The National Women’s Business Council June 2004

Best

Practices

Best

Practices

in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship 

in the United States: 

A Compendium 

of Public and Private

Sector Organizations

and Initiatives

Best

Practices

in Supporting 

Women’s Entrepreneurship 

in the United States: 

A Compendium 

of Public and Private Sector 

Organizations and Initiatives

The National Women’s Business Council 2004
ii / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

This research was conducted for The 

National Women’s Business Council 

(NWBC) by Barrera Associates, Inc. 

The opinions and recommendations 

of the authors of this study do not 

necessarily reflect official policies of 

the NWBC, the U.S. Small Business

Administration, or any other agency 

of the U.S. government.
June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /iii

Foreword—Statement from the Chair of The National Women’s Business Council v

Acknowledgements vi

Part I. Introduction 1

Part II. An Overview of Organizations that Met the Inclusion 

Criteria and Are Fostering the Development of Women's

Entrepreneurship 3

Part III. Profiles of 24 Organizations that Met the Inclusion 

Criteria and Are Fostering the Development of Women's

Entrepreneurship (in alphabetical order) 5

1. Access America 6

2. Association of Women's Business Centers 9

3. ATHENA Foundation 11

4. Business and Professional Women/USA 14

5. Center for Women's Business Research 17

6. Center for Women's Leadership, Babson College 20

7. Committee of 200 23

8. Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence 26

9. Diana Project 28

10. Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’ Connection 30

11. Ms. Foundation for Women 32

12. National Association of Women Business Owners 36

13. National Women Business Owners Corporation 40

14. The National Women's Business Council 42

15. Office of Women’s Business Ownership, 

United States Small Business Administration 46

16. Organization of Women in International Trade 50

17. Springboard Enterprises 52

18. Three Guineas Fund 54

19. United States Census Bureau Survey of 

Women-Owned Business Enterprises 58

20. Wells Fargo Women's Business Services Program 60

21. Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. 62

22. Women Impacting Public Policy 64

23. Women's Business Enterprise National Council 66

24. Women Presidents' Organization 70

Table of Contents
iv / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Part IV. Other Organizations Contributing to 

Women in Business and to Women's 

Economic Advancement 73

1. Asian Women in Business 74

2. Boardroom Bound 75

3. Independent Means Inc. 76

4. National Association for Female Executives 77

5. National Education Center for Women in Business, 

Seton Hill University 78

6. The International Alliance of Women 79

7. United States Women's Chamber of Commerce 80

8. Vital Voices 81

9. Women's Leadership Exchange 82

10. Zonta International 83

Part V. Conclusions and Recommendations 85

Appendices 89

A. Methodology 90

B. Contact Information for Organizations Profiled in This Report 92

C. Contact Information for Organizations with 95

Brief Descriptions in This Report

D. Functional Matrix of Organizations Profiled in This Report 96

About the Authors 98
June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /v

Women continue to exert enormous influence in today’s U.S. business environment. Growth in the number and economic impact of new women-owned businesses outpaces growth among all businesses. Privately-held businesses in which

women are majority owners—6.7 million firms—are growing in number at nearly two

and a half times the national average, and adding jobs more than three times faster

than the national average (39% vs. 11.6% growth between 1997 and 2004). As of

2004, women-owned businesses employ 9.8 million workers. Further, between 1997

and 2002, an average of 424 new women-owned firms were started every day in the

U.S., translating into nearly 775,000 start-ups per year and accounting for fully 55%

of new firm start-ups.

We know from past research that women business owners are more likely than their

male counterparts to seek out multiple sources of advice and assistance. It is critical,

then, to ensure that available resources are shared with all women business owners at

each stage of development. Additionally, information-sharing is encouraged among

the organizations actually providing advice and assistance.

The National Women’s Business Council is proud to contribute “Best Practices in

Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship” to the greater body of knowledge on the 

subject of initiatives which foster the growth of women’s business ownership. It is 

our hope that it will be used to extend the understanding, reach, effectiveness, and

creation of private and public sector programs that help women business owners in

the United States and around the world to reach their goals in building and growing

successful businesses. 

Sincerely,

Marilyn Carlson Nelson

Chair, The National Women’s Business Council

Foreword 

Statement from the Chair of The National Women’s Business Council
vi / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

The authors of this study would like to thank The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC)

for their support of this project. We would also like to thank the professionals who provided

invaluable insight on women’s entrepreneurship to us during our research for this report. We are

indebted to them for their contributions of time, talent and expertise in the pursuit of promoting

women-owned businesses and women entrepreneurship in the United States. 

Specific contributors include: 

Acknowledgements

Nichole Albanese

American Women’s Economic

Development Corporation 

Ann Marie Almeida

Association of Women’s Business

Centers

Amy Bahora

Women Impacting Public Policy

Susan Bari

Women’s Business Enterprise

National Council

Bess Bendet

Three Guineas Fund 

Linda Bollinger

Boardroom Bound 

Lizzy Boucher

Center for Women’s Business

Research

Christine Briscoe

Association for Women in

International Trade 

Camille Burns

Women Presidents’ Organization

Susan W. Byers

SBA Office of Women’s Business

Ownership

Teresa Cavanagh

Women Entrepreneurs’ Connection

Felicia Correra

Organization of Women in

International Trade

Sarah Rice Cutler

SBA Office of Women’s Business

Ownership

Debra Filtzer

Springboard Enterprises

Marsha Firestone

Women Presidents’ Organization

Wilma Goldstein

SBA Office of Women’s Business

Ownership

Patricia Greene

The Diana Project

Leslie Grossman

Women’s Leadership Exchange

Sharon Hadary

Center for Women’s Business

Research

Janet Harris-Lange

National Women Business 

Owners Corporation

Myra Hart

The Diana Project 

Matthew Hurwitz

Wells Fargo Bank

Amy Johannesen

Organization of 

Women in International Trade

Karen Kerrigan

Women Entrepreneurs, Inc.

Nan Langowitz

Center for Women’s Leadership,

Babson College

Reta J. Lewis

Access America

Anna Lloyd

Committee of 200 

Andrea March

Women’s Leadership Exchange

Palestine McKinnis

Fleet Bank 

Nell Merlino

Count Me In 

Amy Millman

Springboard Enterprises

Amanda K. Perl

National Association of Women

Business Owners

Rena Pina

Center for Women’s Business

Research

Lynthia Romney

Forte Foundation 

Lindsay Ross

Independent Means, Inc. 

Ruth Runyan

U.S. Census Bureau

Sherry Saunders

Business and Professional Women

USA

Melanne Verveer 

Vital Voices 

Anna Wadia

Ms. Foundation 

Jenette Van Winkle Weaver

The International Alliance for

Women 

Catherine Wood

Zonta International

Denise Young 

ATHENA Foundation
June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /1

Women entrepreneurs are altering the

business landscape in the United States.

According to the Center for Women's Business

Research, in the United States there are currently 10.6 million privately-owned businesses in which one or more women own 50% or

more of the company. Women- and equallyowned businesses have 19.1 million employees throughout the United States and produce

$2.5 trillion in revenues. Women clearly have

tremendous influence in business. 

Who helps women-owned businesses as they

start up or as they become more established

and seasoned? Where can women entrepreneurs obtain the assistance that they need?

How can women-owned businesses obtain

access to mentoring, education, capital, markets, and the other things they require to be

truly successful? What types of support are

available from which kinds of organizations?

Those questions are answered in this report,

which profiles 24 selected organizations or

initiatives that provide outstanding support

for women-owned businesses and that have a

wide scope throughout the United States.

Strict criteria were used to determine which

organizations or initiatives to include. At a

minimum, the organizations or initiatives

included in this report must:

Be at least regional, but preferably 

national, in scope or coverage.

Have either an exclusive or major focus on

women's enterprise development.

Have a significant, sustainable track record

of achievement. 

Either provide direct assistance to current

or potential women business owners in 

one or more areas, or—by virtue of their 

programmatic activity—improve the environment for women's entrepreneurship

development generally. 

We recognize that many organizations, especially government agencies, are focused on

entrepreneurship, but if they are not primarily

or totally focused on women's entrepreneurship, they have not been included in this

report. In addition, many outstanding organizations that help women entrepreneurs have

a local rather than regional or national scope,

and such organizations also did not meet the

inclusion criteria for profiles. Other organizations, while promising in terms of their early

achievements, are too new to have a significant track record, so they were not profiled in

this report. 

Instead, organizations that met some of the

inclusion criteria but not others and were

clearly outstanding have brief, one-paragraph

descriptions in this report. Not all helpful

organizations met the criteria to be included

with brief descriptions, but we present a

cross-section of excellent organizations. 

This report represents a major updating and

expansion of the 2000 report entitled, “United

States Case Study: Successful Public and

Private Initiatives Fostering the Growth of

Women's Business Ownership”, published by

The National Women's Business Council and

the Interagency Committee on Women's

Business Enterprise. The 2000 report was

presented at the conference of the

Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD), "Women Entrepreneurs

in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises:

Realizing the Benefits of Globalization and the

Part 1

Introduction
2 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Knowledge-Based Economy." The current

report is different from the 2000 report in a

number of ways:

The profiles in this report, unlike those in

the 2000 report, are not written 

by each organization. They are instead

based on information provided by the

organizations.

This report includes 24 profiles, compared

to the 15 profiles in the 2000 report.

The current report contains short descriptions of 10 organizations or initiatives that

did not fully meet the inclusion criteria for

profiles but that nevertheless offer important support to women-owned businesses.

The current report contains a functional

matrix that shows at a glance how the 

profiled organizations compare with each

other in terms of what kind of support they

offer to women entrepreneurs. 

Because organizational logos typically

reflect the character and goals of the

organizations, such logos are included in

the present report.

This report is arranged in the following 

manner: 

Part II presents an overview of organizations or initiatives that foster successful

women's entrepreneurship. 

Part III offers profiles of the 24 selected

organizations that encourage and support

women's entrepreneurship in specific ways. 

Part IV presents brief descriptions of some

other organizations that contribute to

women's entrepreneurship but that did not

meet the inclusion criteria for complete

profiles.

Part V provides conclusions and recommendations.

The appendices are a very important part of

this report. They provide a comparison of

organizations or initiatives in the form of a

matrix, a statement of the methodology, and

websites of the organizations or initiatives

profiled and briefly described in this report. 

Appendix A describes the methodology

used to conduct the research for this

report. It presents steps from the initial 

discussion stage through the verification

and reporting stage. 

Appendix B lists websites of organizations

or initiatives that have been profiled in 

this report.

Appendix C lists websites of organizations

or initiatives that have been briefly

described in this report. 

Appendix D is a functional matrix of 

organizations or initiatives profiled in 

this report. This matrix allows crossorganizational comparisons according 

to the type of assistance that each 

organization or initiative provides to

women entrepreneurs. 
June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /3

As shown in the matrix of organizations in Appendix D, our profiles of the 24 

organizations can be viewed in two major ways: (a) type of organization and 

(b) nature of support offered by each organization. 

Type of Organization

As shown in Chart 1, organizations were categorized as follows:

Public sector (3 organizations)

Entrepreneurial support organization / non-profit (9 organizations)

Membership association (8 organizations)

Corporation, for-profit organization (2 organizations)

Educational organization (2 organizations)

Nature of Support Offered by Each Organization

Most of the organizations profiled in this report provided more than one type of support. For

example, many gave access to education, mentoring, or technical assistance as well as

access to networking opportunities. The figures below reflect all the kinds of access

offered by the profiled organizations. Therefore, the figures add up to more than 24. Only

main emphases are shown. (see Chart 2)

By far the most frequent emphases of the profiled organizations were on access to education, mentoring, or technical assistance, and access to networks or networking, with 16 of

the 24 organizations (67%) offering each of these.

Access to influencing public policy and opinion was an emphasis of 

8 of the 24 organizations (33%). 

Access to capital was a focus of 6 of the 24 organizations (25%). 

5 of the 24 organizations (21%) provided access to research. 

5 of the 24 organizations (21%) specifically offered access to markets.

4 of the 24 organizations (17%) offered access to honors for outstanding leadership in the

area of women's entrepreneurship or related areas. 

Access to certification of women-owned businesses was a centerpiece of 2 of the 24

organizations (8%). 

Part II

An Overview of Organizations Fostering the Development 

of Women’s Entrepreneurship
4 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Each of the 24 profiles that follows is organized in the following way:

Identifying information

—Type of organization

—Client groups served

Basic descriptive information

—Description

—Mission 

—History

—Issues addressed

Achievements

—Successful elements 

(in perceived order of organizational emphasis)

—Milestones

Lessons Learned

Contact Information

Continued

Chart 1. Types of Organizations

Chart 2. Number of Organizations Providing 

Different Types of Support
Part III 

Profiles

of 24 organizations that

met the inclusion criteria 

and are fostering women’s

entrepreneurship
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization:

Membership Association (Program of the

United States Chamber of Commerce)

Client Groups Served:

Minority and women business leaders and

entrepreneurs. 

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

Access America is a United States Chamber of

Commerce initiative for minority and women

business leaders and entrepreneurs. Its programs open doors to networks and capital

markets and foster strategic alliances. Access

America draws upon the network of state and

local chambers of commerce and upon existing partnerships with major corporations,

government agencies and civic and trade

associations to address challenges facing

minority and women executives.

