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Women's Way of Philadelphia records
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Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
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In 1975, a group of Philadelphia area women’s organizations formed the Philadelphia Women’s Coalition to provide health, wellness, education, legal, and cultural resources to women and their children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The organizations included Women Organized Against Rape, Women in Transition, Women’s Law Project, Concern for Health Options: Information, Care, and Education (CHOICE), the Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center, Options for Women, and the Pennsylvania Program for Women and Girl Offenders. Alone, the organizations found fundraising problematic, faced with the challenges of competing against each other for the same funds, receiving only short-term grants, and dealing with the stigma of being feminist-leaning organizations. As the Coalition, they formed Women’s Way in 1977 to be a fundraising umbrella organization for each of the member groups and, eventually, for other organizations dedicated to helping women and children in the surrounding region. Women’s Way became one of the first and largest groups of its kind in the country, sponsoring events and fundraising campaigns to improve the lives of women and their families. Women’s Way began with a three-year grant from the William Penn Foundation to develop fundraising strategies and connections, and grew to have multiple corporate donors, an Annual Dinner dedicated to fundraising, multiple large-scale events, and participation in several city-wide campaigns, the results of which supported dozens of women’s organizations. As of 2014, the organization continues its work.
The Women’s Way of Philadelphia records house the organizational records of Women’s Way, a women’s advocacy fundraising group serving the Philadelphia region. This collection, which dates from 1966 to 1997, with bulk dates of 1977 to 1997, consists of reports, correspondence, minutes, financial records, and planning materials created as a result of the fundraising and grant-giving activities of Women’s Way. These records provide insight into the organization’s structure and day-to-day functions and illustrate connections with other advocacy groups that benefited from Women’s Way’s fundraising efforts. The collection also provides a unique perspective on Philadelphia culture and changing views of women’s issues and rights in the latter half of the 20th century.
This collection is arranged into four series: I. Administrative, 1973-1997; II. Financial, 1975-1996; III. Fundraising and events, 1966-1997; and IV. Grant-giving, 1976-1997.
Series I. Administrative dates from 1973 to 1997 and includes reports, minutes, memoranda, by-laws, articles of incorporation, subject files, records from related organizations, and various administrative correspondence and staff records. These files illustrate the establishment and organization of Women’s Way as a major fundraising service in Philadelphia. The series documents the organization’s relationship with other advocacy and non-profit groups and its attempts to raise awareness of women’s issues during its most active years. Additionally, these records document the decision-making process and staffing of Women’s Way. This series is divided into three subseries: Ia. General, 1973-1997; Ib. Meetings, 1975-1997; and Ic. Articles of incorporation and annual reports, 1976-1995.
Subseries Ia. General dates from 1973 to 1997 and consists of files originating from other Philadelphia social and community-based organizations, including some members of Women’s Way; subject files regarding women’s rights and related issues; and various general administrative papers, such as press releases, job announcements, correspondence, brochures, project documentation, forms and contracts, and some minutes and memoranda that do not fit within other series. Other organizations of note documented here include the Black United Fund, Laurel House, Junior League of Philadelphia, Planned Parenthood, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Tenant’s Action Group of Philadelphia, United Way, and Women Against Rape. There is overlap with materials from these organizations in other series, such as Series III. Fundraising and events and Series IV. Grant-giving, but materials from these organizations placed in this series originate solely from the other organizations and do not include materials from Women’s Way.
The subject files in Series Ia mostly include clippings, articles, bulletins, and pamphlets regarding various women’s rights issues, such as abuse, the Equal Rights Amendment, childcare, and employment. The general administrative files provide evidence of the establishment of the organization, hiring practices, correspondence between various members (including Lynn H. Yeakel), various committee minutes and correspondence (including the Long Range Planning Committee), and materials from other administrative projects, including research gathered by the organization. The Collaborative Computer Project in particular is highlighted here, specifically the questionnaires used to gather information about how staff and member organizations used their computers. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by other organization and subject files, followed by a run of general administrative papers arranged chronologically.
