SHIFT THE POWER TO WORLD FORCE

Women are the backbone of numerous community initiatives, yet when it comes to funding, they are often silenced and underrepresented. Women often face systemic barriers that limit their access to resources, decision-making platforms, and leadership opportunities. Shifting power to women's voices is not only a matter of justice but also a strategic imperative for creating more equitable and effective community-based change.

According to a report published by the Association for Women's rights in development (AWID), 99% of development aid and foundation grants  do not reach women’s rights and feminist organizations. In the same report, it was stated that 48% of female led organizations from the global south and 47% in sub saharan Africa had a budget of less than 30000 USD in the recent fiscal year. Also,according to the global fund for women only 1.9% of all charitable donations are made to organizations dedicated to women and girls. The same low figures are reported by Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs), stating that despite commitments made, only 0.13% of the total Official Development Assistance and 0.4% of all gender related Aid were received.These all shows that gender inequality is still present in both women led and female focused initiatives.

Firstly, gender bias and discrimination plays a role. Most traditional funding structures tend to be biased towards male-led prospects. Sometimes unconscious bias plays a role in downplaying women’s led initiatives even when there is proven impact. This challenge can be solved by bypassing the traditional model of fundraising and shift towards digital platforms. Platforms such as Gofundme, indiegogo, kickstarter, and patreon have broken the previous gatekeeping by raising funds directly through crowdsourcing. Also platforms such as grantstation, fundsforNGOs, Grants.gov, candid.org and ncwit.org also provide databases, grant opportunities and resources for proposal writing.

Secondly, having a solid network is very important. A solid network can be a source of comradeship, information and fund. Unfortunately, networking  can be a closed system especially if you are different from the gatekeepers. Women-led initiatives especially those in rural or underserved areas might find it difficult to get mentorships, funders and other stakeholders who can support their initiatives. Platforms like  Vital Voices and the Cherie Blair Foundation, ellevest, AFID, World Pulse can help with mentorship and networking. Attending Local workshops, online and offline conferences, and professional Organization can also expand one's network and give valuable support.

Fundraising can be challenging on its own but there are strategies that can help to manage the challenges that come with it. It is always important to set SMART goals. These goals can then be achieved by crafting a compelling story that focuses on impact, human element and tailoring the message. The impact is often the data behind the work. By quantifying the impact, it provides the reason behind the initiative. The human element is the soul behind our initiative, telling the story of the recipients gives a powerful face to the work. Tailoring the message means to be adaptive to situations. The way of presenting information depends on the audience.

Another important aspect of fundraising now, is to build an online presence. Having a professional website that includes clear information about what women do, who you are and why you do what will make it easier for potential donors to see what the initiative is all about, irrespective of the geographical location. Utilizing platforms like facebook, instagram, Linkedin can also positively impact the fundraising goals. The ice bucket challenge is a powerful example of how viral internet sensation can be used for this Shift the Power to Women Voice campaign

Investing in one woman is another way of improving our communities development work, women and girls empowerment movement, capable of fostering economic power, financial independence, freedom of choices in participating in any civic role, like political position during any national election, capacities to make decision in different facet of life.

By shifting power to women’s voices, we can empower and foster women leaders who can drive change towards building an equitable society. Through education, support, advocacy, politics, government and collaboration, we can amplify women’s voices and ensure they are at the forefront of community-based initiatives, leading us towards a more just and prosperous future, national development initiatives leading to global network, we can work together to shift power to WORLDFORCE generation of women with multifaceted potentials to attain a community of peace, citiee, nation and global of peace, from the World pulse we could collectively start the mobilization action today.