Mission 

Access America’s mission is to identify and

seize opportunities, forge partnerships, and

obtain equal access to capital in order to

expand women-owned or minority-owned

businesses in the United States and abroad. In

addition, Access America aims to build

alliances and partnerships with Chamber

members; to empower a new community of

business leaders; and to bring diversity to

existing Chamber programs.

History

• 1912 United States Chamber of Commerce

was established by President Taft.

• 1925 United States Chamber of Commerce

headquarters building was completed.

• 2002 United States Chamber of Commerce

launched its Access America initiative.

Issues Addressed

• Examples of challenges for women and

minority entrepreneurs include access to

quality health care, access to international

markets, and access to understanding procurement and privatization issues. 

6 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Access America, United States Chamber of Commerce
ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance 

• Capital Connection — Access to capital is the

number one traditional barrier to ensuring

growth and success among women and

minority businesses. Through Access

America, the United States Chamber of

Commerce hosts a series of activities on the

barriers women and minority business leaders face in accessing needed capital to grow

their businesses. This program brings

together established CEOs, high-level

minority and women executives, women

and minority business owners, government

decision makers, and individuals with

expertise on national capital markets to discuss the state of capital investment for

women and minority business owners.

• Education — Access America builds on the

Chamber’s existing partnerships with major

corporations, academic and research institutions, and trade associations and its own

national network of state and local chambers to create and host a series of forums

and roundtables. These address the continuing challenges faced by minority and

women business leaders. Publications are

co-branded in order to provide a set of tools

for the exchange of information.

Access to Influencing Public Policy and Opinion

• Advocacy — From candid discussions on

critical business issues such as taxes, regulatory reform, workforce development, ecommerce, technological innovations, capital markets and international expansion and

trade, minority and women business leaders

are encouraged to add their voice at the

table to ensure that their needs are heard by

lawmakers. Access America ensures that

these leaders are encouraged to discuss

issues of importance to the vitality of the

United States economy.

Access to Markets

• International Business Expansion —

Recognizing that women and minorityowned businesses are rapidly entering

international markets in increasing numbers, the United States Chamber is establishing programming that is dedicated to

promoting and preparing women and

minority business leaders to compete in

such regions as Latin America and the

Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Central Europe.

• Access America leverages the Chamber’s

international network, including its 93

American Chambers of Commerce abroad,

to host an international business series targeted at this emerging market. Access

America brings together international leaders, government, business and industry representatives with minority and women business leaders interested in growing their

businesses internationally. This program

has the objective to assist the women and

minority market segment in overcoming

barriers to full participation in the global

marketplace.

• Access America’s international programming is guided by key concerns women and

minority business leaders have in going

global, such as: maintaining profits, managing cash flow, international economies,

national/international business laws and

trade regulations, access to technology,

forging international business networks and

opening the doors to international investors. 

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /7

Access America, United States Chamber of Commerce, continued 
Milestones

The United States Chamber of Commerce 

represents: 

• More than 3 million businesses

• Nearly 3,000 state and local chambers

• 830 associations

• 93 American Chambers of Commerce

abroad.

Access America has affected:

• 600 conference participants (3 national 

conferences with approximately 200 

participants each). Over 1,000 participants

in the last two years in all of Access

America’s activities.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Identify and seize opportunities, forge partnerships, and obtain equal access to the

capital markets in order to expand womenowned or minority-owned business in the

United States and abroad. 

• The timing for women and minority entrepreneurs to get out of their own backyards

and transition from local, regional, or niche

market players to global market players has

never been better.

• Women and minority business leaders, as

advocates, are breaking new ground and

fostering a greater awareness and appreciation for mutually beneficial partnerships.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Access America

United States Chamber of Commerce

1615 H Street, NW

Washington, DC 20062

Telephone: 202-659-6000 and 202-463-5870

Fax: 202-463-5836

E-mail: accessamerica@uschamber.com 

Web site: http://www.uschamber.com/access/default

8 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Access America, United States Chamber of Commerce, continued 
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization:

Membership Association

Client Groups Served: 

Women’s business centers and women 

business owners.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

The Association supports entrepreneurial

development of women as a way to achieve

economic self-sufficiency, create wealth, and

participate in economic development through

education, training, mentoring, business

development, and financing opportunities. It

provides support and services to women business owners, ranging from underserved

women entrepreneurs to women securing

rounds of venture capital. 

Mission 

The Association of Women’s Business Centers

develops and strengthens a global network of

women’s business centers to advance the

growth and success of women business owners. The vision of the Association is a world

where economic justice, wealth, and wellbeing are realized through the collective leadership and power of successful entrepreneurial women. 

History

• 1998 AWBC was founded.

Issues Addressed

• Need for information about all women’s

business centers and leaders in order to

define the scope and breadth of overall

women-led entrepreneurial initiatives.

• Need for a collective external voice.

• Need for a collaborative and comprehensive

economic strategy.

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /9

Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC)
ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• Association members assist women’s business centers in all stages of organizational

development. 

• The Association raises the level of awareness of the importance and clout of

women’s business centers and women business owners. 

• The Association provides training, education, and funding strategies for women’s

business centers. 

• The Association supports women’s business

centers’ programs and their constituents. 

Access to Influencing Public Policy 

and Opinion

• The Association maintains a successful relationship with members of Congress and

national partners who turn to it for wisdom

and experience. 

• The Association keeps its members and

women’s business centers involved and

builds a supportive voice for the centers and

for women business owners.

• The Association expands the base of stakeholders, advocates, and the general public

about the needs of women business owners

and their employees. 

Milestones

• 200+ women’s business centers

• 6.2 million majority-owned privately held,

women-owned firms

• Between 1997 and 2002, employment in

women-owned firms increased by 30%, and

revenues grew by 40%, indicating that

women’s economic clout is increasing.

Many of these women business owners

receive counseling, guidance, and training

from one of the country’s women’s business

centers. 

LESSONS LEARNED

• Women’s business centers can achieve more

when they unite. 

• The importance and clout of these centers is

increasingly significant in the United States.

• Best practices, mentoring relationships, and

network alliances are best served with a

macro lens on the world.

• Women’s business centers and women

business owners are the portal to economic

vitality.

• Financial sustainability is best achieved

through collaborative effort. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Association of Women’s Business

Centers

PO Box 1255

Camden, ME 04843

Telephone: 207-236-9753

Fax: 207-236-2954

E-mail: ama@awbc.biz

Web site: http://www.womensbusinesscenters.org

10 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: 

Entrepreneurial Support Organization / 

Non-profit 

Client Groups Served: Local, national,

and international ATHENA award recipients,

chamber of commerce representatives, 

sponsors and friends.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

The ATHENA Foundation promotes women’s

leadership, honors outstanding leaders, offers

nationally known speakers at its annual conference, teaches the ATHENA Leadership

Model, mentors women-owned businesses

through professional advisory panels, and has

a Global Mentoring Program. 

Mission 

The mission of the ATHENA Foundation is to

promote women business leaders, as well as

best practices in women’s leadership, in the

United States and around the world. 

History

• 1980 Martha Mayhood Mertz, owner of a

real estate firm, was invited to serve on the

Board of Directors of a regional Chamber of

Commerce and discovered that she was the

only working woman on the Board. She also

learned that in 75 years of presenting community awards, her Chamber had only once

honored a woman.

• 1982 The first ATHENA Award was given. 

• 1986 The Executive Committee was formed.

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /11

ATHENA Foundation
• 1987 The ATHENA Foundation was established.

• 1997 The ATHENA network expanded to

395 cities, and more than 2,600 women and

men were recipients of the ATHENA Award.

• 1999 The ATHENA Leadership Model was

published, the first ATHENA World Café was

held, and the ATHENA PowerLink Program

had five pilot sites. 

• 2000 The ATHENA Global Links Mentoring

Program was launched.

Issues Addressed

• Need for greater recognition of outstanding

professional and business women

• Need for support and mentoring of women

entrepreneurs around the world

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• Education and mentoring follow the

ATHENA Leadership Model, which was 

created with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg

Foundation and which incorporates the

leadership practices of ATHENA® Award

Recipients. Drawing on the talents of

women and men inclusively, the model

affirms a values-based philosophy of leadership that celebrates relationships and

service to the community. The model contains eight core tenets: (a) authentic self, 

(b) celebration and joy, (c) collaboration, 

(d) courageous acts, (e) fierce advocacy, 

(f) giving back, (g) learning, and 

(h) relationships. 

• Since 1999, the ATHENAPowerLink® Program

has been helping women owned businesses

expand profitably through the use of professional advisory panels. The proven mentoring process “links” a women-owned business with a volunteer panel of advisors

recruited from the local community. The

panel and business owner work together for

one year to meet the specific objectives of

the business owner. With the help of the

panel, women business owners learn to network, access capital and implement best

practices from these volunteer advisors.

• Based on the ATHENA Leadership Model®

,

the ATHENA World Café reinforces the

importance of connecting with each other

through meaningful dialogue and discussion. Like a café, an informal, comfortable

atmosphere is created that invites reflection

and sharing of ideas on leadership. The session is designed to be interactive, allowing

participants to not only listen, but express

and develop their views. It is through conversation and shared experiences, that individual and organizational change is created.

• The ATHENA Global Links Mentoring Program

is a collaborative effort in which volunteer

mentors are selected through the ATHENA

Foundation in the United States and

Canada. The objective of the collaboration

is to augment the academic leadership curriculum of students at Zayed University in

the United Arab Emirates, to increase

awareness and understanding between peoples of different cultures and backgrounds,

and to provide women leaders for the

United Arab Emirates who will have the

vision, the capacity and the courageous

determination to create a world in which

current and future generations can flourish.

This will be accomplished through sharing

of both personal communication and practical experience of the mentors and students

via the internet. Partners in this effort are

12 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

ATHENA Foundation, continued
Zayed University, the ATHENA Foundation,

and CommonWell Associates Ltd. 

Access to Networks/Networking

• ATHENA conferences offer insightful and

provocative nationally known speakers who

address issues of interest to today’s leaders,

as well as speakers whose messages nourish the spirit. 

• Best-practices sessions for planning, promoting and producing successful ATHENA

programs afford the chance to enhance local

programs and bring home new initiatives. In

addition, a cultural evening and the presentation of the International ATHENA Award

provide attendees with opportunities to

experience regional flavors and network in

relaxed, yet stimulating settings.

Access to Honors

• The ATHENA Award program promotes

women’s leadership and honors outstanding

leaders. By recognizing exceptional individuals, the award program seeks to inspire others to achieve excellence. The caliber of candidates who receive the ATHENA Award is

exceptional and leads to significant recognition for participating organizations. The

ATHENA Award is presented annually by

host organizations in local communities by

soliciting nominations of individuals who

meet these criteria: (a) actively assists

women in realizing their full leadership

potential, (b) demonstrates excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession; and (c) provides valuable service by

contributing time and energy to improve the

quality of life for others in the community.

Milestones

• Since 1982, over 4,500 women and men

have been honored with ATHENA Awards

• Over 7,000 newsletter readers

• Over 1,300 people visit the web site on an

average day

• Over 85,000 people attended ATHENA

events in 2003

• 523 communities have presented ATHENA

Awards

LESSONS LEARNED

• Recognizing outstanding leaders inspires

others to achieve excellence. 

• Collaboration is essential to foster women’s

enterprises worldwide. 

• The core tenets of the ATHENA Leadership

Model are valuable for anyone who is working to promote women-owned business. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

ATHENA Foundation

70 E. Lake Street, Suite 1220

Chicago, IL 60601-5939

Telephone: 312-580-0111

Fax: 312-580-0110

E-mail: athena@athenafoundation.org 

Web site: http://www.athenafoundation.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /13

ATHENA Foundation, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization:

Membership Association 

Client Groups Served: 

American working women seeking to advance

career goals, earn higher salaries, build

stronger business, achieve pay equity and

equal opportunities and establish rewarding

careers.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

Business and Professional Women/USA promotes equity for all women in the workplace

through advocacy, education and information.

BPW/USA is the leading advocate for millions

of working women on work-life balance and

workplace equity issues. BPW Local

Organizations provide members with professional development programs, networking,

participation in grassroots activism, and

opportunities to support scholarships for 

disadvantaged women.

BPW/USA is a leader in promoting and supporting legislation affecting working women.

In addition, BPW educates its members on

policy issues and provides them with the tools

to become effectively involved in policy development in their own workplaces and in grassroots efforts at the local, state and federal levels. BPW/USA members not only work at the

grassroots level but support their beliefs

financially. BPW’s Political Action Committee

(BPW/PAC) provides contributions and

endorsements to women and pro-women federal candidates who support the BPW legislative agenda. 

14 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Business and Professional Women/USA
Mission 

Business and Professional Women/USA is

committed to workplace equity and work-life

balance. The organization’s mission is to

achieve equity for all American working

women through advocacy, education, and

information.

History

• 1919 Business and Professional

Women/USA was founded.

• 1937 BPW/USA was one of the first

women’s organizations to endorse the Equal

Rights Amendment and has been a successful leader in promoting and supporting legislation affecting working women ever since. 

• 1956 Business and Professional Women

Foundation was established to promote

equity for working women through education, information, research and financial

assistance as well as serving as a resource

on issues affecting workingwomen in the

workplace. 

Issues Addressed

• Need for women to advance career goals,

earn higher salaries, build stronger business, achieve pay equity and equal opportunities, and establish rewarding careers.

• Need to raise awareness of issues affecting

working women among business leaders

and legislators. 

• Need for women to learn from each other,

support each other, network, improve working conditions, and create lifelong friendships.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Influencing Public Policy 

and Opinion

• National Business Women’s Week has, for

more than 75 years, spotlighted the accomplishments of women and the their importance to American business. 