Series Ib. Meetings dates from 1975 to 1997 and consists of minutes and meeting materials from the Women’s Way Board and committee meetings held over the date span of the collection. Included here are minutes, reports, and memoranda from the Board and Executive Committee meetings, Annual Meeting reports (including the Report of the Executive Director), planning materials and correspondence, minutes, programs and agendas, and press releases and invitations. Minutes, reports, and memoranda from the Long Range Planning Committee are also found in this subseries. This subseries documents much of the planning and accomplishments achieved by Women’s Way, as well as revealing goals for future years. The series indicates funds raised, financial status of the organization, events planned, agency reports on their member organizations, and potential sources for further fundraising. Much of this material relates directly to the items in series II. Financial, III. Fundraising and events, and IV. Grant-giving. This subseries is arranged chronologically.
Series Ic. Annual reports and articles of incorporation dates from 1976 to 1995 and includes articles of incorporation, by-laws, and president’s reports; as well as annual reports, related planning, and correspondence. These materials document the establishment of the organization, and the annual report provides a concise explanation of Women’s Way’s events, accomplishments, changes, activities, and finances each year. The materials in this series closely relate to Series Ib. Meetings, and researchers may want to examine both series for a full picture of how Women’s Way documented its various activities throughout each year. This would also provide fuller evidence of the successful events and fundraisers in which Women’s Way participated, as well as to provide a chronology of staffing and changes to the organization. This subseries is arranged chronologically.
Series II. Financial dates from 1975 to 1996, with bulk dates of 1976 to 1990. Included within the series are receipts, invoices, tax forms, Finance Committee minutes and meeting materials, financial reports and records from member organizations, banking materials, payroll forms, correspondence, and budgets. These materials document the day-to-day expenses and financial operations of Women’s Way and its member organizations. The materials within this series do not necessarily pertain to any event planning, fundraising, or grant-giving, but instead document the various other financial operations that enabled Women’s Way to provide fundraising services to organizations in the Philadelphia area. This series is arranged chronologically.
Series III. Fundraising and events dates from 1966 to 1997, with bulk dates from 1975 to 1997. This series includes materials from the many fundraising campaigns and events Women’s Way participated in or organized. The items include all manner of planning materials, including proposals, agendas, correspondence, press releases and publicity, solicitation letters, mailing lists, budget and financial reports, photographs, minutes, memoranda, feedback letters, donor lists and designations, clippings, scripts, programs, bulletins, invitations, reports, contracts, and various other materials specialized to each event. Most of the events were specifically related to fundraising or engendering awareness of women’s issues. These included the Annual Dinner, Women in Concert, the Donor Option campaign, the Combined City Campaign, the Direct Mail Campaign, "The Unfinished Agenda" conference, and various other campaigns and events.
The most notable of these events is the Annual Dinner, which became Women’s Way’s primary fundraising event. Materials from this event include the Lucretia Mott awardee lists and related correspondence and biographies. Awardees were chosen based on their influence in the field of women’s rights or civil rights accomplishments, and included figures such as Coretta Scott King, Maggie Kuhn, Marian Andersen, Gloria Steinem, Emily Hartshorne Mudd, Sonia Sanchez, and Anna Quindlen. Included here are also pledges and receipts; pledge acknowledgement letters; volunteer lists; seating charts; correspondence with potential awardees, vendors, and staff; press releases; programs; publicity and marketing plans; expenses; photographs; and invitations. The growth and development of the Annual Dinner as the major fundraising event for Women’s Way is well-documented within this series, and researchers may be interested in the various figures solicited to attend as awardees, including many local honorees who were invited to attend or nominated by the community. The materials relating to the Annual Dinner also include various 10th Anniversary materials and Annual Dinner Committee minutes, memoranda, and correspondence.
Another major event particularly well represented here is the Women in Concert event, which took place in 1990 and featured Olympia Dukakis, the Judds, the Roches, and Dionne Warwick. Materials documenting the planning and implementation of this event include correspondence with potential corporate donors and organizations, such as the Ms. Foundation; the Academy of Music contract, expenses, and seating plan; advertisements, press releases, invitation list, and solicitation letters; concert book plans, segments, forms, agreements, and content; financial reports, expenses, and paid invoices; potential performer proposals, correspondence, and contracts; and Steering Committee minutes and correspondence, ticket sales reports and summaries, volunteer orientation materials and schedules, major donor lists, and other various planning materials. Some of the more interesting correspondence regarding feedback from the Women’s Way Board illustrates the challenges faced during the event and the perceived benefit to the organization (or lack thereof) created by the concert.
