Outdoor Women’s Alliance – Grassroots Program Crowdfunding Campaign

by the Outdoor Women’s Alliance (OWA)

We believe that outdoor adventure teaches us to boldly face our fears, push past self-doubt, and become strong, self-sufficient individuals. Since 2007, we’ve used adventure as a tool to help women fill their lives with purpose, to see an obstacle and approach it with confidence, and to support each other in our individual journeys.

We’re Outdoor Women’s Alliance, a volunteer-run nonprofit organization. Through the lens of human-powered adventure, we work to inspire confidence and leadership in women of all ages, believing that strong women have the power to build healthy communities and—quite literally—change the world.

Nearly 10 years ago, our founder, Gina Bégin, started Outdoor Women’s Alliance (OWA) in response to what she observed in women who participated in adventure sports. This positive avenue to self-value imparted confidence and leadership qualities in women and, compared to those who did not participate, it seemed there was a higher percentage of women who pursued life with clearer purpose. And while Gina knew that there were benefits to learning in co-ed groups, it was clear that many women wanted, and benefitted from, a female-only adventure community.

Outdoor Women’s Alliance was created to fill that role. In particular, our seven (current) regional Grassroots Teams serve over 8,000 women across North America. These teams offer skills clinics, film festivals, social events, backcountry outings (and more). However, within our larger community of over 230,000 women, many people fall outside our team regions. We regularly receive requests for team expansions into new areas and want to provide these services to all.

Our solution is to launch a membership program and provide an online platform that women everywhere can use to connect, grow skills, and build in-person communities right where they are. This new platform will bring the offerings OWA has at the team level to those who wouldn’t otherwise have access. It will also continue our mission of instilling confidence and leadership skills in each participating member.

WHEN: February 6 – March 3, 2017

WHERE: https://www.generosity.com/sports-fundraising/outdoor-women-in-your-community

FUNDING GOAL: We’re seeking to raise $25,000 to cover all aspects of the Grassroots Program expansion. Funds will specifically cover legal & insurance fees, membership platform development & maintenance, materials for our team volunteers, and building outdoor programming such as weekly meet-ups and discounted clinics and courses for members of the program.