• Policy & Action Conference held annually for

grassroots members in Washington, DC to

learn and lobby.

• BPW/USA’s Legislative Hotline is updated

each week and provides BPW/USA members

current information and reports concerning

our legislative priorities.

• Equal Pay Day and Unhappy Hours highlight

the continuing wage gap.

Access to Education, Mentorship, or

Technical Assistance

• The National Conference held annually,

brings together more than 800 women for a

week of BPW business, professional development workshops, career coaching, networking and friendship renewal.

• Career Advancement Scholarships support

women 25 years or older wanting to

improve their lives and careers.

• Virginia Allen Young Careerist Program helps

young women and men, 21-35, hone their

professional skills.

• Individual Development Programs help women

build the skills that will enable them to take

that next important step in their career.

• WOMENomics forums address issues that

affect workingwomen in order to gain a better understanding of what they need and

want to achieve. 

• The BPW Foundation—Women Helping Women

Achieve Success, a 501 (c) (3) charitable

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /15

Business and Professional Women/USA, continued
organization established in 1956 to promote

equity for workingwomen though education,

information, research and financial assistance as well as serving as a resource on

issues affecting women in the workplace.

• BusinessWoman, published quarterly, is an

essential resource for workingwomen

nationwide and the main communications

vehicle for the BPW membership. Ninety

percent of readers rate BusinessWoman as an

excellent resource for workingwomen. 

• Headquarters News, an electronic bi-weekly

publication, keeps BPW/USA members

across the country up-to-date on the latest

happenings at the national level and important developments in issues and trends

affecting workplace equity.

Access to Honors

• Women Mean Business Awards recognize

women who are leading the way.

Milestones

Organization

• 1,500 local organizations across the country 

• Members in every congressional district

• Advocacy for millions of workingwomen on

work-life balance and workplace equity issues

Membership

• 75% are women working in business 

• 30% are professionals in the fields of law,

medicine, government, finance, education,

and engineering 

• 30% are CEOs, executives and managers 

• 30% are small business owners 

• 70% have a graduate or post graduate degree 

Foundation

• More than $6 million awarded in loans,

scholarships and grants to over 8,000

women seeking to improve their lives

LESSONS LEARNED

• When women work together, they can

encourage each other, advance their

careers, increase their income, build

stronger businesses, and create equity in

the workplace.

• It is crucial for women in business to influence public policy.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Business and Professional Women/USA

1900 M Street, NW, Suite 310

Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: 202-293-1100

Fax: 202-861-0298

E-mail: memberservices@bpwusa.org

Web site: http://www.bpwusa.org

16 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Business and Professional Women/USA, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization:

Entrepreneurial Support Organization / 

Non-profit

Client Groups Served: 

Women business owners, leading corporations, government agencies, policy makers,

academic institutions, financial institutions,

and the media.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

The Center for Women’s Business Research is

a premier source of knowledge about women

business owners and their enterprises worldwide. Since 1989, the Center has painted a

picture of the women-owned business landscape through original research documenting

the economic and social contributions of

women-owned firms. 

By tracking the growth, trends, and leadership styles of women-owned businesses, the

Center has helped to illuminate the significant

economic, social and cultural impact these

businesses are having worldwide.

The Center shares its knowledge with policy

makers, financial institutions, corporate leaders, government agencies, academic institutions, and the media through research reports,

press releases, newsletter publications, seminars, speaking engagements, and the Internet.

Mission

The Center’s mission is to unleash the economic potential of women entrepreneurs by

conducting research, sharing information, and

increasing knowledge about this fast-growing

sector of the economy.

History

• 1988 The Center was founded as the

National Foundation for Women Business

Owners by 12 women entrepreneurs.

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /17

Center for Women’s Business Research
• Since 1989 the Center has been active as a

research, consulting, and leadership development organization. 

• 1992 The Center published its first major

report.

• 2001 The name changed to the Center for

Women’s Business Research.

Issues Addressed

• Need for research-based intelligence that

could inform public- and private-sector

decision makers

• Need to document with hard data the economic contributions and successes of

women entrepreneurs 

• Need for a heightened visibility of women’s

approaches to doing business and their 

economic and social impact on the business

world

• Need to identify issues women entrepreneurs care about as well as the challenges

of running and growing their businesses 

• Need to get companies, policy makers, and

other organizations to step forward and

meet women’s needs with good programs,

products, and services

• Need to transform the landscape for women

business owners and highlighting the

impact of women in all areas of business. 

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Research

• The Center conducts and publishes highvisibility research projects on groundbreaking topics, including statistical reports

and survey research reports.

• The Center conducts customized research for

corporations to gain marketing intelligence. 

• The Center’s website features: a list of top ten

facts about women business owners, monthly

interviews with experts on women’s entrepreneurship, recent press releases about the

Center’s research studies, latest trends reports

on the 50 states and the top 50 metropolitan

areas, links to websites of organizations related to women’s entrepreneurship, a resource

center (including a guide to methods that

work for creating corporate clients), an online

newsletter called Center News, a list of publications available for purchase, and the opportunity to subscribe to the Center’s mailing list.

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance 

• The Center shares its knowledge in 

multiple ways, including its web site, 

http://www.womensbusinessresearch.org

• The Center for Women’s Business Research

delivers keynote speeches and conducts

seminars on the growth and impact of

women-owned firms and on doing business

with women business owners. 

• The Center produces educational materials

featuring its research, e.g., Key Facts about

Women-Owned Businesses fact card.

Access to Networks/Networking

• The Center hosts an annual Executive

Roundtable. The 2004 roundtable, being held

in New York City, will take the form of a

leadership summit on doing business with

women entrepreneurs.

Milestones

• Since 1992, the Center has completed over

40 research studies. 

• The website, http://www.womensbusinessresearch.org , receives, on average, more

than 400,000 hits per month. 

18 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Center for Women’s Business Research, continued
• The number of women business owners

who have directly benefited from the

Center’s work is countless. 

LESSONS LEARNED

• The Center’s research has been the impetus

for powerful programs and initiatives to

support the growth of women-owned firms.

Leading corporations, government agencies,

and universities use research and knowledge from the Center to establish marketing

campaigns, strengthen supplier diversity

programs, gain visibility, launch training

programs, redirect initiatives, and take

advantage of new economic opportunities. 

• The Center’s research has provided the

rationale for funding training programs that

cover the entire spectrum of women’s entrepreneurship—from women whose only hope

of self sufficiency is owning their business,

to women who flock to boot camps to learn

how to attract millions of dollars in venture

capital. 

• Its research continues to drive the design

and expansion of both public and private

sector programs—programs that expand

opportunities for women to lead profitable,

growth-oriented businesses. 

• Most importantly, the research creates the

recognition of the economic and social

impact of women business owners and their

enterprises.

• The following brief overview demonstrates

the impact of the Center for Women’s

Business Research. 

—Wells Fargo launched, nationally, first a

$1 billion loan fund; then a $10 billion

loan fund; and most recently, a $15 billion

loan fund for women business owners. 

—Congress has funded more than 90

Women Business Development Centers

nationwide. 

—Springboard Enterprises was established

to open up equity markets to women

business owners and in two years helped

women entrepreneurs raise over $1.7 billion in equity capital. 

—IBM established a business segment

specifically targeting women business

owners, first in the United States and

then internationally. 

—SCORE, an organization that lends retired

executives to businesses, established an

initiative specifically targeted to advise

women entrepreneurs. 

—Major regional banks, such as

FleetBoston and Wachovia, launched

women’s entrepreneurial initiatives,

including education, networking, and

access to capital. 

—The United States Small Business

Administration expanded loan programs

for women entrepreneurs. 

—The Harvard Business School established

a program to prepare and distribute case

studies on successful women business

leaders, thanks in part to a generous gift

from a leading woman business owner. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Center for Women’s Business Research

1411 K Street, NW

Suite 1350

Washington, DC 20005-3407

Telephone: 202-638-3060

Fax: 202-638-3064

E-mail: info@womensbusinessresearch.org 

Web site: http://www.womensbusinessresearch.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /19

Center for Women’s Business Research, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: 

Educational 

Client Groups Served: 

Students, Babson alumni, and professionals

interested in advancing women in business

and entrepreneurship worldwide.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

This is the first comprehensive center dedicated to women in business and entrepreneurship at a leading school of management. It

builds alliances to advance women, develops

the next generation of business leaders, conducts research, and offers networking for

career enhancement. 

Mission

Through education programs and research,

the center develops women’s leadership skills

and facilitates the advancement of women as

entrepreneurial leaders within corporations,

entrepreneurial business ventures, and notfor-profit organizations.

History

• 1999 the Center for Women’s Leadership at

Babson College began as a grassroots effort

of faculty, administration, trustees, and

alumnae.

• 2000 the Center was formally established. 

Issues Addressed

• Babson College created the Center for

Women’s Leadership because women are

underrepresented in the top ranks of corporate leadership and because women-owned

business is the fastest-growing segment of

the economy.

20 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Center for Women’s Leadership, Babson College
ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• On the Babson campus, the Center for

Women’s Leadership provides educational

programs to ensure a mix of leadership role

models is available to all Babson students.

Students have the opportunity to learn from

senior corporate women as well as entrepreneurs. Interactive panel events such as

“Both Sides of Work and Family” — comprised of dual career couples — and

“Decisions in My Corporate Career” serve

as a forum for the Babson community to

explore the realities of career advancement

choices.

• The Center also sponsors the Women’s

Leadership Program for high-potential

women in Babson’s top-ranked undergraduate and MBA programs. Women’s

Leadership students receive enriched mentoring and learning opportunities designed

to enhance their leadership skills and career

readiness. Women accepted into the program at the point of admission to Babson

College are also supported through a scholarship award.

Access to Research 

• The Center for Women’s Leadership conducts research that focuses on the economic

value that women create/generate as business leaders. Studies also focus on the context and influence of women as organizational leaders and the ways in which organizations are transforming themselves to

most effectively tap the diversity of managerial talent. Through joint research with leading organizations, the Center broadens its

ability to investigate and understand the

challenges of business leadership by

women. The Center for Women’s Leadership

makes its research reports available for

downloading through its website. 

• An example of the Center’s research is the

2003 report, Women in Family-Owned

Businesses. This report was based on results

of the MassMutual Financial Group/Raymond

Institute American Family Business Survey,

directed and supported by the Loyola

University Chicago Family Business Center,

the Cox Family Enterprise Center at

Kennesaw State University, and Babson

College. The report showed that though

female-owned family firms are similar in

some ways to male-owned family firms

(e.g., optimistic view of the future despite

economic conditions, substantial and wellestablished businesses), many differences

exist as well. For instance, female-owned

family firms are typically 10 years younger

than male-owned firms and more are firstgeneration businesses. The owners of

woman-owned family firms assumed their

roles as owners at an age five years older

than their male counterparts. Female-owned

family firms do more with less; they are

nearly two times as productive as maleowned family firms. Woman-owned family

firms are more than twice as likely to employ

women family members full-time and nearly

three times as likely to employ more than

one female family member full-time.

• The Ewing-Marion Foundation has funded a

project led by the Association of Women’s

Business Centers (AWBC). The study, to be

conducted by the Center for Women’s

Leadership at Babson College, is a comprehensive research effort to compile accurate

data regarding the impact of women’s busiJune 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /21

Center for Women’s Leadership, Babson College, continued
ness centers and women business owners.

Babson will design and conduct a survey

among leaders of women’s business centers.

Access to Networks/Networking

• Through the Center for Women’s

Leadership, Babson has formed strategic

alliances with organizations that advance

the education and support of managerial

and entrepreneurial women. Babson is a

founding board member of the Forté

Foundation, a national organization that

seeks to increase the number of woman

business owners and business leaders by

increasing the flow of women into key educational gateways and business networks. 

• In addition, Women’s Leadership Councils

in Boston and New York continue to reach

out to alumnae and to provide them with

educational opportunities and a point of

connection. 

Access to Capital

• Babson is a sponsor of Springboard, a venture capital forum for woman entrepreneurs

and has hosted both the New England

Springboard Venture Forum and the

Entrepreneurs Bootcamp. 

Milestones

• The Women Leaders Program serves 125

undergraduate and MBA students and has

graduated 45 alumnae. 

• The Center for Women’s Leadership programs and services cumulatively serve as

many as 3,000 students a year.

• 1,100 newsletter recipients monthly

• 535 attendees at the 2003 annual conference, “Women Leading Change”

• The Center for Women’s Leadership typically hosts two educational events per semester that are open to the entire campus and

that attract, on the average, 150 attendees. 

• Over 180 female and male students attended the Consumer Marketing Career panel

discussion. 

LESSONS LEARNED

• One reason the Center has been able to do

so much so quickly is that the program is a

result of the collaboration and joint efforts

of faculty, staff, students, and government,

thanks to which the center now has a dedicated staff.

• It is important to choose products of value

to attendees as well as those that give visibility to the organization.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Center for Women’s Leadership

Babson College

Nichols 100

Babson Park, MA 02457-0310

Telephone: 781-239-5001

Fax: 781-239-5322

E-mail: cwl@babson.edu 

Web site: http://www3.babson.edu/cwl

22 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Center for Women’s Leadership, Babson College, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: 

Membership Association

Client Groups Served:

The next generation of women business 

leaders, aspiring entrepreneurs.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

The Committee of 200 is a professional organization of preeminent women entrepreneurs and

corporate leaders. The organization capitalizes

on the power, success, and influence of businesswomen in the global economy.

