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A Message from the President 

Anne Cowie, January 2000

Dear WID Members,

Welcome to 2000 and WID's official 20th Anniversary year! The new century has begun with gusto and I hope that this will be a year of great success for you, your organizations, and philanthropy.

This year, as we reflect on both WID's pioneering roots and our evolving future, our programming reflects a myriad of issues currently facing our profession and indicative of the times in which we live. We have programs on the intergenerational transfer of wealth, fundraising on the internet, corporate mergers and philanthropy as social activism all the while highlighting women leaders in various arenas of philanthropy.

In a strong market and amidst an unprecedented intergenerational transfer of wealth ($41 to $128 trillion as estimated by Boston College Professor, Paul Schervish), WID opened the year with Ellen Remmer from The Philanthropic Initiative. Ellen discussed family philanthropy and how we as development officers can advise families about their overall charitable decision making. Her remarks highlighted the importance of listening to and understanding our donors as well as appreciating the context, goals and pace of their philanthropic education. As more and more families form foundations and join together in gift-giving, it will be critically important for us as successful development officers to remain savvy and sensitive to both the perspective from which our donors view philanthropy as well as our responsibility to represent our organizations.

On January 27th, the Career Services Committee will address the rapidly changing issue of fundraising on the internet with guest speaker Jay Clayton from WBUR radio station. WBUR has actively encouraged on-line giving and Jay will share the successes as well as trials and tribulations involved in this new era of doing business on the world wide web.

On February 2 we will welcome Michele Courton-Brown, President, FleetBoston Financial Foundation, to talk with us about the "Changing Landscape of Corporate Philanthropy." With responsibility for all of FleetBoston's charitable giving, Michele oversees one of the largest corporate philanthropy programs in the northeastern United States and she has a unique vantage-point from which to lead and assess the future of corporate giving. We are looking forward to her sharing her wisdom and experience with us.

On March 1, Barbara Fish Lee, a self-described "Social Activist and Philanthropist," will speak to us about how she makes her philanthropic decisions as well as her commitment to social change and empowering women. Barbara is involved in promoting the film and book "Not For Ourselves Alone: The story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony" and particularly bringing the story of these suffragettes to all segments of the community. Her other major effort is the White House Project aimed at electing a women president in the next decade.

At our Annual Meeting in May we will celebrate WID's 20th Anniversary by looking back at a timeline of where we have been and how far we have come. We have an impressive history and a dynamic present.

Please join us for all of WID's upcoming programs. Also, WID is getting in the internet game; please look for WID's new website www.widgb.org which will be up and running in the early part of this new year. This site will allow you as a member to access the schedule of events, directory and job listings on-line as well as e-mail WID.

Lastly, I encourage you to get involved with WID, join a committee, make yourselves known and make suggestions on how WID can best serve you. This is your organization.

Happy New Year,
Anne Cowie

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