2020 has been a year like no other. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged through the world, the importance of our WMM Community has never been more critical. Our small team pivoted to remote workspaces and directed their energies to support our members by sharing resources and spotlighting leaders needing critical assistance. We urged our community to be responsive to their grantees’ urgent needs, shed traditional grantmaking practices, and increase support for women and girls.
We stepped into our values of being bold, curious, and learning in community. We supported shelters with PPE and we challenged ourselves and others to listen and learn from those around us and take in new perspectives. We also called upon the broader philanthropic sector to examine how it can and should evolve its approaches to be a more positive force for change.
As this pandemic has exacerbated the systemic inequities facing women and girls in every country, threatening their safety, health, and opportunity, we stepped up. We dove into our Wednesday series, we learned about powerful storytelling in our Philanthropic Leadership Program, and we connected via Zoom. Our brave Summit speakers inspired us to address the rising economic insecurity, climate damage, violence, systemic racism, and political unrest that have tested the stability of democracies worldwide. In intimate spaces, we shared our own experiences as we healed and supported each other.
We recognize that today we find ourselves at a tipping point in the fight for gender equality.
The uncertainty and complexity of this year called on WMM to be our boldest and most ambitious. We answered this call with our new Give Bold, Get Equal Campaign, which launched in conjunction with our Virtual Power of Us Summit. Since September, we have secured $95 million in commitments towards our goal to mobilize a minimum of $100 million in new funds for organizations working to improve the lives of women and girls. We thank you for bringing your leadership to the forefront at this time.
As 2020 comes to a close and we reflect upon the enormity of the year, we recognize that what is needed today is different from what will be asked of us tomorrow. In 2021, we will bring forth the same blend of possibility, hope, and determination that we tapped into during the early days of the crisis. As we continue the journey to understand how philanthropy can evolve to support the transformation of inequitable systems, we will leverage our community’s collective strength, networks, and voice to ensure the fight for gender equality moves forward. Our expanded programming for next year reflects this purpose.
We are excited to share this report with our annual review and roadmap for the future. We invite you to celebrate our collective accomplishments and hope you will join us.
In collaboration, on the important journey ahead.