Members donate their time as panelists at

Outreach Seminars, team up for Mentor Growing

Entrepreneurs, and speak to a wide range of

audiences throughout the year. Members also

work behind the scenes in major corporations,

ensuring that more doors open for women

business leaders.

C200 is based in the United States with

international members in Europe, Asia, and

Latin America. Over 445 women members now

represent more than 80 industries, including

manufacturing, technology, and finance.

Entrepreneurs form 70% of the total membership. Entrepreneurs who qualify own and run

companies that earn at least $15 million in

annual revenues. Corporate executives make

up 30% of the membership. Corporate executives who qualify are either CEOs or senior

executives leading substantial operating divisions, with direct impact on annual revenues

of $250 million or more. 

Mission

C200 members are dedicated to convincing the

next generation of women business leaders that

they have “the right stuff” to succeed as entrepreneurs and corporate executives. C200’s initiatives include presenting women with role

models who can share insights and hands-on

experience. Through seminars, scholarships,

mentoring, research, and case studies, members

help aspiring businesswomen as well as experienced entrepreneurs capitalize on their unique

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /23

Committee of 200 (C200)
skills and abilities.

History

• 1982 A handful of the most powerful women

in business gather in Los Angeles and conceive an agenda to create a national network

that would capitalize on the experience of

women at the top echelons of business. They

create The Committee of 200, a small, private

organization intent on keeping a low profile. 

• Since that time, the Committee of 200

(C200) has emerged as a powerful catalyst

for changing the face of business today. 

• 1986 C200 launches the C200 Foundation,

the organization’s grant-making arm. The

C200 Foundation provides young women

with tools they need to become entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.

Issues Addressed

• Need for women role models in case studies

used in business schools

• Need for networking among women business leaders

• Need for education and guidance for women

entrepreneurs

• Need for sound research to support growth

of women’s business ownership

• Need for recognition of outstanding women

business leaders

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Education, Mentoring, or Technical

Assistance

• C200 sponsors the Growing Entrepreneurs

Mentoring Program for women entrepreneurs

whose businesses gross $3 million to $10 million in revenues.

• C200 holds Outreach Seminars, which are oneday conferences where C200 members

engage with MBA students at some of the

nation’s leading business schools. 

• In 2004, women MBA candidates from one of

the nation’s highest-ranking part-time MBA

programs plan and execute this Outreach

Seminar with C200 members acting as panelists and keynote speakers.

• In 2004, the Outreach Seminars are going to

the undergraduate level as well.

• Speakers Bureau: C200 Speakers are a select

group of members who can share their indepth knowledge and experience with aspiring and experienced business professionals as

well as general audiences. Women business

owners can find out about the latest best

practices in the new global economy. They

can learn what it takes to become a corporate

“intrapreneur” and discover how to achieve

balance in today’s fast-moving world. 

Access to Networks/Networking

• Events put C200 members in touch with the

leaders, organizations, ideas and issues

influencing our world today. Examples

include: 

• Second Russia-United States Women

Business Leaders’ Summit - Members and

guests of C200 join Russian members of The

Committee of 20 in Moscow for an exchange

of views on the business climate in both

countries and discussions of the realities and

opportunities for both Russian and American

women. This is a follow-up to the 2002

Entrepreneur Summit in Moscow.

24 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Committee of 200 (C200), continued
• Global Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs

Forum, Beijing and Shanghai, China - An

important invitation extended by The AllChina Women’s Federation, where The

Committee of 200 will exchange ideas and

opportunities with the leading businesswomen of China and Japan.

Access to Honors

• C200 honors outstanding women business

leaders and innovators through the annual

Luminary Awards.

• C200 provides C200 Scholar Awards, $25,000

scholarships granted twice each year to an

outstanding first-year woman MBA student

chosen from each program participating in a

C200 Outreach Seminar.

Access to Research

• Research helps us capitalize on the growing

power and success of women in the global

economy. To date, the Committee of 200 has

collaborated with the Center for Women’s

Business Research and/or Catalyst to produce three major studies:

• Leaders in Business and Community: The

Philanthropic Contributions of Women and Men

Business Owners. November, 2000.

Conducted by the Center for Women’s

Business Research and facilitated by the

Committee of 200.

• Philanthropy Among Business Women of

Achievement. November, 1999.

Conducted by the Center for Women’s

Business Research and facilitated by The

Committee of 200.

• Paths to Entrepreneurship: New Directions for

Women in Business. February, 1998. Prepared

by Catalyst and the Center for Women’s

Business Research, and facilitated by The

Committee of 200. 

Milestones

• The C200/Marjorie Alfus Case Study Program at

Harvard Business School is a collaborative

program creating business case studies featuring women business leaders. These case

studies are distributed to MBA programs

worldwide.

• Vantage Point: Monthly e-column exploring a

wide range of topics - from angel investing to

e-commerce, from how to handle an economic downturn to managing risk. Guest columnists analyze issues and trends, track industry

growth, offer market insights, and explore the

new global economy. Guest columnists are

among the top experts inside retail, technology, finance, industry and the corporate world.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Preeminent women entrepreneurs and outstanding women corporate executives can

make a significant national and international difference for women in business. 

• Participants receive “hands-on” value from

each C200 event, which serves as a laboratory for learning, a forum for exchanging ideas

and resources, or an opportunity for bringing

the mind, body, and spirit into balance.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The Committee of 200

980 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1575

Chicago, IL 60611 

Telephone: 312-255-0296

Fax: 312-255-0789

E-mail: info@c200.org

Web site: http://www.c200.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /25

Committee of 200 (C200), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-profit

Client Groups Served: Women seeking

start-up business loans, education, training

and support.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

Count Me In champions the cause for

women’s economic independence by providing access to business loans, consultation and

education. The first online microlender, Count

Me In uses a unique, women-friendly credit

scoring system to make loans of $500-

$10,000 available to women across the United

States who have nowhere to turn for their first

business loan. The loan process uses the

Internet for every step. Count Me In has

developed its model for replication both

domestically and internationally. The organization provides access to networks that

expand contacts, markets, skills and confidence. Count Me In’s chairman and CEO,

Nell Merlino, is one of the original two cofounders and the social entrepreneur who

created “Take Our Daughters to Work Day.”

Mission

The mission of Count Me In is to provide

start-up business loans, education and training – all online – to women in all 50 states, in

both rural and urban areas, by means of a

women-friendly scoring system. This scoring

system addresses systemic discrimination

against women’s access to credit and capital.

This mission is to make real the American

promise of opportunity, equality, and inclusion for women who want to start a business. 

History

• 1999 Count Me In was founded as the first

online micro-lender.

• It remains the only one today. 

Issues Addressed

• Women own 38% of small businesses, but

26 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence (CMI)
receive only 12% of small business credit,

and access to credit is consistently identified as the top concern for women business

owners in this country. Credit scoring is a

key lever to women’s economic equity, and

traditional credit scoring used by major

financial institutions unintentionally discriminates against women. There was a

need to create a women-friendly scoring

system for loans. 

• Count Me In also targets women who need

support and training to get their businesses

off the ground.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Capital

• Count Me In has an innovative, “womenfriendly” credit scoring methodology that

facilitates loans to women who might not

otherwise qualify.

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• Count Me In has new online business training and educational programs to support

women in becoming successful entrepreneurs. For example, Bizline links women

with Count Me In business experts, who

answer questions within 48 hours. 

• Count Me In’s Biz Education classes are also

online and can be taken at the learner’s

own pace. 

Access to Networks/Networking

• Count Me In has partnerships with business

organizations, women’s organizations, and

media to create awareness of Count Me In’s

programs.

Milestones

• In its first two years, Count Me In made

more than 180 loans to a geographically

and ethnically diverse group of women in 42

states. 

• The organization made 11 new business

loans the week of September 11, 2001.

• To date, Count Me In has made 500 loans in

amounts ranging from $500 to $10,000 to

women in all 50 states. 

• The loan repayment rate is 91%.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Count Me In has been actively providing

loans, education and training for just over

three years and is still in its early stages of

development. 

• One key learning has been that many, many

women in the United States have the creative ideas and determination to start their

own businesses but lack access to the capital, training, and support to get their businesses off the ground. 

• Providing the right resources is crucial to

unleashing this powerful entrepreneurial

force.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Count Me In

240 Central Park South

Suite 7H

New York, NY 10019

Telephone: 212-245-1245

Fax: 212-245-1236

E-mail: info@count-me-in.org 

Web site: http://www.count-me-in.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /27

Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence (CMI), continued
IDENTIFYING 

INFORMATION

Type of

Organization:

Educational

Client Group

Served: Women business owners seeking

capital in a traditionally male-dominated

arena.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

The Diana Project is a research consortium

involving five project partners who collaborate

with other groups around the world.

Mission

The mission of the Diana Project is to support

and advance the growth and development of

women-owned businesses. The Diana Project

works to influence and change attitudes,

opinions, and practices in the business community through information and knowledge

drawn from rigorous research. 

On the supply side, the Diana Project’s 

goal is to educate equity capital providers

about opportunities for enhanced portfolio

diversification and new investment possibilities through investment in women-owned

businesses. 

On the demand side, the goal is to raise

awareness and expectations of women business owners for the growth of their firms, to

educate women business owners about the

characteristics of equity-funded businesses,

and to provide detailed information about

how the equity funding process works. 

History

• 1999 The Diana Project was established.

Issues Addressed

• The apparent disconnect between opportunities and resources in equity funding for

high growth women-owned businesses.

• Wealth creation, innovation, and economic

development in all countries, to which the

growth of women’s businesses is central.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Research

The Diana Project has conducted research in

four phases.

• Phase 1: Background Research 

The Diana Project produced an annotated

bibliography that reviews more than 400

academic articles on women’s entrepreneurship and venture capital, as well as related

articles on women’s self-employment,

careers, motivations, networking and social

structures. In addition, the Diana Project

based-lined the status of equity investments

in United States women-led companies

using data from the National Venture

Capital Association (NVCA) between 1957

and 1998. 

• Phase 2: Demand Side—Women Seeking

Financing 

To better understand the growth strategies,

funding expectations and experiences, and

the characteristics of women entrepreneurs

and their teams, the Diana Project has

assembled and analyzed data sets that focus

on this population of business owners. 

28 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Diana Project
• Phase 3: Supply Side—The Venture Capital

Industry 

To fully understand the nature of the venture capital industry in the United States,

the Diana Project analyzed the firms and

career paths of women investors. 

• Phase 4: Diana International 

The Diana Project has documented that

many of the explanations for why women

lack the capital required to grow their ventures in the United States are myths. Diana

International expands the Diana Project to

the international arena to put the spotlight

on high growth women-led ventures around

the world. Cross-country comparisons of

women’s experiences in attempting to access

growth capital are examined and documented by research partners in host countries to

explore whether the myths documented by

the Diana Project apply to women-led ventures globally. Researchers in other countries

interested in partnering with the Diana

Project are encouraged to contact the project.

Milestones

• The Diana Project produced an annotated

bibliography that reviews more than 400

academic articles on women’s entrepreneurship and venture capital. 

• The Diana Project recoded by gender a data

set including information on 20,000 portfolio companies, 34,000 executives and

120,000 company investments provided by

4,500 private equity firms having 7,000 private equity funds.

• The Diana Project conducted a follow-up

survey of the initial Springboard 2000 applicants to establish the first wave of a panel

study of more than 150 high tech women

entrepreneurs. 

• Since the establishment of the Diana

Project, its five project partners have published 6 books and book chapters, 6 journal

articles and 4 reports and have conducted

19 presentations at forums, summits and

symposiums in the United States, China,

Ireland, Spain, and Sweden and before the

United States House of Representatives

Women’s Caucus.

LESSONS LEARNED

• International collaboration produces important information that can be used to educate

equity capital providers and women entrepreneurs seeking equity capital. 

• Data for these educational purposes must

be based on solid, rigorous research.

• It is crucial to reveal myths about explanations for why women lack the capital

required to grow their ventures in the

United States, because an understanding of

these myths can provide information to support change. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

The Diana Project

Patricia G. Greene 

Undergraduate School 

President’s Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship

Hollister Hall 

Babson College

Babson Park, MA 02457

Telephone: 781-239-5008

Fax: 781-239-5322

E-mail: greene@ babson.edu

Sweden Telephone: 08-458 78 00

Sweden E-mail: info@esbri.se

Web site: http://www.esbri.se/diana.asp

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /29

Diana Project, continued
1

There has been a recent merger with the Bank of America. The Women Entrepreneurs’ Connection will be monitored to see if and

how the program evolves.

IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Corporation, 

For-profit Organization

Client Groups Served: 

Women entrepreneurs.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

Fleet’s Women Entrepreneurs’ Connection has

a track record of leadership in providing

women owned businesses with access to debt

and equity from both within and outside

Fleet. Fleet has forged alliances with a wide

variety of local, regional, and national organizations dedicated to networking, technical

assistance, and support for women-owned

businesses. The Connection provides all

women-owned businesses from start-ups to

established companies with a central place

where they can link with the financial and

informational resources necessary to

succeed.1

Mission

Fleet is committed to supporting the success of

women entrepreneurs by connecting them to

all the resources, both inside and outside of the

Fleet organization, that they need to succeed.

History

• 1998 The Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’

Connection (The Connection) was established. 

