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NAWBO-LA Online Newsletter
August 2008 Issue
Enterprise Institute Continues to Create Legacy for NAWBO-LA
New chair and incoming board members bring their expertise to advance fundraising efforts toward education and research programs for women entrepreneurs
The Enterprise Institute of NAWBO-LA, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization dedicated to education and research programs for women business owners, welcomes a new chair this year who has pledged to continue the NAWBO-LA commitment to creating a legacy for current and future women entrepreneurs.
R. Christine Hershey, president of Hershey|Cause in Santa Monica, who served on the Enterprise Institute board this past year, brings her cause-related marketing and foundation experience to the Enterprise Institute board as chair. She takes the reins from Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, president of Berkhemer Clayton Executives Search in Los Angeles. Under Berkhemer-Credaire’s leadership, for the second straight year, the Enterprise Institute exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 under the banner of the Legacy Society, which gives name recognition and gratitude to the individuals who make tax-deductible contributions of $5,000 or more.
The Legacy Society was established in 2006 when NAWBO-LA President Emeritus Patty DeDominic announced her historic $1 million challenge grant, but requiring that the Enterprise Institute match her donation by raising at least $100,000 annually (for 10 years) to double the benefit to the organization and multiply the legacy for the next generation of women entrepreneurs.
Both the NAWBO-LA and Enterprise Institute boards serve to advance women business owners through NAWBO-LA programs. The distinctions are that the NAWBO-LA chapter is a 501(c)6 nonprofit serving the networking, business referral and advocacy needs of dues-paying members; and the Enterprise Institute is a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit serving education and research needs of all women business owners, non-members included. The Legacy Society is a brand under the Enterprise Institute banner, created as something special (not a separate organization) simply to thank and recognize the individuals who contribute $5,000 or more to the Enterprise Institute, matching DeDominic’s grant.
“Every March NAWBO-LA recognizes these generous women in our Leadership & Legacy Awards Luncheon program as part of our Legacy Society,” said Berkhemer-Credaire. “We are developing additional meaningful ways to properly say thank you to these women who give from their hearts to help other women business owners succeed like they have.”
Following in Impressive Footsteps
“I am proud to welcome R. Christine Hershey as chair of the board, as I followed Renee White Fraser before me. Christine will bring her unique experience and her passion for women business owners to this volunteer leadership role,” added Berkhemer-Credaire.
She continued, “Chris Hershey is a remarkable success story herself. She has owned a highly respected design and marketing firm for three decades that is dedicated to helping nonprofits achieve greater brand identity and awareness. As a woman business owner herself, she has faced the same challenges all business owners tackle every day. She is a member of the Legacy Society, and has already given her time toward educating other women business owners. We believe deeply that women can find financial independence and enjoy productive lives through business ownership. They will themselves ‘pay it forward’ when it is their turn to help others.”
Hershey looks forward to bringing her expertise in running capital campaigns, developing corporate partnerships and conducting successful fundraising programs to the Enterprise Institute.
“One of the really great trends I see happening nationwide is that corporate clients are becoming more interested in what we call corporate social responsibility,” Hershey said. “The work we do at NAWBO-LA and the Enterprise Institute makes us an ideal recipient of both those services and dollars.”
 Providing Signature Education Programs
The primary education program Enterprise Institute funding makes available is the PEAK Leadership Academy™, a capacity-building series of courses especially designed for women entrepreneurs. The Enterprise Institute presented two PEAK programs this past year with the support of contributions and corporate sponsorships.
Hershey completed one of the PEAK sessions and noted afterward, “One of the most powerful things NAWBO-LA and the Enterprise Institute can do is to help women develop as business owners and leaders. This series addresses capacity-building for companies and technical assistance needs – which fit our mission perfectly.”
Welcoming Incoming Board Members
Returning to the board to support the Enterprise Institute, in addition to Hershey as chair, are:
- Sheila Hartman, president of the Financial Independence Company, Woodland Hills
- JoAnn Bourne, executive vice president, Corporate Deposits and Treasury Management Group, Union Bank of California, Los Angeles
- Loreen Arbus, president/executive producer, Loreen Arbus Productions, Inc., Los Angeles
- Susan Cotton, interim president/CEO, Coalition to End Family Violence, Westlake Village
- Patty DeDominic, CEO, DeDominic & Associates, Santa Barbara
- Janice Bryant Howroyd, president and CEO, ACT-1 Group, Torrance
- Margot Kyd, vice president, Supply Management and Fleet Services, SDG&E and SoCalGas, Sempra Energy utilities, San Diego
- Yolanda Nunn Gorman, Ph.D., president and CEO, Brilliance Strategies, Inc., Culver City
- Brenda Zamzow-Frazier, president, The Zamzow Group, Inc., Beverly Hills
New to the Enterprise Institute board this year is Lisa Greer Quateman, Esq., managing partner, Quateman LLP, Los Angeles.
Berkhemer-Credaire also stays on the board as past chair, plus on the board of NAWBO California. Of the work of both the Enterprise Institute and NAWBO-LA, she said, “As the influence and power of NAWBO members continue to become a presence on national, statewide and local levels, we are proud to be part of this remarkable organization of women who get things done on behalf of other women. And we give back at the same time, in dollars and time, to continue to build this valuable support system called NAWBO-LA.”
Helping Build a Legacy
To leave your own legacy as part of the Enterprise Institute Legacy Society – and join this community where the means to give and desire to contribute come together in a powerful way that creates both a cycle of success and a legacy of generosity – visit www.nawbola.org/legacy.
Everyone also is invited to the Annual Board Installation Reception for both the NAWBO-LA chapter and the Enterprise Institute, on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. To register, visit www.nawbola.org.
 About the Enterprise Institute’s 2008-09 Chair
Incoming Enterprise Institute Chair R. Christine Hershey is the founder and catalyst for Hershey|Cause, guiding its overall strategic and creative vision. Passionate about “Communications for Good,” she consults regularly with CEOs and senior executives throughout the country, advising on positioning, identity and strategy. Her experience in both the corporate and philanthropic sectors includes such Fortune 500 companies as Disney, Wells Fargo and AT&T (Cingular), as well as the World Health Organization, the Institute of Medicine and The Nature Conservancy.
Hershey’s work in communications has helped shift debate on issues ranging from social justice and racial equality, to health care and domestic abuse, to GLBT rights and immigration reform. As an author and expert, Hershey’s work has appeared in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The New York Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. As a publisher of Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes and Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes, she also has helped educate the philanthropic sector regarding best practices. Her first book, the Communications Toolkit, published in 2005, has been distributed in all 50 states, 24 countries and across six continents. |
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