WE CAN News, October 2022

Dear Friends, In January we embarked on a comprehensive strategic planning process for the upcoming years of 2023-2025.

Our goal is to develop a foundational document to guide our work to meet increasing demand for our services, focus on key priorities, and energize our board, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners to meet shared goals.

The strategic planning committee is comprised of WE CAN thought leaders from the staff, board and volunteers. With the help of our Strategic Planning Facilitator, Emily Helm of Game Plan Partners, we launched a comprehensive survey to gather input from the WE CAN community.

The response was outstanding, with 336 responses. 86% of these respondents identified as a participant, volunteer or donor.

One of the most important insights from the survey is that 96% of respondents feel that WE CAN’s programs and activities are well-aligned with our mission and vision.

This confirmation provides the solid foundation to build upon in the coming years.

We look forward to sharing our plan and progress in future WE CAN newsletters.

What's Ahead WE CAN program site to open in Hyannis in early 2023 WE CAN is increasing access to our programs and services for women working and living on the Mid-Cape by opening a second program site in addition to our longtime Harwich Port headquarters.

With nearly 40% of the women we serve residing in the Mid-Cape region, this strategic expansion reduces transportation barriers and other challenges women face in accessing our in-person programs, as well as expands our virtual and multilingual offerings.

Headquarters HARWICH PORT

Over time at the Hyannis location, we will provide our HYANNIS complete range of services, program site including workshops and one-on-one consultations focusing on legal issues, work and career support, personal development, small business support and financial empowerment. The space will also allow us to hold group offerings including the PathMakers mentoring program and our GROW programs for women building businesses as a pathway to self-sufficiency.

This second location is a big step forward to increase access to our services for women across Cape Cod. It would not be possible without the generous support from our community of donors and volunteers.

PROGRAM HAPPENINGS PATHMAKERS RELAUNCHES

With gratitude, Lisa Guyon Executive Director

Susan Lloyd Board President

After a two-year hiatus, 15 mentor-mentee matches are working to accomplish new goals on a journey to self-efficacy and empowerment.

CDP COLLABORATION CONTINUES The Mass Growth Capital Corporation has awarded a grant to support our partnership with the Community Development Partnership, to offer technical assistance and support to women business owners.

LEGAL SERVICES EXPAND A new pilot program offers participants assistance with complicated court and legal documents after meeting with a volunteer attorney.

WE CAN News, Fall 2022 PROGRAMS & SERVICES Through September of this year, WE CAN has provided legal, employment, financial empowerment, personal development and mentoring programs, and information and referral services to more than 1,850 women.

They have a way to embrace everyone together as a community.

That’s what WE CAN does.

– Katherine M., WE CAN Participant

Identifying and responding to the need We’ve taken a closer look at data provided by participants though intake assessment and evaluation surveys. Considering both the demographic and geographic profiles of our participants, we've made a shift to multi-access program delivery- this means women have options in the ways they engage in our services through virtual, in-person and multilingual offerings.

COVID helped us see that while virtual services provide greater flexibility for some, other participants require/request the engagement of in-person services in a safe and confidential environment. In the case of larger workshops, a virtual format proved less effective than in person, so some programs like PathMakers were paused until people could gather again this fall.

Demand for our services by the diverse community of women living and working across the region continues to grow, reducing barriers to receiving help.

As we think about increasing access to our services, we are intentional to be inclusive of all.

Priorities for our second program site in Hyannis include selecting a location accessible by public transportation for participants and volunteers, offering translation services via phone and video in over 150 languages, ensuring access for differently abled persons, and focusing efforts to recruit a more diverse community of volunteers.

We anticipate serving more women in 2023, estimating an increase from 2,100 to 2,400.

Recently, we welcomed two new full-time staff members to build capacity in program and volunteer management to meet this growth.

New program offerings and partnerships will be assessed to meet identified needs of the women we serve. Our program quality and effectiveness will continue to be measured by participant reported satisfaction and their ability to achieve intended goals and outcomes within six months of receiving services.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT

Multilingual Access Increasing access to participants has two key components: having the services they need, and reducing barriers they may face to receiving those services. WE CAN has long prioritized the need for multilingual resources for our participants.