Issues Addressed

Access to capital is the number one issue

challenging women business owners. It is

critical to the growth of a business; yet finding a financial institution that will act as a

partner and help women-owned businesses

grow with financing is one of the biggest hurdles women entrepreneurs face. Access to

resources, information, and networking support go a long way in helping an entrepreneur

succeed, but these resources have not always

been easily accessible to women.

30 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’ Connection
ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Networks/Networking

• Financing a business: links to articles and

resource organizations for starting or growing a business

• Resource Center: links to organizations for

women entrepreneurs, articles and guides

and market trends and research

• Programs and Services: links to certification,

becoming a DollarDivaTM

, government services

and up-coming events such as trade missions to Canada.

Access to Capital

• Loans to qualified women-owned businesses

Access to Markets

• Link to corporate supplier diversity area

• Link to certificate of women business entrepreneurs

• Funded national research to highlight

growth opportunities through access to corporate contracts 

Milestones

• $2 billion initiative over 5 years in debt,

equity, and women-owned business organizational support.

• 70% of equity investments succeed through

the Connection.

• The Connection was the best or the second

best SBA lender to women businesses in

2000 and 2002. 

LESSONS LEARNED

• If measured from a line of business perspective, tracking and reporting by gender must

be a priority. If measured from a marketing

perspective, measure overall conditions to

corporate goals, feasibility, attrition, share

of wallet. 

• If sales price is compensated on transactions not relationships, this may be an

impediment to what women desire in a

financial relationship.

• There is still a misperception among corporations that women-owned firms are all

small in revenue/sales, providing no real

profit potential. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’

Connection

100 Federal Street

Boston, MA 02110

Telephone: 617-346-4175

Fax: 617-346-2723

E-mail: smallbiz@fleet.com

Web site: http://www.theconnection.fleet.com

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /31

Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’ Connection, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-profit

Client Groups Served: Girls and women,

including those who are involved in microenterprise efforts.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

As the country’s first national, multi-issue

women’s fund, the Ms. Foundation directs

resources of all kinds to cutting-edge projects

that nurture girls’ leadership skills, protect the

health and safety of women, and provide lowincome women with the tools to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. 

The work of the Ms. Foundation is guided

by a vision of a just and safe world where

power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, disability,

or age. The Foundation believes that equity

and inclusion are the cornerstones of a true

democracy in which the worth and dignity of

every person are valued.

Mission 

Ms. Foundation supports the efforts of women

and girls to govern their own lives and influence the world around them. Through its

leadership, expertise, and financial support,

the Foundation champions an equitable society by effecting change in public consciousness, law, philanthropy, and social policy.

History

• 1972 The Ms. Foundation for Women was

started by Patricia T. Carbine, Letty Cottin

Pogrebin, Gloria Steinem, and Marlo Thomas

to redistribute profits from Ms. Magazine to

the grassroots women’s movement. 

• 1975 The Ms. Foundation received nonprofit status and convened its first board of

directors. 

• 1985 Marie C. Wilson was appointed

President of the Ms. Foundation. Under her

leadership, the Foundation experienced

unprecedented growth, going from a budget

32 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Ms. Foundation for Women
of $400,000 to nearly $9 million in 2001. 

• 1986 The Ms. Foundation started the

Institute for Women’s Economic

EmPOWERment, the only national training

ground for economic development and justice organizers working on women’s issues. 

• 1989 The Ms. Foundation created the Gloria

Awards: A National Salute to Women of Vision. 

• 1990 The Ms. Foundation formed the

Collaborative Fund for Women’s Economic

Development.

• 1993 The Ms. Foundation started Take Our

Daughters To Work® Day, one of the most

successful public education campaigns ever

launched. 

• 2003 The Ms. Foundation for Women celebrated 30 years of being ahead of its time.

Issues Addressed

• Need to create economic independence and

equity for women

• Need to nurture girls’ leadership skills

• Need to protect the health and safety of

women

• Need to create a just and safe world

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• The Ms. Foundation’s Collaborative Fund for

Women’s Economic Development provides

grantee organizations with technical assistance, training, and networking in addition to

funding. It also offers useful information in

the form of research and training manuals. 

• Ms. Foundation offers a Peer-to-Peer

Education Program, in which organizations

that often work in isolation can share best

practices and good ideas for serving girls

and women. At grantee organizations’

request, the Ms. Foundation brings together

organizations interested in sharing and

brainstorming strategies to improve their

work. By learning new skills from colleagues, organizations benefit from the

experience and hard-won wisdom of women

who understand their needs and concerns.

• The Foundation launched Take Our

Daughters To Work® Day, one of the country’s

most successful public education campaigns, and evolved this program to Take

Our Daughters And Sons To Work® Day to

bring the voices of girls and boys into conversations about creating a future where

they can participate fully in family, work,

and community.

• The Foundation created the Institute for

Women’s Economic EmPOWERment, a 

national training ground for economic

development and justice organizers working

on women’s issues. 

• The Foundation conducts additional training

and mentoring activities. 

Access to Influencing Public Policy and

Opinion

• The Ms. Foundation has created a national

movement of activists and organizations

dedicated to girls and women’s issues.

• The Ms. Foundation introduced a new

resource for activist organizations. Stir It Up:

Lessons in Community Organizing and

Advocacy, written by activist and trainer

Rinku Sen, examines the work of economic

justice organizations funded by the Ms.

Foundation and applies the lessons they

learned to other community organizations.

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /33

Ms. Foundation for Women, continued
Sen also provides models and tools that any

organization can use to successfully create

social change and influence public policy.

Access to Capital

• The Ms. Foundation formed the Collaborative

Fund for Women’s Economic Development, a

pioneering and award-winning form of grantmaking that is now replicated by mainstream

funders across the country. The Fund provides crucial support to organizations across

the United States that help low-income

women to start and expand microenterprise,

community-based, and cooperative businesses. The Fund seeks to support and refine

enterprise development practice and change

the broader policy and economic environment in which programs operate. In April

2001, the Fund made a third round of grants

and is not currently seeking proposals or

making grants. The Fund is currently 

assessing the feasibility and direction of the

fourth round.

• The Fairy Godmother Fund (FGF) supports

businesses in low-income communities that

have limited access to capital. FGF grants

pay for the supplies and equipment businesses need to improve their quality of service-not often covered by traditional grants.

FGF makes one to two grants per year to

current or former Ms. Foundation grantees to

provide capital to 100% women-owned startup businesses. The Ms. Foundation does not

accept unsolicited requests for the Fairy

Godmother Fund.

• The book Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How

Eleven Women Escaped Poverty and Became

their Own Bosses (M. Shirk & A. Wadia,

Westview Press), produced by a grant from

the W.W. Kellogg Foundation, describes 11

women who received financial and technical

assistance from organizations funded by the

Ms. Foundation. They marshaled the creative

energy, confidence, and capital necessary to

start their own small businesses. These

women, who have used their entrepreneurial

skills as a route out of poverty, give an

American face to an economic empowerment

tool that has enjoyed great success in developing countries.

Access to Honors

• Ms. Foundation presents Gloria Awards: A

National Salute to Women of Vision to shine

the spotlight on exceptional women leaders

and raise money for the Foundation. 

Milestones

• The Collaborative Fund for Women’s

Economic Development mobilized $10 million

over the last decade to help low-income

women find the means to support themselves

and their families and brought together 36

individual, corporate and foundation donors

over three grantmaking rounds in one of the

first true national funding collaborations. 

• The Ms. Foundation received a Presidential

Award for Excellence in Microenterprise

Development for its longstanding commitment to improve economic prospects for

low-income women.

• The Ms. Foundation’s president, Marie C.

Wilson, received the Robert C. Scrivner

Award for Creative Grantmaking.

34 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Ms. Foundation for Women, continued
June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /35

LESSONS LEARNED

• When we invest in women and girls, everyone benefits.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ms. Foundation for Women

120 Wall Street, 33rd Floor

New York, NY 10005 

Telephone: 212-742-2300

Fax: 212-742-1653

E-mail: info@ms.foundation.org

Web site: http://www.ms.foundation.org 

Ms. Foundation for Women, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: 

Membership Association

Client Groups Served: 

Women entrepreneurs across all industries.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

Founded in 1975, NAWBO propelled women

entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power worldwide. Nearly 30

years later, NAWBO is still the only organization that solely represents the interests of

women entrepreneurs in all industries. The

organization’s mission is to strengthen the

wealth-creating capacity of its members and

promote economic development; to create

innovative and effective change in the business culture; to build strategic alliances,

coalitions and affiliations; and to transform

public policy and influence opinion makers.

NAWBO has more than 80 chapters and 8,000

members across the country. NAWBO is represented in more than 35 countries as the

sole affiliate of the World Association of

Women Entrepreneurs (FCEM). 

NAWBO has 3 councils: 

• Corporate and Economic Development Council

(CEDC): The CEDC will represent and shape

NAWBO’s interests in the areas of financial

and business development for the organization and its members with special focus on

revenue generation for the organization

through profit centers and outside sources,

access to capital for members, and national/international business. 

• Member Services Council (MSC): This council

represents and shapes NAWBO’s interests in

the area of professional, chapter, and

regional development with a special focus

36 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
on leadership skills, training, marketing, and

member and chapter services. It further

serves as an advocate for general membership issues.

• Public Policy Council (PPC): This Council represents and shapes NAWBO’s interests in

public policy formation; public/private partnerships; coalition-building; public affairs;

appointments and awards.

Mission

NAWBO’s mission is to propel women entrepreneurs into economic, social, and political

spheres of power worldwide by:

• Strengthening the wealth-creating capacity

of its members and promoting economic

development;

• Creating innovative and effective changes in

the business culture;

• Building strategic alliances, coalitions, and

affiliations;

• Transforming public policy and influencing

opinion.

History

• 1974 Twelve women business owners in

the Washington, DC area started meeting

informally to trade information about federal contracts, bank credit and other issues

related to their businesses. Every few weeks

the number of women increased and it soon

became clear that a formal organization

was necessary for this nascent group to

develop visibility, political impact and sustained growth. 

• 1975 Recognizing the value of the group,

they incorporated as the National

Association of Women Business Owners.

Two years later they began recruiting members from across the country.

• 1978 The first chapters were formed. 

Issues Addressed

NAWBO’s public policy efforts focus around

the following issues:

• Health Care Insurance—NAWBO supports

the creation of Association Health Plans

(AHPs) to improve access and choice for

women business owners with respect to

medical care for their employees. 

• Procurement—NAWBO opposes contract

bundling and supports the achievement of

the 5% Women Business Enterprise (WBE)

federal procurement goal. 

• Fiscal (Access to Capital)—NAWBO supports

federal legislation that overcomes the current barriers related to access of capital by

women business owners (WBOs), supports

fair and equitable tax treatment for small

business, and supports the permanent

repeal of the estate tax.

• Technology—NAWBO supports the Small

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and is interested in these funds being

available to its members and supports an

open Internet-based marketplace. 

• Social Security—NAWBO supports the principles of the Alliance for Worker Retirement

Security (AWRS). 

• Education and the Workforce—NAWBO supports the Workforce Investment Act of 1998,

which has a mandate to retrain America’s

workforce. 

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /37

National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), continued
ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• NAWBO’s Women’s Business Conference

offers attendees business management

training and personal growth education. 

Access to Networks/Networking

• NAWBO hosts an annual Women’s Business

Conference.

• NAWBO provides local and regional connections through chapter meetings, chapter

newsletters, advertisement in local membership directories, and opportunities for joint

sponsorship of promotional activities. 

• NAWBO provides access to an international

business network through affiliation with

the World Association of Women

Entrepreneurs (FCEM) and The International

Alliance for Women (TIAW).

• NAWBO’s newsletters, NAWBOtime and

LeaderBulletin, deliver timely, consistent

information about partner affiliations. 

Access to Influencing Public Policy and

Opinion

• As noted under Issues, NAWBO’s public

policy efforts focus on health care insurance, procurement, fiscal (access to capital),

technology, social security, and education

and the workforce. 

• NAWBO’s Public Policy Days provide participants with an opportunity to make their

voices heard to Congress and other policymaking institutions. 

• NAWBO’s Speakers Bureau provides members

with opportunities to showcase their work

and advertise and promote their enterprises.

Access to Research 

• NAWBO provides access to research conducted by both NAWBO and the Center for

Women’s Business Research. 

Milestones

• NAWBO boasts nearly 8,000 members in

more than 80 chapters nationwide.

• NAWBO is affiliated with Les Femmes Chefs

d’Entreprises in 35 countries.

• In 2003, more than 500 women entrepreneurs gathered in Nashville, TN at

NAWBO’s Annual Meeting & Women’s

Business Conference.

LESSONS LEARNED

• NAWBO’s multi-pronged approach has

proven to be a major force in influencing

public policy and opinion. 

• This approach has fostered economic development, created improvements in the business culture, and generated strategic

alliances at home and abroad to benefit

women’s entrepreneurship.

38 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), continued
June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /39

CONTACT INFORMATION

National Association of Women

Business Owners

8405 Greensboro Drive

Suite 800

McLean, VA 22102

Telephone: 703-506-3268

Fax: 703-506-3266

E-mail: national@nawbo.org 

Web site: http://www.nawbo.org

National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-profit 

Client Groups Served: Women-owned

businesses seeking corporate and government

contracts.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

NWBOC was the first national certifier of

women business enterprises. NWBOC has

established a network to provide critical information about corporate and government contracts and systems to women suppliers.

NWBOC has streamlined the task of locating

information and technical assistance regarding

corporate and federal, state and local government contracting via one-stop electronic

access.

