Whether you are being asked to return to the office or you are the person who is responsible for making the decision on where and how your employees will “show up” for their jobs, this piece from Fast Company highlights how pausing to reflect on lessons learned over the past 18 months may be the best way to start the process.
Are you a nonprofit leader who is looking for original ways to interact and engage with your supporters and funders? Check out Liz Ngonzi’s (among other things, Liz is a facilitator in the Women’s Entrepreneurship program) new article for The NonProfit Times entitled “Digital Storytelling: Five Best Practices to Activate Supporters on LinkedIn”.
In the piece, Liz discusses:
1. Promoting Your Organization’s Brand (LinkedIn Company Page and Employee LinkedIn Profiles)
2. Building Your Brand by Showcasing Your Impact and Obtaining Insights from Supporters: Posts, Stories and Polls
3. Promoting Events: LinkedIn Events
4. Hosting Events: LinkedIn Live
5. Researching and Engaging Prospects: LinkedIn Sales Navigator
This June 18, 2021 piece from Science Alert shares the grim reality that in 2020, only 12.8 percent of U.S. inventors receiving patents were women. Why does that matter for women’s health? Because inventors are often inspired to find solutions to problems that hit close to home. With so few women inventors, the opportunity for women’s health concerns to be addressed is lessened. In fact, the piece highlights, “scientific discoveries by female scientists as measured by published research papers are 12 percent more likely to benefit women than discoveries by men.” The article ends by sharing, “biases in who gets to conduct research and commercialize inventions is more than a matter of who gets to play. It’s also a matter of who benefits from the march of progress.” Let’s all work to encourage the women inventors that we know!
After a year of working remotely and from home, effective communication with co-workers is more important than ever. This CNBC article shares 5 phrases to avoid in your electronic communication – because it can make the sender appear passive aggressive or petty. The piece also shares ideas on how best to handle challenging professional situations when you can’t be face to face.
This recent segment from NPR’s Morning Edition discusses how the direct and indirect impact of the COVID pandemic drove women out of the workforce to be at home. With a return to “normal”, many women aren’t returning to their same roles. The article and accompanying audio segment shares some reasons as to why this might be the case – but one thing is clear from the segment and that is that a lot of women are thinking more about freelancing or launching their own enterprises. While being an entrepreneur may not provide the same financial security as a “traditional” job, it can provide flexibility that many – women especially – have come to see as critical over the past yet.
As part of the launch of Forbes‘ “50 Over 50” list, Vice President Kamala Harris sits down for an exclusive interview with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski to discuss not evaluating herself based on age, eating ‘No’ for breakfast, working with women-owned small businesses and encouraging women and girls to know their strength. Click here to watch.
Essence recently published a piece with nine resources for black women entrepreneurs. They include grant opportunities, pitch competitions, and crownfunding platforms. Check out this article to learn more.
Click this link to see Liz Ngonzi’s (who is also course facilitator in our Women’s Entrepreneurship certificate program) presentation: “Telling Your Story for Professional Success: How to Align Your Purpose and Your Paycheck“.
This is the second in a two-part series which builds on her 2020 webinar entitled: “Your Personal Brand: Leveraging Your Unique Knowledge and Experience” (To view a recording of this webinar, click here.)
In this segment, Liz provides guidance on how to dig into the question “What is my purpose?” Clarity about your purpose can lead to the creation of a personal “work” story that will enable you to inspire, engage, and activate employers, clients, partners, and investors, thereby increasing the alignment of your purpose with your paycheck!
The US Mint is creating some new designs – featuring women – for the “tails” sides of quarters that will start circulating in January 2022 and run through 2025. The first two honorees have already been chosen: poet Maya Angelou and astronaut Sally Ride.
The other female honorees will be decided by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen – with input from the American public. To read more about the initiative, check out this article from CNN. Want to submit a suggestion for a nominee? Fill out this brief form provided by the National Women’s History Museum.
The US Chamber of Commerce has a helpful website that provides links to financial assistance programs, resources, and advice to help small business owners – which is particularly important as we continue to navigate the COVID pandemic. From national to state and local resources, the page is a great one to scroll through if you are a small business owner.