YWCA Inspire Luncheon Table Captains are friends of YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley and mission ambassadors.
We are honored to welcome this year’s special guest speaker, Amanda Nguyen. Known for her activism for survivor’s rights, Amanda will soon become the first Vietnamese woman to go to space. Amanda continues to inspire as a leader and achiever. She is a beacon of determination and uses her platform to raise awareness about issues at the intersection of race and gender.
Whether you are a veteran YWCA Table Captain or this is your first time, you can help deepen the engagement of YWCA supporters, raise funds that power YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism and empower women, and raise awareness about societal issues at the intersection of race, gender and violence.
As an organization deeply committed to equity and inclusivity, we are proud to offer different ways to become a Table Captain so that advancing YWCA’s critical mission is part of your story, too.
We hope that this packet will provide you with the information and support you need to help prepare you for the event successfully and ensure a welcoming experience for your guests. Because of support like yours, we are fulfilling our mission. Thank you for joining us as a YWCA Table Captain for our 35th Inspire Luncheon.
We can’t wait to welcome you!
Sincerely,
Adriana Caldera Boroffice CEO, YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley
Your Table Captain Headquarters
Join us for an unforgettable afternoon, featuring a moderated 45-minute conversation with activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen. The event is an opportunity to make meaningful connections and demonstrate your support for an organization making a lasting impact. As a Table Captain, you play a key role in bringing together a community to support YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s mission and help to ensure the success of this annual event. Ticket and table purchases, and donations, provide funding that supports YWCA’s ability to provide critical support services for survivors of violence.
Registration
Pre-purchased tickets are required for all guests. Ticket sales end September 12 unless sold out sooner. You can register in the following ways:
•Buy an Achieve Table Captain ticket for $400 and reserve a table of 10
•Commit to recruiting 9 guests to buy tickets to join your table before Sept 12 (or before tickets sell out)
* Guests are required to buy their ticket to guarantee admission to the event and be seated at your table
•Achieve Table Captains will encourage friends, family, and guests to make donations to support YWCA
•An Achieve Table Captain ticket has a $300 tax deductible contribution
INSPIRE Table Captain: Donate a Table
•Not able to attend? Buy a table of 10 for $3,000 and donate the tickets to guests to claim or donate seats to YWCA to invite clients or partners to attend
* Guests are required to claim their free ticket to guarantee admission to the event and be seated at your table before Sept 12
•An Inspire Table purchase is fully tax deductible.
What will happen if I can’t fill my table?
Guests will need to claim tickets at your table or buy a ticket at your table prior to the event selling out or the Sept 12 ticket deadline. After that date, YWCA will work with you to either release your held tickets to other guests or determine the best way to proceed with unclaimed tickets or seats not bought at your table.
This event is expected to sell out as tickets and tables are extremely limited! Mark your calendar for these important dates: April 1: Sponsorships and table sales begin for previous table captains May 6 - September 12: Ticket and table sales open for all or until sold out
Your Table Captain Headquarters
EMPOWER Table Captain Steps
1. Buy your Empower Table online
*Tables are set for 10 people (including Table Captain)
2. Check your email for a link to your table’s tickets to distribute
3. Send tickets to your guests to claim (or fill in their information yourself)
4. Encourage everyone to donate to your table to support YWCA
ACHIEVE Table Captain Steps
1. Buy your Achieve Table Captain ticket online
2. Within 3 business days, YWCA will send you a link connected to your table and will add your name as a table captain to the event site
3. Send your table link to guests encouraging them to buy a ticket (and donate!)
4. Once guests buy a ticket with your link, you will receive an email confirming they have bought a ticket to your table* *You can also see guests who have bought tickets to your table in your account on the event ticket site
5. Encourage everyone to donate to your table to support YWCA
INSPIRE Table Captain Steps
1. Buy your Inspire Table online
2. Check your email for a link to your table’s tickets to donate to guests or donate back to YWCA
3. Donate tickets to your guests to claim (or fill in their information yourself)
Inviting Guests
The most effective way to invite guests to the luncheon is with a personal “ask.” We find it works best to send an email with all the details first, then follow-up with a phone call. However, you should use the form of communication you think will work best for you and your guests.
If you have been a Table Captain in the past, YWCA can send you your previous year’s guest list.
Remember to communicate to your guests that this is a ticketed fundraising event
• Guests are asked to make a minimum donation of $300 to assist YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley in fulfilling its mission.
• To avoid misunderstandings, please be up-front about the dollar level at which you would like your guests to contribute.
More Helpful Information…
• Donations are accepted before, during and after the Luncheon in the form of cash, check or credit card. You can use your phone to donate at the Luncheon.