NWBOC was established to increase competition for corporate and government contracts

through implementation of a pioneering economic development strategy for women business owners.

The organization is run by a dedicated Board

of Directors, the majority being women business owners themselves. NWBOC is committed

to providing procurement opportunities in

addition to certification. All committee members, site visitors, and new staff are trained by

NWBOC experienced staff. Site visits are a

mandatory part of the certification process.

NWBOC’s criteria have remained stringent:

company must be at least six months old and

serve a useful business function; woman(en)

must own and control at least 51.0% or more;

be the President or CEO; active in the daily

management; and a United States citizen.

Mission

NWBOC’s mission is to offer members a significant competitive advantage in expanding

their businesses through private and public

sector contracts.

History

• 1996 NWBOC was founded. 

Issues Addressed

• Women-owned businesses represent the

fastest growing segment of the American

economy with over 10.1 million womenowned businesses in the United States

today. However, women-owned businesses

receive only a small percentage of all government and corporate procurement

awards. 

• NWBOC was created in response to needs

identified by a special interest group of the

National Association of Women Business

Owners, which found that the public and

private sector had not received nor recognized the benefits of contracting with

women suppliers. 

• This has prevented purchasers from obtaining the best value in their procurements,

and it has limited women business owners

from penetrating these markets. 

• NWBOC seeks to provide more corporations

with the opportunity to better their procurement practices and afford women suppliers

the opportunity to compete.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Certification

• NWBOC created the first national certification

program to verify the ownership and control

40 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

National Women Business Owners

Corporation (NWBOC)
of businesses by women. The certification

program was developed, after review by

over 700 private/public entities, with the

assistance of the NWBOC Certification

Working Group, chaired by IBM’s Phyllis

McCarley, and comprised of corporate representatives and women business owners.

NWBOC also hired a consultant from the

National Minority Supplier Development

Council prior to finalizing the Standards &

Procedures of NWBOC.

• Trained committees and site visitors are

located throughout the United States to

facilitate NWBOC’s national certification

program.

Access to Networks/Networking

• NWBOC collaborates with women’s business organizations to build capacity to

deliver quality procurement services to

women suppliers. 

• NWBOC has a monthly electronic newsletter

with information about upcoming events,

relevant information for women business

owners, success stories, and links to the 

e-procurement system. 

Access to Markets

• The NWBOC e-Procurement MarketPlace is a

venue to which purchasers can send RFPs

and other bid opportunities through the system to women business enterprises. The

companies can respond to the bids or RFPs,

and all transactions can be completed electronically. A description of the company is

available to the purchaser and certification

documents can also be displayed.

Purchasers are also provided with reports of

their choosing.

• NWBOC hosts business-owner conferences,

procurement fairs, expos, economic development

outreach tours, and other events that facilitate access to markets. 

Milestones

• NWBOC created the first national certification program for women-owned businesses.

• Hundreds of major corporations, agencies,

and organizations accept NWBOC certification. 

• Some states, counties, and cities accept

NWBOC certification.

• E-Commerce MarketPlace benefits womenowned companies

• NWBOC has an online book called Women

Succeed in Business: A Success Guide for

Women Entrepreneurs.

LESSONS LEARNED

• NWBOC has always been committed to a

quality certification/procurement program.

• It is rewarding when NWBOC-certifieds win

contracts that help their companies grow to

another level.

CONTACT INFORMATION

National Women Business Owners

Corporation

1001 W. Jasmine Drive 

Suite G

Lake Park, FL 33403

Telephone: 800-675-5066

Fax: 561-881-7364

E-mail: info@nwboc.org 

Web site: http://www.nwboc.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /41

National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Public Sector

Client Groups Served: The President,

Congress, and the United States Small Business

Administration, as well as all the women business owners who benefit from NWBC’s advice

and counsel to the government. 

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

The NWBC is a federally funded, public policy

advisory council comprised of women business

owners and women’s business association representatives. It was created in 1988 by the

United States Congress to provide advice and

counsel to the federal government (the

President, Congress, and the United States

Small Business Administration) on economic

issues of importance to women business entrepreneurs. It offers women business owners a

public policy voice in the federal government.

The NWBC is charged with working with

federal agencies, women entrepreneurs, and

women’s business organizations to assess the

growth of women’s entrepreneurship nationwide, to identify remaining barriers, and to

recommend ways for inequities to be remedied and discriminatory practices/policies to

be removed. Members of the bipartisan council are prominent women business owners

and leaders of business organizations nominated by Congress and others and appointed

by the administrator of the SBA. The chair is

appointed by the President.

42 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC)
Mission 

The mission of NWBC is to promote bold initiatives, policies, and programs designed to

support women’s business enterprises at all

stages of development in public and private

sector marketplaces, from start-up to success

to significance. Initiatives include:

• Conducting research on issues of importance to women business owners and their

organizations

• Communicating these findings widely

• Connecting the women’s business owners to

each other and to public policy makers

• Providing a platform for change in order to

expand and improve opportunities for women

business owners and their enterprises

History

• 1988 NWBC was created by then President

Ronald Reagan under the Women’s Business

Ownership Act (PL 100-533, Oct. 25, 1988).

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d

100:HR05050:|TOM:/bss/d100query.html

Issues Addressed

• Access to policy discussions and decisions

• Access to markets

• Access to capital

• Access to assistance in business development

• Access to research knowledge

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Research

• In Getting to Success: Helping Women Business

Owners Gain Access to Capital, the NWBC

(2002) reviewed more than 100 United

States programs for access to capital and

conducted an in-depth analysis of nine of

these programs. The study showed that

successful access to capital programs

shared these characteristics: (a) having a

community focus, including local financial

support and an active local volunteer base;

(b) paying attention to external feedback; (c)

counseling clients about having realistic

expectations; and (d) having a strong, experienced staff. 

• Another recent study by the NWBC (2002),

Women-Owned Small Businesses in Federal

Subcontracting: Measures and Data, showed

that the share of federal contracting dollars

awarded to United States women-owned

businesses is not commensurate with the

growing numbers of such businesses.

Moreover, large Federal contractors subcontract much less often to women-owned businesses than do small Federal contractors.

• Along with American Express, the American

Express Foundation, and the AT&T

Foundation, the NWBC supported a threeyear study (2000-2003) of women’s business centers. The study followed 800 clients

of four women’s business centers and interviewed them four times. Interim findings

include the fact that women’s business centers are successfully reaching out to underserved populations, are helping with enterprise creation, have loyal clients, are an

important early resource for potential

women business owners, and are helping

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /43

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), continued
women business owners have a positive

start-up experience. The report will be published in late spring, 2004. 

• NWBC reported on Trends in Women-Owned

Employer Establishments: 1997-2002. The

report showed that the number of womenowned firms in nontraditional industries

such as agriculture, mining, construction,

manufacturing, transportation/communication, and wholesale trade grew 1.7% from

1997 to 2002, while the number of womenowned firms in more traditional areas such

as retail trade, finance/insurance/real

estate, and services grew only 10.4%.

Growth was strongest in construction, agriculture, and transportation/communication.

For women-owned firms, the highest company-survival rates, revenues, and numbers

of employees were found in nontraditional

companies.

(http://www.nwbc.gov/Issue_brief-Non

Traditional_Industries.pdf.)

• In 2003 the NWBC released a study on

Mentoring in the Business Environment. The

report examined existing, formal mentoring

programs for women and men business

owners by comparing program structures,

identifying best practices, and exploring the

unique characteristics among programs

geared specifically to women. A key recommendation that emerged from this study

was the creation of NWBC’s special web

page on mentoring. It is designed to serve

as a single point of entry to business mentoring resources and information about

existing programs. 

• In 2003 the NWBC conducted a literature

review and analysis to study the problem of

lack of affordable health care for many

small business owners and various government proposals to treat that problem.

• For a 2003 report, the NWBC analyzed data

from 1,200 participants in the 2002 national

women’s business summit and hundreds

more participants in regional summits in

Connecticut, Missouri, Tennessee, and

Texas. 

• In 2000 and 2004, NWBC created reports

on organizations fostering women’s business ownership, with presentations made

on these reports at the OECD conferences. 

Access to Influencing Public Policy and

Opinion

• NWBC makes recommendations to the

President, Congress, and the United States

Small Business Administration on behalf of

the millions of women-owned businesses in

the United States. In the last year NWBC

sent letters or statements regarding (a) the

quinquennial Business Census, (b) administration initiatives to reduce the effects of

contract bundling in federal procurements,

(c) reauthorization and sustainability of the

Women’s Business Center Program, and (d)

the performance of SBA’s loan programs

with regard to women-owned businesses. 

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• NWBC provides a site called Womenbiz.gov

that targets five specific stages a women

business owner should go through as she

begins to explore whether the federal government is the right customer for her. 

44 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), continued
Milestones

• Number of On-Line Newsletter Recipients

3,000

• Budget Figures – In 2002: Over $500,000

committed to research and programmatic

activities (over 69% of its $750,000 appropriation). The same total for 2003 and 2004.

A certain percentage needs to be committed

to research each year.

• Fiscal Year 2003 saw the publication of six

primary research reports with support and

direction from the Council, four Issues in

Brief publications summarizing other important information related to women’s entrepreneurship, and five Fact Sheets making key

information about trends in women’s entrepreneurship more accessible to the women’s

business community and to public policy

makers.

LESSONS LEARNED

• The impetus for action and implementation

should come from the women business

owner community.

• Sustainable support for women’s business

development can only be achieved if there is

active involvement not only from women

business owners and their organizations but

also from government and non-government

organizations supporting enterprise development.

• Having accurate, reliable, timely, and

research-based information is a critical

component in making the case for policy

action and for monitoring progress. 

• Having an official voice in government for

women business owners is important for

advancing policy on their behalf.

• An organization like NWBC not only plays

an important role in gathering and disseminating facts and influencing policy but also

brings together women business owners,

increasing their impact by serving as a connecting, cohesive force. 

• There is enough maturity in the women’s

enterprise community so that this community can have an important advocacy

impact. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

The National Women’s 

Business Council

409 Third Street, SW, Suite 210

Washington, DC 20024

Telephone: 202-205-3850

Fax: 202-205-6825

E-mail: info@nwbc.gov

Web site: http://www.nwbc.gov

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /45

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Public sector

Client Groups Served: Women entrepreneurs in 6.7 million majority-owned, 

privately-held, women-owned firms that

employ 9.8 million people and contribute

$1.19 trillion in sales and revenue to the

United States economy.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

The Office of Women’s Business Ownership

(OWBO) is designed to help women start and

build successful businesses. It oversees and

directs more than 90 women’s business centers in the United States. 

Mission

OWBO’s mission is to level the playing field

for women entrepreneurs through advocacy,

training, counseling and access to capital and

credit and to help more women start and

build strong, successful businesses. Women

who are socially and economically disadvantaged are specially targeted for assistance.

Programs are designed to meet the unique

needs of women, who often juggle the needs

of work and family, often lack business backgrounds, often face discrimination and whose

businesses are most often very small.

History

• 1979 OWBO was founded under an

Executive Order issued by President Carter.

• 1988 The Women’s Business Ownership

Act of 1988 gave OWBO, for the first time,

program responsibilities beyond advocacy.

• By 1997 the number of centers had

increased to 71 in 43 states.

• By 2004 the number of centers is 95.

Issues Addressed

• Need for support in starting up and expanding women-owned businesses

• Need for business training and technicalassistance 

• Need for access to credit and capital

• Need for access to markets, including

Federal contracts

46 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO), 

United States Small Business Administration
ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Education, Mentoring, and

Technical Assistance

• WNET (Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial

Training) offers one-to-one mentoring

designed to help women business owners. 

• WNET also provides more than 165 very

successful WNET Roundtables, another

venue for mentoring and support for women

business owners. WNET Roundtables,

located through the local SBA Offices, are

often a supplement to the one-on-one program or are used instead of the one-on-one

program. These roundtables, which meet at

different times and with different formats

throughout the country, offer public- and

private-sector individuals a unique array of

contacts, services and suggestions. SBA is

always represented with representatives of

the other organizations on an informal,

ongoing, relationship-centered basis. (Other

co-sponsors of WNET Roundtables frequently include the Service Corps of Retired

Executives or SCORE, America’s Counselors

to Small Business, SBDC, Small Business

Development Centers, and Women’s

Business Centers. Frequently, other

women’s organizations such as NAWBO, the

business departments of universities,

YWCAs, chambers of commerce, and

women’s business and professional organizations are also involved.) 

• The Women’s Business Center Program sponsors 95 Women’s Business Centers in the

United States (as of March, 2004). These

centers have varied objectives. They provide

education and mentoring/coaching. Many

also offer technical assistance and special

events. A few centers directly offer access to

microlending. Some focus on the needs of

minority women business owners. 

• The Online Women’s Business Center provides

information about and links to the Women’s

Business Centers, SBA Women’s Business

Ownership Representatives (WBORs) and

District Office Technical Representatives

(DOTRs), WNET Roundtables, SBA training,

SBA jobline, Business Basics, the IRS Tax

Center, and a message board. 

• The Online Finance Center offers training and

information about how to gain access to

capital. It is written by the SBA’s Women’s

Business Centers across the United States

and contains practical advice from experienced business counselors and instructors.

Topics include: financial statements, borrowing and lending, banking, capital alternatives, financing a growing business, as well

as other topics that are not related to

accessing capital (bookkeeping and accounting, record-keeping, taxes, leases, insurance,

corporate structure, inventory, etc.).

