SIA’s 46th Biennial Convention is July 22-25, 2020, in beautiful Bellevue, Washington, USA. Meet the group of Soroptimists/committee chairs who have partnered with headquarters staff to make this an incredible event you won’t want to miss. See what they’re most looking forward to about convention—we hope it will inspire you to begin making plans to attend!
You Spoke, We Listened
After we launched our completely redesigned, responsive website, users commented about slow loading times. We researched and held discussions with our website developers, and learned we needed a different server solution to accommodate our more robust site. We successfully moved to a cloud-based server and the overall site performance is now much faster. We hope you are enjoying your new, improved—and faster—site.
Board Meeting
Read the summary to learn about significant actions taken by your SIA Board at its January meeting in Philadelphia.
Year-end infographic
SIA’s year-end infographic is now available in all languages! Visit the Translated Resources page, then look under the Federation Information section for the downloadable PDF. A direct link to the English version is here. Read, enjoy and celebrate our many successes in FY2017-2018!
Please share our progress with members. Click here to view SIA’s progress and accomplishments for FY17/18.
46th Biennial Convention
SIA’s 46th biennial convention in Bellevue, Washington, USA, will be here before you know it. Save the dates, July 22-25, 2020, and stay tuned for additional information!
Thank you for joining women of all ages, cultures and ethnic groups who work together to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. As a Soroptimist, we know you are a leader in your community who believes in making a difference. Check out the information below in order to learn more about who we are, what we do, and why joining us was a great decision!
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Get to Know Us
Our Impact
Check out the impact of our Dream Programs and the local work of our clubs from around the world.
Thanks to the dedicated work of our Soroptimist clubs and members, and the support of our generous donors and supporters, Soroptimist accomplished much in the last year. We are proud to share highlights of our efforts in this report.
Each year, Soroptimist clubs make Founders Pennies donations to celebrate the founding of our organization and support its global Dream Programs. Founders Pennies are a classic, time-honored tradition for clubs, and a creative way to help fund life changing programs. Founders Pennies help create a local and global relationship between Soroptimist clubs and members, and the women and girls who need our support.
How are Founders Pennies used?
Founders Pennies are used to fund the Live Your Dream Awards, Dream It, Be It, and other SIA programs that improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. Founders Pennies represent approximately 10 percent of the total $1.7 million contributed to fund federation programs.
How are Founders Pennies calculated?
Founders Pennies are set at $.06 per member times the number of years that SIA has been in existence. (1921)
For the 2016 club year, $.06 x 95 years = $5.70 per member.
2016 = $5.70 per member
2017 = $5.76 per member
2018 = $5.82 per member
Who gives Founders Pennies?
Founders Pennies are remitted to headquarters by each participating club. Clubs collect the pennies from their members in a variety of ways and usually submit them with club dues.
When did the tradition of Founders Pennies begin?
The tradition of giving pennies began in 1943. Clubs collected one penny for each year of Soroptimist’s existence and used the money to help re‐establish clubs in Europe that had disbanded as a result of pre‐World War II political conditions and the war itself. In 1946 the fund was renamed the Founders Fund. This fund provided international fellowships, scholarships and other awards to improve the status of women. Beginning in the 1960s, Founders Pennies began funding for the Youth Citizenship Awards, and now the Live Your Dream Awards.
Are Founders Pennies mandatory?
Founders Pennies are a voluntary contribution from Soroptimist members remitted to headquarters by clubs. As with all contributions, Founders Pennies are not mandatory.
What kind of recognition is given for Founders Pennies contributions?
Regions are awarded a certificate of appreciation when all clubs in the region contribute to Founders Pennies between June 1 and May 31. Contributions for recognition are based on the number of members on record at headquarters as of the end of the recognition period (May 31).
The October Soroptimist Summary is now available! You’ll find tons of great SIA information including Live Your Dream Awards updates, Club Giving news, Live Your Dream.org blog posts and featured sales items.
As Soroptimist approaches its 100th birthday in 2021, we are working to define our next century. Our first Big Goal exercise identified “Invest in the dreams of half a million women and girls through access to education” as our Big Goal to guide our work from 2021-2031.
Our second Big Goal exercise identified specific steps to prepare for our next Big Goal. Our third Big Goal exercise will identify members’ feedback and support of our next Big Goal—results are coming soon!
SIA’s Big Goal Update
An update on SIA’s 2012-2021 Big Goal: Increased Collective Impact, plus steps for our next Big Goal: Investing in the Lives of Half a Million Women and Girls Through Access to Education.
This club planning tool is another invitation to clubs to participate in our change process. The fun, interactive exercise will enable clubs to examine the projects that take time and resources to ensure they are helping us achieve our current and next Big Goal.