Nonprofits Join Hands to Help Girls

Written by Mary Welch Saturday, April 10 2010

It certainly makes sense. In a time of fiscal challenges why wouldn’t nonprofits – all with similar goals – work together to stretch dollars and better serve their constituents? Four nonprofit organizations have done just that and together formed The Girls Collaborative.

“The idea really came from our funders -- the Junior League of Atlanta, The Atlanta Women’s Foundation, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta,” says Sue Payne, executive director of Girls on the Run. “They facilitated the conversation to see what we can do to share strengths without blurring the lines of each organization’s mission. Frankly, there was some overlapping, and it was an interesting conversation because, given the current economic situation, it’s time we all open our eyes and take a look at that.”

Almost two years ago the funders met with 20 groups all charged with the mission of helping girls develop into women to see how they could help each other and make dollars stretch more.

“It started out with 20 nonprofits and then six organizations were left, but then only four really came together for the project,” Payne says.

The four are: Cool Girls, Girls Inc., Girls on the Run, and Go Girl Go!

What was the stumbling block?

“Nonprofit egos,” Payne says. “We each have our strengths, and we did overlap in some areas. Like Go Girl Go! and Girls On the Run both use sports as a way to reach girls. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t work together and maybe even take a back seat on some things so the other organization takes the lead. We can be individual organizations but also work together.”

Vikki Millender-Morrow, president and CEO of Girls Inc., Atlanta, said it was a “real experience” meeting with the other organizations to see if they could work together. “It’s challenging both financially and trying to do the best to help girls and young women. We all got together. It was sort of like dating, and we waited to see what would come out of this and who would fall by the wayside. What we all have in common is programs that are geared to empowering girls to reach their potential.”

The end result is The Girls Collaborative, a network of nonprofit and girl-serving organizations whose mission is to enhance the life outcomes for metropolitan Atlanta girls ages 6 to 19. Together, along with Tailfin Marketing Communications, they’ve created a public service announcement and video with a message that brings the issues to light in a realistic yet compelling way, while offering hope that the future of girls can still be bright.

Tailfin, co-founded by Lola Carlisle, created a viral marketing message that speaks to young girls and the tools they need to develop in order to make a difference in their lives – self-confidence, active lifestyles, and resiliency. Issues like teen pregnancy, school dropout rates, violence, and prostitution are also discussed.

The Girls Collaborative hopes to raise awareness of the issues facing Georgia girls. At the same time, they want to inform girls and their parents, teachers, and other influencers that there are organizations that can help provide the hope and opportunity that can ensure every girl in Georgia reaches her full potential.

So far, it’s been a bit slow getting the word out, Payne says. “We’re starting to push to get more exposure for the public service announcement. We think it’ll pick up, and we’re doing other activities that will gain exposure.”

Millender-Morrow credits the funding organizations with having the foresight to start this effort and support the PSA. “This is a direct result of them getting involved,” she says. “They are the advocates of our organizations and of empowering girls. The PSA talks about the need for programs, and there is a call to action.”

And exactly what are the issues facing young girls?

Here are some startling facts:

• Thirteen is the self-reported average age of the onset of substance use in Georgia girls.
• An estimated 300 girls are forced into commercial sex transactions each month in Georgia, more than twice the number killed in auto accidents in a year.
• 50,772 Georgia teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are neither in school nor working.
• One in five girls in Georgia becomes pregnant at least once before age 20 – which adds up to more than 21,000 teen pregnancies a year.

Millender-Morrow believes that such collaborative efforts will become more of a trend as money remains tight. “The funders and large donors have galvanized, and others will follow. Nonprofits will have to learn to work together while still working separately. It’s not a matter of merging. No. It’s a matter of supporting each other and providing the infrastructure so that money goes farther to help girls.”

The Girls Collaborative is already planning its next project: a summer health summit. “National obesity is such an important issue with young people,” Millender-Morrow says. “Go Girls Go! and Girls on the Run address that problem directly through exercise. Girls Inc. and Cool Girls also have nutrition and physical fitness programs.”

A date has not been set, and The Girls Collaborative is busy finding a location, in-kind donations, and other sponsors for the health summit.

“This is a perfect example of what our funders were advocating,” says Millender-Morrow. Here are four nonprofits all working together all to benefit and empower young women and girls.”

Mary Welch is Atlanta city editor of Womenetics: and a freelance writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Dawson Times, Plan Your Meeting magazine, and Atlanta Business magazine. She was editor-in-chief of Atlanta Woman magazine and editor of Business to Business and Catalyst magazines.