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /47

Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO), 

United States Small Business Administration, continued
• The SBA and the Department of Labor

recently partnered to launch Women-21.gov,

a premier one-stop federal resource for targeted information, registration for online

programs, and networking opportunities to

help women entrepreneurs navigate the

ever-changing business world as they innovate, create jobs, and make a vital contribution to the strength of America. Women21.gov contains information on topics such

as: partners, local contacts, forms, retirement security, government procurement,

access to capital, tax tips, healthcare, public

policy, workplace safety and health, international business, employer law, marketing,

online workshops, and other useful links. 

Access to Networks/Networking

(See many of the online resources above). 

Access to Markets

• Business Basics in the Online Women’s Business

Center provides a great deal of information

about procurement and marketing to the

federal government, as well as a Central

Contractor Registration site. Links to the

Electronic Commerce (EC) and Electronic

Data Interchange (EDI) are especially

important. 

Milestones 

• About 95 women’s business centers around

the country

—Women’s business centers trained and 

counseled 106,612 clients in 2003. 

—Since 1995 the WBC Program has provided 

counseling and training to more than 

354,000 clients. 

—Since 2000 alone, the centers reported 

that surveyed clients have: 

reported more than 7,200 start-ups

(3,592 reported for 2003)

reported more than 13,700 jobs

(6,538 reported for 2003) 

shown profits of over $54 million

(more than $26 million reported for

2003)

(Note: improved reporting methods used in 2003

resulted in more complete and reliable data.)

• More than 200 WNET roundtables 

• Approximately 2.5 million hits from 36,000

unique visitors per week at the Online

Women’s Business Center

(http://www.onlinewbc.gov)

48 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO), 

United States Small Business Administration, continued
LESSONS LEARNED

International studies such as the GEM Report

show that those countries that have the greatest involvement by women in entrepreneurship have the most robust economies, and

that government-provided entrepreneurial

training programs are among the most useful

tools to spur successful entrepreneurship.

The Women’s Business Center Program is

such a program.

Things we have found most important

include:

• Establish commitments from funding entities—government agencies, NGOs, corporations and others—that will remain relatively

consistent over the long term. 

• Establish a stable funding structure for

starting up and provide for ongoing funding.

• Provide guidance on how to raise matching

funds if participants are required to match. 

• Set up the program using public-private

partnerships between the establishing government entity and nonprofit organizations

to leverage the most out of every government dollar provided.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Office of Women’s Business

Ownership

U.S. Small Business Administration 

409 Third Street SW, 6th Floor

Washington, DC 20416

Telephone: 202-205-6673

Fax: 202-205-7287

E-mail: owbo@sba.gov

Web site: http://www.sba.gov/womeninbusiness

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /49

Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO), 

United States Small Business Administration, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Membership

Association

Client Groups Served: Women doing

business in international trade.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

The Organization of Women in International

Trade (OWIT) unites women around the globe

to foster free trade and the advancement of

women in business. OWIT is a non-profit professional organization designed to promote

women doing business in international trade

by providing networking and educational

opportunities and increased market access.

Members include women and men doing

business in all facets of international trade

including finance, public relations, government, freight forwarding, international law,

agriculture, sales and marketing,

import/export, logistics, and transportation. 

Mission 

OWIT is designed to promote women doing

business in international trade by providing

networking and educational opportunities and

access to markets. 

History

• 1989 OWIT was founded.

Issues Addressed

• Need for networking among women doing

business in international trade

• Need for education and mentoring of these

women

50 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Organization of Women in International Trade
ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Markets

• OWIT provides increased access to markets

through its web site and other means. 

Access to Networks/Networking and

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• OWIT offers extensive networking and educational opportunities to women in international trade. 

• It has conferences, a speakers’ bureau, educational meetings, a website with news for

women in international trade, and other

features. It advertises major international

conferences by other groups as well. 

Access to Honors

• The OWIT Woman of the Year Award is given

annually to a woman that has furthered

international trade through excellence and

innovation and who by doing so has

enhanced the status of women in international trade and business.

Milestones

• Over 2,000 members worldwide

• Chapters in Australia; Bermuda; Alberta,

Canada; Toronto, Canada; Denmark;

Dominican Republic; Geneva, Switzerland;

Jamaica; Nairobi, Kenya; Peru; Puerto Rico;

Sofia, Bulgaria; Vladimir, Russia 

• 20 United States chapters 

LESSONS LEARNED

• Act like a lady and be part of any team,

women or men. Always be polite and positive (well, wherever possible), while making

your position clear.

• However, don’t be afraid to be “one of the

boys” (within limits) or allow them to treat

you differently in a business context.

• Being human does not take you away from

your position in a controversial situation.

• Use diplomacy in accordance with the situation.

• Help other people. Although you might not

receive payment in money, you might be

compensated in other ways.

• Never pass up an opportunity to network,

even with those who might not appear to be

in a relevant business currently. Such networking may pay off down the road.

• Networking works best when it is done on

the basis of either a true mutual business

interest (immediate) or a real friendship.

• Be as responsive as possible.

• Foster frequent communication, both to help

you to best assess your customer’s

wants/needs and to keep your business on

the minds of the people you want to reach.

• Don’t undercharge for your goods/services.

Test the local market, but don’t be afraid to

cut an introductory deal.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Organization of Women in

International Trade 

Amy Johannesen

Coudert Brothers

1114 Avenue of the Americas 

New York, NY 10036

E-mail: johannesena@coudert.com

Web site: http://www.owit.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /51

Organization of Women in International Trade, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-profit 

Client Groups Served: Women 

entrepreneurs who lead high-growth 

potential enterprises. 

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

Springboard Enterprises is a national not-forprofit organization dedicated to accelerating

women’s access to the equity markets. It educates, showcases, and supports entrepreneurs

as they seek capital and grow their companies. Springboard promotes women’s entrepreneurial development through alliances,

partnerships and direct programming.

Programs include Venture Forums, Equity

Matters Seminars, Growth Capital Workshops

and a Next Wave Initiative for Springboard

alumnae.

The entrepreneurs who have participated in

Springboard programs are the newest faces

representing emerging growth enterprises and

the first wave of women to launch nonlifestyle businesses via the equity markets.

Springboard has evolved into a nationally

acclaimed organization, propelling women-led

emerging growth businesses to the forefront

of the economic landscape

Mission 

Springboard Enterprises is a national, not-forprofit venture dedicated to:

• Accelerating women entrepreneurs’ participation in the private equity capital markets

• Increasing equity investments in women-led

ventures

• Promoting the success of Springboard companies and alumnae

History

• 2000 Springboard launched its first Venture

Capital Forum showcasing women entrepreneurs to investors in Silicon Valley.

• Since then Springboard and its partners and

stakeholders have worked to bring women’s

52 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Springboard Enterprises
access to the equity markets from a vision

to a national force in four years.

Issues Addressed

• Springboard was designed to address the significant demand for equity capital by womenled enterprises. Springboard originally set

out to “change the poster” and create a

pipeline of talented women entrepreneurs. 

• Now that the pipeline has been created,

Springboard’s multi-tiered program structure is focused on educating, showcasing

and supporting these women entrepreneurs

throughout the lifecycle of their businesses.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Capital

• Venture Forums provide women-led high

growth enterprises with access to investment

capital and entrée to the community that is

committed to building their businesses.

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• Educational programs and workshops provide

an introduction to the equity capital markets

and offer effective strategies for building and

financing a high-growth business.

• The Online Learning Center captures the

expertise shared during Springboard programs

and illustrates the who, what, where, when,

and how to navigate the equity markets.

Access to Networks/Networking

• The Next Wave Initiative provides its entrepreneurial alumnae community with continued access to the information, experts, and

investors needed to grow their businesses.

Milestones

• Forums: 12 Forums in 7 major markets

• Presenters: More than 280 companies

• Applicants: More than 2,500 women entrepreneurs

• Capital Raised: $1 billion and counting

• Thousands of investors, service providers,

financiers, entrepreneurial institutions, and

business leaders have actively participated

in Springboard programs across the country.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Be collaborative, not duplicative.

• Create a community and get early buy-in

from prominent stakeholders. 

• Foster lasting relationships with your constituents by making it personal.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Springboard Enterprises

2100 Foxhall Road, NW

Washington, DC 20007

Telephone: 202-242-6282 

Fax: 202-242-6284 

E-mail: info@springboardenterprises.org

Web site: http://www.springboardenterprises.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /53

Springboard Enterprises, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-profit

Client Groups Served: Not-for-profit

organizations creating social justice for

women and girls by expanding economic

opportunity. 

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

Three Guineas Fund is a public foundation

making grants to organizations that seek to

create social change by investing in women

and girls. The foundation identifies and supports promising innovations and leaders in

the field. Three Guineas has a particular

interest in models that contribute to transformational change at the institutional level,

especially in corporations and government,

and that attempt to bridge for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Three Guineas does not focus

specifically on low-income women or poverty

alleviation. Addressing women’s poverty is a

key strategy in the foundation’s portfolio, but

the foundation addresses barriers facing

women and girls at all economic levels in

society. Three Guineas does not make grants

to support direct service projects, unless they

are of interest as scalable models. 

Mission

The mission is to expand access to economic

opportunities for women and girls. Virginia

Woolf wrote the book Three Guineas in 1938.

In it, she examines women’s philanthropic

choice and develops a theory of social change

based on investing in women and girls. The

foundation’s name reflects this key principle

and core strategy. The foundation’s strategies,

criteria, and philanthropic program are

designed to achieve social justice gains that

enable women and girls to earn an independent living, participate fully in the economy,

and give back to their communities. 

History

• 1994 Catherine Muther left her position as

Senior Marketing Officer at Cisco Systems.

54 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Three Guineas Fund (3GF)
She made a commitment to social equity

and the civic sector, deciding to “bring what

I learned from building new companies in

new industries to creating an entrepreneurial foundation focused on change.” With an

initial investment of $2 million of her personal capital, she established the Three

Guineas Fund as a public 501(c)3 organization and grant-making foundation.

• 1996 The Three Guineas Fund made its

first grants. 

Issues Addressed

• Need for social justice efforts to help

women and girls gain financial independence, be full participants in the economy,

and give back to their communities.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Capital

• In its grant-making program, the Three

Guineas Fund supports organizations that

share the foundation’s mission. Among

Three Guineas grants related to womenowned businesses are the following: 

• Count Me In—Founded in 1999, Count Me In

is the first organization of its kind to make

micro-business loans available online. CMI

makes loans ($500–$10,000) to women

using the internet for every step of the

process, and addresses systemic discrimination against women’s access to credit and

capital by working to change the creditscoring systems used by banks and other

financial institutions. Credit scoring is a key

lever to women’s economic equity, and traditional credit scoring used by major financial institutions unintentionally discriminates against women. Count Me In is breaking new ground using its unique womenfriendly credit scoring system. Count Me In

has developed its model for replication both

domestically and internationally. Nell

Merlino, CMI’s President and CEO, is a

social entrepreneur who created “Take Our

Daughters to Work Day” and has worked in

state governments, union organizing, and as

a Fulbright Scholar. 3GF awarded Count Me

In a two-year $50,000 grant to help prove

its model and influence financial institutions. See the full profile of Count Me In

elsewhere in this report. See also

http://www.count-me-in.org. 

• The Lower East Side Girls Club (LESGC)

provides a place where girls 8 - 18 can

grow, learn, have fun, and develop confidence in their ability to make a difference 

in the world. GROWING GIRLS, GROWING

COMMUNITIES is LESGC’s portfolio of

entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs. It includes Sweet Things, We Mean

Business, and Branching Out. Sweet Things

operates two successful business ventures:

Sweet Things’ cookies and in-school Juice

Joints. We Mean Business, a new in-school

entrepreneurial training and life skills curriculum, serves girls in two high schools.

Branching Out brings girls to Breezy Hills

Orchards in upstate New York, for intensive

entrepreneurship training with a holistic

bent. LESGC is now launching a new retail

operation for Sweet Things and recently

gained site control of land to build an

80,000 square foot multi-service facility for

girls and their families. Construction is

scheduled to begin in 2004, and LESGC’s

entrepreneurial programs, including Sweet

Things, will hold center stage in the new

Club. 3GF’s two-year $30,000 investment

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /55

Three Guineas Fund (3GF), continued
in Growing Girls, Growing Communities is

helping LESGC bring this innovative model

to scale. LESGC has been a grant partner of

3GF since 1998. See

http://www.girlsclub.org. 

• WSEP Ventures (“Ventures”) is a supporting

organization to the Women’s Self

Employment Project (WSEP), a leader in the

field of micro enterprise in the United States

that provides credit and business support to

women entrepreneurs. Ventures was established in 2000 to help WSEP achieve longterm financial sustainability through the

contribution of unrestricted revenue generated through Ventures’ businesses.

Together, WSEP and Ventures represent a

new model for sustainability for women’s

organizations focused on economic opportunity. Ventures will create and manage a

diversified portfolio of 4-6 new businesses

within 10 years. The first business, WSEP

Consulting Group, profited in year one 

and anticipates 25% growth in year two.

The second business, CLW Foods, is scheduled for market introduction in 2004. The

business plan for Ventures anticipates it 

will support 30% of WSEP’s expenses in 

5 years. Both WSEP and Ventures are 

501(c) (3)’s, and WSEP Futures is the 

holding company that formally connects the

two non-profits. 3GF’s two-year $30,000

investment in WSEP Ventures is leveraging

other foundation dollars to prove the model. 