In efforts to make our services accessible to all, our stellar staff members Andreia Gurski (pictured left) is a native speaker of Portuguese and Marina Mendoza-Burris (pictured right) is a native speaker of Spanish. Andreia and Marina assist women seeking our services in their native languages and reach out to underserved women in our community. This year, WE CAN launched our first two workshops delivered fully in Portuguese in an effort to better serve the Cape's Brazilian population. You can read more about these from attorney Gabriella Bonfim Moraes on page 4.

RECENT EVENTS

Volunteer and Donor Support Leads the Way WE CAN's 250 volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization. Among the first to learn of our plans for a Mid-Cape office, their response has been enthusiastic and supportive. Some volunteers will continue to meet with women virtually or in our Harwich office and others are excited to volunteer in a new Hyannis location. We have welcomed 27 new volunteers to WE CAN in 2022 so far and additional volunteers will be recruited to serve women on the Mid-Cape.

The Andi Genser Fund for Strategic Opportunities The Andi Genser Strategic Opportunities Fund was established by donors in honor of Andi Genser's service as WE CAN's Executive Director from 2010 until her retirement in 2018. The funds raised have allowed WE CAN to invest in technology, develop programs and respond to community needs during COVID. The fund is also the primary source for securing and creating a new program space to serve women on the Mid-Cape.

A Catalyst Gift Inspired by WE CAN’s 20 years of service, long-time supporters David and Gail Oppenheim have made a $500,000 commitment over 4 years to support our efforts to increase access to our services.

David and Gail shared, “We believe strongly that women across Cape Cod should have access to WE CAN’s programs to improve the conditions of their lives. We have seen firsthand the impact of WE CAN’s work on the individuals they serve, their families, local businesses, and our entire community on the Lower Cape."

We feel this is the right time to make a significant investment in the effort to expand (WE CAN's) impact across Cape Cod.” – David and Gail Oppenheim

From top: Catherine D'Amato, CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank, received WE CAN's Woman of the Year honor at A Day of Words, Wit and Wisdom event in June.

Auctioneer John Terrio engages 175 attendees at the 4th Annual Midsummer Soiree in July. In September, 22 riders participated in the Ride 4 WE CAN and rode

Scan to make a gift to WE CAN and empower women to make positive lasting change for themselves.

wecancenter.org/give

25 and 55 miles to raise funds for our programs. On October 6th, the WE CAN community gathered to celebrate and appreciate our volunteers and supporters at the annual Community Breakfast in Hyannis.

THE VOICES OF VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Volunteers are the heart and soul of WE CAN. Learn more at

wecancenter.org/volunteer

PLANNED GIVING Leave a legacy and enable WE CAN to serve in perpetuity.

Learn more at

wecancenter.org/planned-giving

How I Volunteer

Gabriella Bonfim Moraes, Attorney As a bilingual attorney, I facilitated WE CAN’s popular Family Law Overview and the new Family-Based Immigration workshops entirely in my native Portuguese. These workshops provide important information on the divorce process and answered pressing questions about the complicated immigration laws in a safe and confidential environment.

Both situations can be stressful and confusing, and WE CAN seeks to help participants feel capable of navigating these legal processes. The important first step is making the information available and easily accessible.

How I Give

Katie Townsend, Managing Partner, Brand Accomplished I became a WE CAN Community Builder to give back in a meaningful way. With a minimum three-year pledge of $2,500 or more, Community Builders support current operations and WE CAN’s endowment to ensure that future Cape women have access to necessary programs and services. As a female entrepreneur, it is an enormous gift to be part of a forward-thinking organization in this way.

WAYS TO GIVE Support our mission and programs today.

Learn more at

wecancenter.org/give

783 Route 28, Harwich Port and coming soon at 127 Airport Road, Hyannis 508-430-8111 • wecancenter.org