Holiday Giving Strategy: Find Power in Numbers

U.S. News and World Report has included Women's Funding Network in its "10 Smart Money Ways to Give" rundown. You can read more here.

Women's funds are a great choice for charity giving because the money you give is an investment in a community, whether the women's fund is supporting improvement in your community, state, nation or worldwide.

If you are looking for an innovative way to honor someone special in your life, consider giving to your local women's fund.

Taking Our Case to Congress

Deborah Richardson, Women's Funding Network's Chief Program Officer, testified before a Judiciary Committee hearing on domestic minor sex trafficking Sept. 15 about the problem of underage girls being commercially sexually exploited across the United States.

You can read Deborah's testimony here.

The hearing is a major step in bringing awareness to the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking and taking real action toward preventing and ending this problem. But so much more remains to be done.

If you want to take action right with us right now in the U.S. you can urge your lawmaker to sign on to H.R. 5575, which would create a comprehensive system of care for survivors of trafficking as well as increased penalties for those who buy and sell girls for sex.

SF Chronicle Hones In on Craigslist Ads

Craigslist's hometown paper, the San Francisco Chronicle, has taken notice of all the pressure mounting nationwide for the online services firm to do something about ads posted on their site that allow the prostitution of girls -- some as young as 11 years old.

Yesterday, the Rebecca Project placed an ad in the print edition of the Chronicle calling Craigslist to task for not doing enough to restrict prostitution of children on the site. It was accompanied by this letter on Huffingtonpost.com.

You can do your part to send Craigslist a message by signing our petition here. Keep up with the latest on this issue at A Future. Not A Past.

Craigslist UPDATE

Women's Funding Network Chief Program Officer Deborah Richardson has co-authored a commentary in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on preventing child sexual exploitation. Read it here.

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster responds to GEMS founder Rachel Lloyd's criticism of the online service as contributing to the sexual exploitation of girls. Read it here.

And, of course, join our effort to prevent child sexual exploitation. Sign our petition to Craigslist here (or at the link below) and learn more about A Future. Not A Past.

Tell Craigslist: Make Real Changes to Adult Services Ads to Protect Our Children

Craigslist is making a $40 million profit from "Adult Services" -- a section that includes the sale of children for sex.

Tell Craigslist you will BOYCOTT them until they take action to prevent the sexual exploitation of children on their site!

Our goal is to get 150,000 signatures for every girl at risk of being endangered and sold this year. Sign NOW and spread the word.

JOIN US NOW!

Thank You

Thanks to all of you who voted, the band Metric won the Pepsi Refresh SXSW Challenge. As a result, Women's Funding Network will receive a $100,000 grant toward the national expansion of A FUTURE. NOT A PAST., a campaign to stop the commercial sexual exploitation of girls in the United States! Women's Funding Network is grateful to Metric and the Pepsi Refresh Project for making this possible. You can read the announcements at Spin Magazine and Pepsi's Refresh Blog.

Deborah Richardson, Women's Funding Network's Chief Program Officer, says, "It is estimated there are more than 200,000 children -- mostly girls -- being bought and sold in this country every year. Your clicks were for them!!"

A FUTURE. NOT A PAST. was created in 2007 to address and prevent the prostitution of girls in the state of Georgia. The campaign seeks to protect and inspire hope in girls who have survived commercial sexual exploitation, disable demand and prosecute and increase penalties for pimps and johns. The Georgia campaign has been so successful and the issue is so prevalent in states across the country that Women's Funding Network is launching the national expansion of A FUTURE. NOT A PAST. this Spring.

The $100,000 grant from Pepsi will support Women's Funding Network's efforts to:

• Collect data on the number of sexually exploited girls in target states to document the national scope of the issue
• Develop a plan of action for a nationwide comprehensive system of care for sexually exploited girls
• Create and implement public awareness and advocacy campaigns to decrease demand and provide support for survivors
• Increase programming that prepares girls to lead full and healthy lives

Vote for Us As Many Times as You Can in the Pepsi Refresh SXSW Challenge!

Vote here as many times as you can! Don't stop clicking until midnight Eastern tonight!

The band Metric approached us this month to be the recipient charity for the Pepsi Refresh SXSW Challenge. This is a challenge between the bands Metric and Broken Social Scene in partnership with Austin’s SXSW Challenge. If Metric gets the most votes we could receive $100,000. The winner will be announced March 31.



Metric chose Women’s Funding Network to support the launch of the national expansion of A Future. Not a Past. to end the prostitution of girls across the U.S. This phenomenal concept originated in Atlanta, where child sexual exploitation was running rampant before city officials partnered with Atlanta Women's Foundation and The Harold and Kayrita Anderson Family Foundation to create ways to prevent and end the trafficking of children. Women's Funding Network wants to take the work done in Atlanta and replicate it nationally to make all our communities safer.

Please visit the great Video about the Pepsi Refresh Challenge, Metric and Women’s Funding Network. Please take a couple of minutes to link to our Facebook page, too and VOTE! You can vote as many times as you want!

Vote here!