Other major events and campaigns represented in this collection include the Donor Option Campaign, the Combined City Campaign, the Direct Mail Campaign, the School District Campaign, and the Combined Federal Campaign. Women’s Way did not participate in these campaigns each year; in fact, the clippings, correspondence, and articles in the series indicate a controversy surrounding United Way and some of the smaller non-profit organizations in Philadelphia, including Women’s Way. Most of the materials regarding these campaigns include donor lists, pledge acknowledgements, memoranda, newsletters, reports, agreements, and correspondence.
The last few events of note represented in this series include "The Unfinished Agenda: Women’s Future Under the Constitution" conference hosted by Women’s Way, the Pacesetter Race, Warm Up for Women’s Way, the "Humor Her" and "Zowie!" comedy events, and the Special Events Committee minutes and memoranda regarding these many events. Series III is easily the most complete in the collection and is an excellent representation of the planning and development of fundraising events and campaigns in the Philadelphia region. This series is arranged chronologically.
Series IV. Grant-giving dates from 1976 to 1997, with bulk dates of 1981 to 1996. The series is arranged in order of most well-represented grant type awarded by Women’s Way, and then chronologically within that order. The grants are the "Discretionary Fund," "Pew Grant," and "Childcare Grant," and are followed by assorted allocations and grant documentation. The Discretionary Fund materials are arranged chronologically by season, not by folder date, to preserve the pre-existing order. The Discretionary Fund documents deal largely with the disbursal of funds to non-member organizations. Included are application materials and forms, correspondence, and reports. The materials are arranged by season, Spring or Fall, as per their original order within the Women’s Way records. Folder dates often differ from those listed in the folder title, as the applicants often provided older financial records or grant-fund usage reports following the initial award. Frequent applicants and grantees of note are Big Sisters of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Black Women’s Health Project, Laurel House, Tenant Action Group of Philadelphia, and Women Against Rape.
The "Pew Grant" documents contain material regarding the disbursal of funds provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts to Women’s Way. Included in this category are Pew Grant committee minutes and correspondence, grant proposal drafts from both Women’s Way and applicant organizations, application and nomination materials, correspondence, and reports. The "Childcare Grant" documents include materials regarding the application for and disbursal of funds to organizations promoting childcare and early childhood education. These materials consist of application materials and proposals, correspondence, minutes from the Childcare Grant Advisory Committee, and reports. Finally, the files at the end of the series contain general grant-giving materials of Women’s Way, not related to any specific source or grant funding. These materials include correspondence, proposals, and reports relating to the allocation of funds to member organizations, as well as assorted correspondence and general guidelines for grantee management. The files in this series document the grant-giving process in detail, and reveal how the Women’s Way organization documented grantees’ results and successes. Additionally, the series provides insight into the grantee selection process, funding sources, and repeat grantees.
This collection is an excellent representation of a community organization with a focus on fundraising, specifically for women, in Philadelphia. It was one of the first organizations of its kind, and the fundraising it accomplished each year to grant to other, smaller organizations and businesses in the hopes of improving women’s and children’s lives makes it of particular interest and research value. Although the administrative records are somewhat less complete than would be ideal, the fundraising, events, and grant-giving documentation makes up for that gap and provides thorough detail in the planning and organization of large-scale fundraising, and reveals many of the corporate and institutional relationships that Women’s Way had in Philadelphia, as well as many prominent members of the community who advocated for the organization. The sensitivity of many of the issues Women’s Way supported, such as the Equal Rights Amendment and Planned Parenthood, also makes this collection of note, and provides a snapshot of Philadelphia’s cultural climate in the late 20th century.
This collection was processed in 2013-2014 as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlogs in sixteen Philadelphia repositories. The project used a less intensive processing methodology than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder.
Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article "More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections," the project team processed at an average rate of 4 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time traditionally reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections or complete any preservation work.
Subject
- Feminism--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- Fund raising--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- Non-governmental organizations--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- Nonprofit organizations--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- Women's history--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- Women's rights--United States--History--20th century
- Women--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Social conditions
Place
- Publisher
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Annalise Berdini and Megan Evans
- Finding Aid Date
- ; 2014.
- Sponsor
- The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.
- Access Restrictions
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For legal privacy reasons, a few folders are closed to researchers for 75 years from date of creation. These folders have been moved to Box 157, which may not be accessed. These files will be returned to their boxes once the restricted period as noted on each folder ends. See the Collection Inventory for details. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact HSP's Rights & Reproductions staff with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.