• Want to donate with your DAF? Reach out to YWCA Staff at philanthropy@yourywca.org to arrange your tax deductible donation and non-tax deductible ticket or table purchase.
• What happens if I have more than 10 guests? You can buy additional tables as inventory allows.
• How can I get a pass to the VIP reception? The VIP Reception is an invite-only event. YWCA Empower Table Captains receive 2 VIP tickets, and Achieve Table Captains receive 1 VIP ticket.
Your Timeline to Table Captain Success…
2-6 Months Before (April-August)
• Create your invite list.
• Start inviting guests using the provided email templates and add your personal touch (see steps for each Table Captain on theprevious page)
• As guests buy or claim tickets to your table, they will be emailed a confirmation and you will also receive an email notification.
• Thank guests as they register and let them know where they can make a donation.
• Encourage anyone not able to attend to make a donation to your table.
• Buy additional tables if more than 9 guests want to join your table.
1 Month Before (September)
• Continue inviting guests until all 10 tickets at your table have been claimed or bought. Remember, you count as 1 guest so you will be inviting 9 guests in total.
• If you have more than 9 guests wanting to join your table, you can buy another table as inventory allows.
• Follow up with guests to remind them to claim or buy their tickets before the event sells out and no later than Sept 12.
• For guests who cannot attend, ask them to make a donation and send them a link to your table page– every dollar makes a difference!
• All registered guests will receive an email with event details 1 week prior to the event with important logistical information so its critical that you and your guests provide email addresses and phone numbers.
3 Weeks Before (September 10)
• Remind your guests to help spread the word about their participation on social media. Follow Your YWCA on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to repost and share our promotions.
• Check your guest list and follow up with guests who have not yet registered and encourage them to complete their registration
• Let YWCA staff know by Sept 12 if you anticipate filling more tables than your current guest registration shows in our system.
2 Weeks Before (September 17)
• Ticketed guests will receive an email with a link to your table page and instructions on how they will make their online donation during the event.
1 Week Before (September 24)
• Remind guests about the event. We’ve found that a personal email or quick phone call are the most effective methods.
• Ticketed guests will receive a reminder email with a link to your table page and instructions on how they will make their online donation during the event.
Day of/Post-Event (October 1)
• Enjoy Inspire Luncheon with your guests!
• Did any of your guests express interest in knowing more about Your YWCA and our mission? Send us an email at philanthropy@yourywca.org to connect!
JOIN AS A TABLE CAPTAIN OR AS AN INDIVIDUAL
Table captains are YWCA ambassadors who rally their friends, family, colleagues and community to support YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism and empower women Individual guests can also purchase tickets to attend the Inspire Luncheon and support YWCA’s programs and services. Contact Christine Akhtar at cakhtar@yourywca.org to secure your table or ticket or to discuss additional options.
Table Guest Invitations Complementary tickets for 9 guests Invite up to 9 guests to buy their own ticket
CHANGE CHAMPION pin & gift
Table Captain gift
“Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope” signed by Amanda Nguyen
Deadline for buying a ticket or table is Friday, September 12, 2025.
Special Guest
AMANDA NGUYEN
Amanda Nguyen is an activist and astronaut. She will become the first Vietnamese woman to go to space when she flies on an upcoming Blue Origin launch on the New Shepard rocket. Amanda’s activism focuses on the intersection of race and gender. She ignited the Stop Asian Hate movement and passed sexual assault survivor rights in the United States and United Nations through her work at Rise. For her work she was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize and is a 2022 TIME Woman of the Year.
MORE ON AMANDA NGUYEN
Amanda Joins Women In Steam Video via Now This Impact (1:27)
Amanda On Making History Video via CBS Mornings (4:49)
Amanda On First Southeast Asian Woman In Space Video via Inside Edition (14:34)
HOW YOUR SUPPORT AT THE INSPIRE LUNCHEON
IMPACTS OUR ABILITY TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY
Donations made at Inspire Luncheon powers YWCA’s ability to support wraparound programs for women and families that promote healing and justice.
9,000+ CRISIS CALLS
5,500+ SURVIVORS
ANSWERED provided with HOUSING ASSISTANCE supported through HEALING SERVICES
900+ SURVIVORS AND CHILDREN
ABOUT YWCA GOLDEN GATE SILICON VALLEY
YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. For over 140 years, Your YWCA has been meeting our community’s most pressing needs. We are one of the first multiservice agencies in the Bay Area, and have three priority service areas:
Empowering people and communities in healing from and preventing the trauma of violence, bigotry, and racism.
Achieving solutions to homelessness for survivors of violence.
Inspiring opportunity and economic security by closing the prosperity and education gap.
