December/January Soroptimist Summary

SIA

Happy Holidays!

SIA headquarters wishes all members throughout our 21 countries and territories a very happy holiday season!

Soroptimist Progress in FY18/19

In fiscal year 2018-2019, SIA made progress in achieving increased collective impact. We define the success of increased collective impact as our thriving membership economically empowering women and girls through our widely recognized, brand-unifying Dream Programs. Click here to view SIA’s progress and accomplishments.

Convention Updates

Register early and save! 

The early registration deadline for convention is January 15. Payment must be made online or accompany the registration form to receive the discounted rate. The fee increases on January 16. Register now and don’t forget to book your hotel reservations at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue. 

Registration contest
Everyone who registers for convention by May 15 will be entered to win a prize. See contest flyer for more details. 

Soroptimist After Hours
Register to join with hundreds of your closest Soroptimist friends at the Reaching New Heights Night Club, where there will be karaoke, comedy, dancing, a no host bar and some surprise fun activities! Sign up now via the convention registration page. 

Convention Fee
A convention fee invoice will be mailed to each club president in January. Convention is an opportunity to conduct the future planning and business of our global organization. As such, all clubs share in the financial responsibility for the convention. Each club’s share is US$550.00. This convention fee entitles your club to:

• One voting delegate at the convention
• Convention registration for your club’s delegate, which is a savings of $550 (this does not include meals).
• An opportunity to participate in the future planning for SIA.

Tours
Located just a few miles east of Seattle, Bellevue offers plenty of opportunities to explore the great outdoors and take in the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy optional tours, including an Alaskan Cruise or additional tours to Snoqualmie Falls for wine tasting and farm to table dining, Mt. Ranier Park, and other scenic locations.

Sponsorship Package
Help us Reach New Heights by becoming a convention sponsor! Link your organization, products or services with the more than 1,000 women attending our four-day event and gain exposure to close to 30,000 Soroptimists in 21 countries and territories. Or use this sponsorship kit to approach any business where you may have a good contact to ask for their support.

Ready for Electronic Voting?

In late February, SIA will conduct our first all-electronic mail ballot to elect our 2020-2021 president-elect. Clubs will receive an individualized authenticated link to enter the voting system to cast its vote; that link will be sent to the club’s @soroptimist.net club email address. Club presidents and club treasurers will receive notification of the ballot through their personal email addresses on file with SIA headquarters, but the authenticated link will be sent only to the club email address. If your club is not regularly accessing its @soroptimist.net club email address, please start doing so now. Instructions on using the club email system can be found on the website in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our membership services team at siahq@soroptimist.org.

In Memoriam

We are sad to report that Joyce Byrne, 1990-1992 SIA president, passed away in December. She joined Soroptimist in 1975 and also served as Desert Coast Region governor and club president. Joyce, who held a Ph.D. in leadership and human behavior, guided SIA through unprecedented change as the recommendations of what was known as “The Plan” were implemented. Our heartfelt condolences to Joyce’s family and friends. To learn more about Joyce and her contributions to Soroptimist click here. For visitation and funeral service information click here.

Soroptimist Store

Introducing our brand-new trio pendant necklace (available in both 24kt gold and silver) measuring 24" with a 2" adjustable extender. This beautiful necklace features our Live Your Dream tag charm accented with Swarovski crystal, our Soroptimist globe charm studded with a Swarovski sapphire-color crystal, and a vintage synthetic pearl to round out the trio. Make sure to add this eye-catching piece to your collection—it’s sure to strike up a conversation! Presented in a custom Soroptimist gift box.

Program

We are excited to share the incredible global impact of our Dream Programs through our beautiful updated SIA infographics! The Live Your Dream Awards and Dream It, Be It infographics can be a great tool for raising awareness of your club and the global impact of Soroptimist.

Did you know your club can now share your impact in your local community through the Live Your Dream Awards and Dream It, Be It club-level infographics? These infographics are fully customizable for your club, and include tips for use and printing.

Live Your Dream Awards

Now that the November 15 application deadline has passed, it’s time to select your recipients!

Check out our resources on:

• How To: Select Recipients
• Sample Judging Invitation
• Confidentiality Form
• Judges’ Evaluation Form
• Sample Recipient Letter
• Sample Non-recipient Letter

Dream It, Be It

Please be sure to have each girl complete the SIA-provided Evaluation Form at the end of your Dream It, Be It project. Even if your club adds your own form, we still need to receive completed SIA Evaluation Forms for each participant. This is how we measure critical impact information about our program!

Don’t forget to report your Dream It, Be It project via the online form within one month of the project and no later than June 1, 2020.

Public Awareness

With the end of the year on the horizon, remember that your SIA Board of Directors asked that clubs begin exclusively using the S logo as their visual identity (if they haven’t done so already) by December 31, 2019. Thank you to all the clubs that have taken steps to update your publicity materials, banners websites and social media pages with the S logo, which is SIA’s main visual identifier. You can download the S logo from the Recognition and Branding page of the website. Help us grow public recognition of our impact!

Membership

In Search of Next Gen Soroptimists

We are thrilled to offer programming tailored to the next generation of Soroptimists during the 46th Biennial Convention in Bellevue, WA! Why do we want to connect with younger members? We know that the insights and involvement of the Next Generation of Soroptimists is critical to lead our organization into the future. Help us connect with this group by emailing us at membership@soroptimist.org with the members’ names in your club who fit this profile. We want to make sure they know what we are planning and get their feedback.

Take One Step

Take one step and give prospects what they want! Prospective members have told us they want to join Soroptimist because of our mission of providing women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. The best way to deliver on that brand promise is to engage them in our Dream Programs. Check out this recruitment tip to see how! 

Development

1921 Visionaries

Every year, the 1921 Visionaries recognizes the dedication its members show by giving numbered pins with each milestone they reach for 5, 10, 15, and 20 years.

Joining the 1921 Visionaries is a meaningful way to build recognition in the Laurel Society. If you were to give $50 per month, for two years, you would not only help women and girls who are facing ongoing struggles, but also achieve Attaché status in the Laurel Society!

To start your journey toward becoming a 1921 Visionary, be sure to make a gift by December 31st, 2019!

SI

100th Anniversary Celebration

Did you know that October 2021 marks Soroptimist’s 100^th anniversary? We will gather at the Fairmont San Francisco Hotel, October 1-3 to celebrate this auspicious event. More details to follow and be sure to save the date now! Check out our frequently asked questions to find out who is invited, the events planned during the celebration and more!

LYD.org 

As a woman, knowing your worth is highly important, whether it’s within a workplace, relationship, or other aspect of life. Read more about the value of YOU in this “Determining Your Self-Worth” blog post.

 

 

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