Women's Leadership Council

The Women's Leadership Council is an organization within the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area that was founded by a group of corporate, civic, and community leaders who are working together to improve the quality of life for women and children in the New Orleans region through leadership, philanthropy, and advocacy.

The WLC expands women's ability to be a strong voice and achieve results in the non- profit arena by maximizing the number of women pooling their time, talent, and financial resources toward specific goals. Working together, women can shine light on critical social services and public policy issues and bring to the forefront the positive impact that women can have on a community.The WLC recognizes and applauds the talents of women. They embody the delicate balance of strength and compassion, fight for their beliefs, and are strong collaborators who know how to get things done.

In order to join the WLC, women are asked to donate a minimum of $1,000 to United Way. In an effort in engage younger women in community change, women age 35 or younger can join the WLC with a donation of $500. This membership category is entitled WINGS (Women's Initiative - Next Generations).

When a woman joins WLC, she has a number of choices in which to designate her donation. She can choose to designate her gift to the WLC area of focus, which initially is an early childhood development collaborative, called "Success By 6" or designate to the United Way Maximum Impact Fund, or to any of United Way's goal areas for service effectiveness.

The WLC addresses such areas as Public Policy, WLC membership, Women's and Children's Issues, Event Planning/PR, and WLC Governance. During the year, the WLC plans several activities that offer women opportunities to meet other women leaders and learn about the community's needs and how they are being addressed.

The WLC was modeled after a number of successful Women's Initiatives in United Ways in other major cities across the nation.

For more information or to become involved contact Jennifer Cheatham at (504) 827-6834 or JenniferC@unitedwaynola.org.