Harnessing the Diverse Talents and Influence of Our Membership to Benefit
Young Women in Need in Our Community and Other Women Within Our Organization
When Andover resident Sue Wilson decided to get some of the more interesting women she knew together in February 2007, she wanted it to be more than just a coffee klatch. As a senior financial advisor for Merrill Lynch, Sue heard some familiar themes among her clients, as well as among her friends: having reached a certain level of success in their careers, and/or having passed the intense years of raising very young children, the women she talked to were ready to add new dimensions to their lives. Far from being tired, they were eager to continue to grow and to give back, and to set good examples for their own children.
Sue had a hunch that these smart, talented women, who had different backgrounds, different experience, and were at different places in their home and work lives, could benefit personally and professionally from knowing one another. So, she put her head together with neighbor Margaret Hamilton, an independent graphic designer, to think of all the great women they knew and they planned an event to introduce them.
One of the guests was Laurie Bottiger, the head of school for Esperanza Academy, a tuition-free middle school for low-income girls in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Esperanza's mission, to help the girls reach their potential with the help of committed faculty, family members and the community, resonated among the gathered women. Many called the next day to find out how they could get involved with the school. Sue and Margaret quickly realized that by organizing around the group's passion to be part of something bigger than themselves, their networking experiment could grow to become a positive and influential force in the community.
Within days, Sue and Margaret began to map out plans for a non-profit organization that would harness its members' skills and experience to benefit the Esperanza girls. Through its programming, the organization would provide its members frequent opportunities to connect with other interesting, dynamic women and form a community whose shared wisdom would enrich the entire membership. Margaret, with characteristic understatement, suggested the organization be called simply, Great Women to Know.
With help from several of its founding members, Great Women to Know began to take shape. Meg Rokos lent her extensive management consulting experience to develop and facilitate the business launch plan. Denise Bordonaro, a former corporate lawyer and past president of the Andona Society, drew up the organization's bylaws and established its non-profit status. The wide variety of perspectives and skills that brought the idea to fruition - management, legal, financial, marketing, communications, graphic design and more - became the blueprint for the organization's commitment to professional, as well as ethnic and geographic, diversity among its membership.
Great Women to Know, a 501c6 organization, officially launched in April 2007. Today the organization has 58 members, including current and former executives, doctors, lawyers, financial advisors, writers, floral, interior and graphic designers, mental health counselors, retail business owners, school administrators a nd more, from 10 North Shore towns.
In February 2008, Great Women to Know held its first annual Shadow Day at Esperanza Academy. More than two dozen members participated in at-school and at-work events designed to show the girls the many career opportunities available to them. Every week, Great Women to Know members volunteer at the school in a variety of capacities, from administrative help to skills sharing. Great Women to Know members also provide crucial support for Esperanza by building awareness of the school among their extended networks of friends, family and colleagues. For two years, the organization has been instrumental in bringing new donors to Esperanza through its annual Breakfast of Hope fundraiser, helping to ensure the ongoing community support that is the lifeblood of Esperanza.
Through its educational, social and service events, Great Women to Know enables its members to establish stimulating and supportive relationships with women who share their interest in continuing to grow and give back in new ways.