The Power of Community
The Power of Connection: How Community Drives Success and Growth for Women
As we continue our 31 Reasons to Give to The WIT Network campaign this month, we’d like to share one of our foundational pillars– community building. What does community mean to you? The Oxford Dictionary defines community as a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of common attitudes, interests, and goals. The WIT Network created the community pillar of our organization to create a safe place for like-minded women to network, build relationships, share ideas, and advance their careers. |
"When we built the vision for global communities over six years ago, we never imagined it would flourish into over 50 global communities that exist today."
Christine Bongard, Co-Founder & CEO, The WIT Network.
Community leadership provides opportunities for women to develop pivotal skills to propel their careers. Leaders collaborate with The WIT Network team to develop and implement policies to effectively run their communities, including but not limited to event planning, program management and mentorship. We have covered so much ground here, but did you know there are even more ways community building can support career development and growth for women in tech? Visibility. Being a part of a community provides opportunities for networking, which expands your sphere of influence. According to CNBC, nearly 70% of jobs are never published publicly. That means the power of your network can create opportunities for jobs and promotions you wouldn’t otherwise have. Skill Development. Coming together as a group in-person is certainly a great perk of a community, but there’s more to it than just that. Our global communities offer skills training and programs to invest in the growth and development of community members. In addition to training, communities have access to mentorship from senior community members. Support & Advocacy. Advocacy is our primary goal at The WIT Network. We never lose focus of our mission to increase opportunities for women in tech, closing the gender gap. Our communities are one way we continue to support that mission, and the collaborative environment within our communities creates a safe place to share ideas around equity and inclusion. Now you know what community means to The WIT Network and the foundational element it plays in achieving our mission, we’d love to introduce you to a few of our champions for this cause – our community leaders. As part of our 31 Reasons to Give campaign, we’ve reserved 12 days to spotlight our community champions. |
Since Kelly joined the leadership team, she has grown the Buffalo Community (one of our founding communities) to over 350 women, supporting each other through mentoring circles, networking, and training. But they also understand the spirit of giving this time of year.
"We recently did a drive for a Collection of Warmth for Children in need and received generous donations from our members to fill the requests from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Buffalo."
As a leader with The WIT Network, Patti has experienced growth in her career, relationships and personal life.
"When I volunteered to become a Community Leader for The WIT Network I wanted to help other women, but I wasn’t expecting the profound impact it would have on me!"
Luisa is passionate about developing Spanish-speaking mentoring circles which will help unite women with Spanish as their first language. As a member of The WIT Network, Luisa is dedicated to lifting up and empowering Hispanic women around the globe.
"The month of giving back is just an opportunity to be intentionally generous. I totally think that love is the solution to many of the society challenges that we're facing today."
Don’t forget to follow all our socials as we spotlight our community champions throughout the month.
Call to Action: How would you like to make a direct contribution to the growth of our communities? We encourage you to consider donating to support their continued growth. We’re excited to have over 50 global communities since our inception, but we’re just getting started, and each of our communities needs support from your generous donations to fuel their events and programs. Feel free to call out which local community you would like to support with your donation.
What else can you do to engage with our community members?
- Become a member today and get connected to your local community
- Join our next webinar in January on Leadership in Action and learn what is involved in becoming a community leader for The WIT Network
- Sponsor a local community event. Our community leaders are always looking for a place to host their events and provide light snacks and beverages. Can you help out in this way.
Your contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference in the growth and development of our communities. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support of our mission and vision. Together, we can create the change we wish to see.
