by Jessica Reeves

I interned with the Women's Foundation in the summer of 2003 through the Memphis Challenge program. At that time, I was a rising senior at Dartmouth and was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. After my internship, I was sure I wanted to have a career that was meaningful to others. I saw what an impact WFGM was having in the lives of underprivileged women and children. I just recently finished my first year at Yale School of Management. The school is known for its strength in non-profit management and has a commitment to help improve all types of organizations. While taking a class on Financial Statements of Non-Profits, I was asked to evaluation the financial poistion of a non-profit of my choice. I immediately thought of WFGM and was amazed at how much WFGM leads the pack in grant-making ratios and program expense ratios, meaning the organization is efficiently using its contributions to make sure it has the biggest impact for the programs that it supports. The Women's Foundation gives out over 60% of its contributions received in the forms of grants to other organizations, and 86% is invested in overall total programming. To put that number in perspective, the second highest organization had a grant-giving ratio of just over 40%. With these numbers, along with the office efficiency and exceptional leadership at all levels, donors can be confident that their contributions to WFGM are truly making a difference.

These gifts count for creating social change in Memphis.