors of our industries.
If you aren't yet a member of OIWC, don't wait another day. Join today as an individual, or contact us for more information about corporate membership.
Leadership Awards Recognized Outstanding Women
Every
year, at the SIA Snowsports Tradeshow, Outdoor Retailer Winter Market
and Interbike, OIWC recognizes 6 outstanding women in the snowsports,
outdoor and bike industries. The Pioneering Women Award is presented to
proven leaders who have furthered the vision of the OIWC by
demonstrating an outstanding commitment to mentoring female colleagues.
The leaders of tomorrow are recognized with the First Ascent Award.
Thank you to the 2011 Leadership Award sponsors, Timberland, Specialized
and Women's Adventure Magazine, companies that truly support the OIWC
mission.
Snowsports Industry
Elana Chase, Pioneering Women Award
Rachel Gitajn, First Ascent Award
Outdoor Industry
Sally McCoy, Pioneering Women Award
Kate Ross, First Ascent Award
Bike Industry
Penina Bush, Pioneering Women Award
Rachael Lambert, First Ascent Award
Learn more about each of the 2011 recipients, and join OIWC in honoring the 2012 snowsports Industry and outdoor award winners at the upcoming January tradeshows. Nominations can be made year-round so nominate someone you know today!
Volunteers: The Heart behind OIWC
Volunteers
are the beating heart that keeps things running at OIWC. From helping
at regional events, to writing articles and newsletter content, to
developing professional development programs, volunteers do a lot for
OIWC. We couldn’t survive without them.
In 2011, more than 130 women volunteered their time and
expertise to enable OIWC to fulfill its mission to provide advocacy,
education and resources for women in the outdoor, bike and snowsports
industries. Thanks to every one of you!
To learn how you can make a difference by becoming a volunteer, visit the Volunteer
section of the website. Are you planning to attend the winter
tradeshows? Maybe you’d like to meet new people and network at the show
by being a Tradeshow Volunteer.
Fundraising and Financials: Strategically Funding our Work OIWC
is supported by wide variety of companies and individuals who
contribute their time and money to make the outdoor industries a more
connected and more female-friendly place to work, live and grow.
Companies provide support as Corporate Members or by underwriting
OIWC programs and events. At the end of 2011, OIWC had 88 corporate
members, which included 95% of 2010 Corporate Members renewing plus 31
brand new members!
In addition, OIWC thanks the following companies who supported regional and tradeshow events:
Executive Roundtable: 180s, Leisure Trends and Specialized
Awards: Timberland, Specialized and Women's Adventure Magazine
Education Series: REI
Volunteer: Mountain Hardwear and Swarmbuilder
Interbike: Trek
Plus countless others who hosted Network Nights or trade show fundraisers throughout the year.
Individuals support OIWC through individual memberships and donations. Did you know that you can donate an OIWC membership to a woman who may not feel she can invest in herself just yet? As a 501c3, donations to OIWC are tax-deductible.
If 2010 was the year of building capacity, 2011 was the year of
figuring out how to fund it. Moving forward, we will continue to look
for ways to diversify our income sources.
Our 40% increase in expense
from 2010 to 2011 was matched by a 40% increase in income, thanks to a
dedicated Development Director and transition to a fundraising board.
Both Corporate Membership
and Event Sponsorship grew nearly 30% from 2010 to 2011, demonstrating
that our corporate members recognize the importance of OIWC to their
organization and the industry.
Although Individual
Membership took a small dip in 2011 due to the increased Corporate
Member Employee membership benefit, Individual Donations grew over 150%
from $4,000 in 2010 to over $10,000 in 2011! (Thank you, members and
donors!)
Advocacy: A New Focus on Respect, Inclusion and Gender Equality
In
July, OIWC announced a rejuvenated mission and vision and the launch of
a new Advocacy Program. Listening carefully to the feedback of our
members and the industry, and after months of lively discussion and
debate, the OIWC Board of Directors emerged with a new, succinct and
powerful mission and vision:
VISION: Respect, inclusion and gender equality at every level in the workplace.
MISSION: Advocacy, education and resources for women in the outdoor, bike and snowsports industries.
The refreshed mission and vision are the foundation for the new Advocacy Program.
As the only women’s organization in the outdoor, bike and snowsports
industries, OIWC accepts the duty to act as an advocate for women’s
issues, helping to create an industry with more women at top-level
positions, getting equal pay for equal work. Outlined in a 3-year
rollout plan, the Advocacy Program’s events and initiatives will
identify gender-related issues in the workplace, educate the industry on
those issues, and work with the industry to implement solution for such
issues.
Final Words: A Message from Lori Harrod, OIWC President
As
you can see from everything mentioned above, 2011 has been a year of
significant growth and accomplishments. I’d like to thank all of our
individual and corporate members for your amazing support. I am proud
(and continue to be surprised) by all the great programs we’ve delivered
– with just 3 staff members and 130+ volunteers! Thank you.
As you know, our Advocacy
Program launched this year. We are looking forward to the challenge of
helping to realize our vision of respect, inclusion and gender equality at every level in the workplace.
This spring, we’ll field another industry-wide survey to learn more
about gender-related issues in the workplace ranging from equal pay for
equal work to satisfaction with the culture of our industries to
harassment and discrimination issues – which will go out to tens of
thousands of people in outdoor, snow and bike. This data along with
advice from our newly formed Advisory Council – made up of leaders from
across the industries – will help us decide which issues to tackle first. Please participate in the survey – and make your voice heard.
Look for great things coming out
of this work beginning in 2012. Thank you, again, for all your support
of OIWC. Here’s to an exciting 2012!
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Each
year, OIWC develops educational resources and events to support members
in their professional goals. In 2011, the focus for professional
development was on "Striving for Work/Life Balance."
OIWC
members have exclusive access to the OIWC professional development news
& resources. Members can explore a variety of topics ranging from 
OIWC
members continue to ask for more regional programs and events and
that’s what OIWC delivered in 2011. OIWC had quarterly events happening
in Bay Area (CA), Boulder (CO), New England, Portland (OR) and Seattle
(WA) and - new this year - Salt Lake City (UT).
OIWC’s
membership rode a groundswell of momentum in 2011. The organization
welcomed its 1,000th member in March and increased its membership roll
to 1,520 by the year-end – a 68% increase from the previous year.
Snowsports Industry
Volunteers
are the beating heart that keeps things running at OIWC. From helping
at regional events, to writing articles and newsletter content, to
developing professional development programs, volunteers do a lot for
OIWC. We couldn’t survive without them.
OIWC
is supported by wide variety of companies and individuals who
contribute their time and money to make the outdoor industries a more
connected and more female-friendly place to work, live and grow. 
In
July, OIWC announced a rejuvenated mission and vision and the launch of
a new Advocacy Program. Listening carefully to the feedback of our
members and the industry, and after months of lively discussion and
debate, the OIWC Board of Directors emerged with a new, succinct and
powerful mission and vision:
As
you can see from everything mentioned above, 2011 has been a year of
significant growth and accomplishments. I’d like to thank all of our
individual and corporate members for your amazing support. I am proud
(and continue to be surprised) by all the great programs we’ve delivered
– with just 3 staff members and 130+ volunteers! Thank you.