See http://www.wsep.net 

• In addition, Three Guineas collaborates with

partners to test unique solutions to social

problems impacting women and girls. The

Fund has created and managed operating

projects, serving as project manager,

accountant, and fiscal agent. An example is:

Women’s Technology Cluster—a model for

helping women access capital through 

incubation and mentoring of early-stage

technology businesses in which women

have principal ownership stake.

http://www.wtc-sf.org/

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• Education, mentoring, and technical assistance

are provided to grantees as needed (see

above). This increases the probability of

success for any effort.

Milestones

• 54 grants provided since 1996

• $1.2 million total provided in grants

• 3-5 grants made per year in response to an

annual average of 300 inquiries

56 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Three Guineas Fund (3GF), continued
LESSONS LEARNED

• Build a network of trusted partners,

resources, and people.

• Look across sectors to create solutions to

the problems that need to be solved.

• Think broadly about women’s and girls’

economic opportunity. Unless issues of

health, literacy, and basic human rights 

are addressed, economic opportunity for

women and girls will not be expanded. 

• We cannot look at gender without also 

taking into account class, race, and culture. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Three Guineas Fund

525 Brannan Street, Suite 208

San Francisco, CA 94107

Telephone: 415-348-1581

Fax: 415-348-1584

E-mail: Info@3gf.org 

Web site: http://www.3gf.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /57

Three Guineas Fund (3GF), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Public Sector

Client Groups Served:

The United States public, business owners.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

The U.S. Census Bureau Survey of WomenOwned Business Enterprises (SWOBE) provides summary statistics for the United States,

states, and the sub-state areas with 100 or

more women-owned firms. This survey and

another survey, the Survey of Minority-Owned

Business Enterprises (SMOBE), are part of the

Economic Census program, which the Census

Bureau is required to conduct every five years

by law (Title 13 of the United States Code).

The Census Bureau combines data from these

two surveys with data from the other economic census counts and presents them in

the SMOBE/SWOBE Company Statistics

Series. The published data include number of

firms, gross receipts, employees, and annual

payroll. The latest published data come from

the 1997 SWOBE.

Mission

The mission of the United States Census

Bureau Survey of Women-Owned Business

Enterprises (SWOBE) is to provide clear,

meaningful statistics on women-owned businesses throughout the country by geographic

area, industry, firm size, and legal form of

organization, thus providing a picture of the

impact of women-owned businesses in this

country and offering information for decisionmaking. 

History

• 1972 SWOBE was begun.

• 1992 A small sample of “C” corporations

was included in SWOBE to provide estimates for the country at the industry division level only. 

• 1997 Full coverage of corporations was

added.

• 2001 Products for the 1997 SWOBE were

released. 

Issues Addressed

• Need for accurate, current information on

women-owned businesses in this country.

• Need for accurate, five-year growth data on

women-owned businesses. 

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Research

• The 1997 Economic Census produced a

Company Summary, i.e., a count of all businesses in the United States by race, ethnicity and gender.

• In the 1997 SMOBE and SWOBE, the sample

was redesigned and expanded to include

formerly undercounted groups. 

58 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Women-Owned Business

Enterprises (SWOBE)
• Minority/women ownership of a business in

1997 was determined based on the

race/ethnicity/gender of the person(s) owning majority interest in the business.

Previously, ownership was determined

based on the majority of the number of

owners, without regard to percentage of

interest owned. 

• Businesses with 50 percent or more women

owners have in the past been included in

the women business counts. In the 1997

SWOBE, businesses equally male-/femaleowned were excluded from the womenowned business counts and tabulated in a

separate chapter of the women-owned business report.

Milestones

• The 1997 owners of 2.5 million businesses

were surveyed compared to the previous

1992 surveys of 1.2 million businesses. 

• This increased 1997 sample was due to the

inclusion of “C” corporations, which

account for 75% of all United States business receipts, to provide more detailed comprehensive estimates for both minority- and

women-owned businesses; meet the need

for reliable estimates at the state level by 2-

digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)

code; and provide better estimates for

American Indian-owned businesses. 

• 1997 Access software on both CD-ROM and

the Internet were easier to use and had more

capabilities than 1992 Access software. 

LESSONS LEARNED

The 1997 Economic Census showed:

• The five states with the largest number of

women-owned firms were California, New

York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois. 

• Excluding publicly held, foreign-owned, or

non-profit businesses, the number of

women-owned firms grew 16% from 1992 to

1997, while the number of all United States

firms grew 6%. Also, the receipts of all

women-owned firms grew 33%, while the

receipts of all United States firms grew 24%. 

• The services industry had the largest percentage of women-owned firms, followed

distantly by retail trade, finance/insurance/

real estate, and others. 

• 15.6% of women-owned firms had paid

employees. 

• 66.1% of women-owned firms with paid

employees had fewer than 5 employees, and

only 0.9% of women-owned firms with paid

employees had 100 or more employees.

• Of all 5,417,034 women-owned firms, 1.8%

had more than $1,000,000 in receipts, while

30.1% had less than $5,000 in receipts.

• The majority (84.8%) of women-owned

firms were sole proprietorships.

• The largest receipts group was the “C” corporations, with 44.8% of all women-owned

business receipts.

CONTACT INFORMATION

U.S. Census Bureau

Company Statistics Division, Room 1182, FB3

Washington DC 20233-6400

Telephone: 301-763-3389

Fax: 301-457-3396

E-mail: ruth.a.runyan@census.gov 

Web site:

http://www.census.gov/csd/mwb/Womenp.htm

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /59

U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Women-Owned Business Enterprises (SWOBE), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Corporation, Forprofit Organization

Client Groups Served: Women business

owners.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

Women’s Business Services is Wells Fargo’s

outreach and education program to form relationships with women business owners to

increase their access to capital and other

financial services. Formed in 1995, it sponsors key research to understand the unique

needs of these businesses. It also sponsors

community organizations and events, providing financial services information and

resources.

Wells Fargo measures the progress of its

outreach by setting a public lending goal.

Having exceeded our prior lending goals three

times, it resets the goal completely: to lend

$20 billion over the next 10 years to women

business owners. 

Mission

For more than a century, Wells Fargo has been

a pioneer in supporting financial opportunities

for women business owners. Early on Wells

Fargo recognized the strength of womenowned businesses and their role in shaping

the future of the small business market.

Today, the Women’s Business Services program offers a broad array of Wells Fargo

financial products and services including:

business loans and lines of credit, business

credit cards, business deposits, payroll, merchant card services, retirement planning,

online resources, insurance and more.

Flexible and convenient financing tools are

also available, such as an unsecured line of

credit up to $100,000 that can be drawn as

often as needed by check, phone, ATM or

BusinessLine MasterCard‚24 hours a day, 7

days a week.

60 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Wells Fargo’s Women’s Business Services Program
History

• 1995 Wells Fargo formed an alliance with

the National Association of Women

Business Owners (NAWBO) to launch the

Wells Fargo Women’s Business Services

Program.

• History of lending goal:

—1995, $1 billion over 3 years

—1996, raised the goal to $10 billion over

10 years

—2002, raised the goal to $15 billion over

the same 10-year period

—Q3/03, established a new goal of $20 billion over ten years (running through 2013)

Issues Addressed

• Wells Fargo recognized the importance of

equal access to capital for women business

owners, and in 1995 formed an alliance

with the National Association of Women

Business Owners (NAWBO), the leading

national organization representing the interests of women entrepreneurs. 

• At this time, the company launched the

Women’s Business Services program, a

broad outreach and education program to

support women business owners and provide them with increased access to capital

and a complete range of financial services.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Capital

• Wells Fargo has shown an ever-increasing

goal for lending to women-owned businesses. As noted above, the goal started at 

$1 billion over 3 years and is now at 

$20 billion over 10 years.

Milestones

• Since the program’s launch in 1995, Wells

Fargo has loaned more than $16 billion to

more than 400,000 women-owned small

businesses nationwide.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Small business is big business, and the success of women-owned businesses has been

amazing. Wells Fargo hopes that its latest

lending goal sends a strong message that

Wells Fargo is unwavering in its commitment to women business owners.

• Despite the sluggish economy, women are

showing no signs of slowing down and, on

the contrary, are demonstrating strongerthan-ever indications that they intend to

continue their phenomenal success.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Wells Fargo Women’s Business

Services Program

525 Market Street, 22nd Floor

MAC A0103-220

San Francisco, CA 94105-2724

Telephone: 415-222-1195

Fax: 415-975-6402

Web site: http://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /61

Wells Fargo’s Women’s Business Services Program, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization/Non-profit

Client Group Served:

Women entrepreneurs.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

Women Entrepreneurs Inc. (WE Inc.) works to

improve and enhance the economic climate

for women’s entrepreneurship by advocating

for policy solutions that encourage business

ownership by women and providing information and resources to entrepreneurs at all

stages of their business development.

Mission

WE Inc. aims to increase economic opportunity and financial security for those seeking

the risky but rewarding path of entrepreneurship. By educating key constituencies about

the growing economic clout and success of

women entrepreneurs, WE Inc. seeks to open

new doors to capital, untapped markets, and

other opportunities that will help more

women experience the satisfaction and

rewards of business ownership.

Issues Addressed

• Access to Capital

• Access to Affordable & Quality Health Care

• Access to Technology and Technological

Innovation

• Access to Global Market

• Access to Government Contracts

• Improving the Federal Regulatory System

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements

Access to Influencing Public Policy and

Opinion

• WE Inc. President and CEO, Karen Kerrigan,

testifies before Congress on issues that

impact America’s entrepreneurial sector. 

• WE Inc. members contact members of the

U.S. Senate and House on key votes and

legislative issues and attend briefings with

Administration officials. They are invited to

testify before congressional hearings and to

participate in media events. 

• WE Inc. members help advocate at the

local, state, and international levels as well. 

• They also take action by sharing information with business peers, the media and

members’ general sphere of influence within

their community and state. 

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance 

• Publications—Members stay informed on

key issues through regular communication

from the WE Inc. President and CEO and the

WE Inc. board of experts. Through weekly

newsletters and the WE Inc. website they

receive the latest information and trends on

accessing capital, world markets, new technology, affordable health insurance cover62 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Women Entrepreneurs Inc.
age, and new tools for more efficiently running their firms and bringing products or

services to market. 

• Forums and Workshops—Members have the

opportunity to participate in forums and

workshops that address their most pressing

business needs. 

Access to Networks/Networking

• Meetings—Members attend regular meetings

in the nation’s capital and throughout the

country to network with fellow WE Inc.

members, celebrate their victories for

America’s job-creating women entrepreneurs

and keep up-to-date on new business trends. 

Milestones

• President and CEO Karen Kerrigan has

appeared before various U.S. Congressional

Committees including House Ways and

Means, Education and the Workforce, Small

Business, Government Reform and the

Senate Commerce, Small Business and

Judiciary Committees, as well as commissions at the federal and state level. 

• She recently participated in the President’s

Economic Forum in August of 2002 where

she served as guest presenter of the “Small

Business-Smart Regulation” working session. 

• Kerrigan helped to spearhead “Women

Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century,” a

summit in March of 2002 where more than

1,500 women business owners gathered in

Washington, D.C. to discuss their key concerns with the nation’s leading political figures and to take home practical information

to help their businesses. 

• Ms. Kerrigan served on the 2001 Bush

Transition Advisory Committees for the SBA

and the U.S. Department of Treasury.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Advocacy at the highest levels leads to a

better economic climate for women-owned

businesses. 

• Women’s voices need to be heard to shape

local, state, national, and international policies. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Women Entrepreneurs, Inc.

P.O. Box 367

Oakton, VA 22214-9998

Telephone: 202-785-0238

Fax: 202-822-8118

E-mail: info@we-inc.org

Web site: http://www.we-inc.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /63

Women Entrepreneurs Inc., continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Membership

Association

Client Groups Served: Women in business

and women business owners.

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

Women Impacting Public Policy is a national,

bi-partisan public policy organization representing more than 505,000 women in business and women business owners nationwide.

WIPP influences policy on Capitol Hill, with

the Administration, and with federal agencies. 

Mission

WIPP advocates for and on behalf of women

in business, strengthening their sphere of

influence in the legislative process of the

nation, creating economic opportunities and

building bridges and alliances to other small

business organizations. Through WIPP, the

collective voice of women in business makes a

powerful impact on Capitol Hill and with the

Administration. 

History

• 2001 WIPP was founded.

Issues Addressed

• Need for advocacy on behalf of women in

business and women business owners. 

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Influencing Public Policy and

Opinion

• WIPP develops and tracks positions on current economic legislation impacting small

business, advocates and testifies before

Congress, and educates subscribers on how

to get involved in the political process at

local or state levels, including running for

office. 

• WIPP encourages and supports candidates

who initiate, sponsor legislation, and support WIPP’s issues (economic issues such

as taxes, regulation and paperwork, procurement, access to capital, energy, healthcare, etc.). 

• WIPP develops strategic relationships with

small business organizations and facilitates

corporate Board of Director appointments

and political appointments at county, state

and federal levels through the Plum Book

process. 

• Collectively, WIPP works on Capitol Hill

advocating for positive change for women

business owners. Individually, WIPP members learn to become very good public policy advocates. It can be as simple as emailing a Senator, writing a letter to the editor,

or educating friends and business contacts

about an important issue. WIPP’s public

policy efforts also include working very

closely with the United States Senate and

64 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Women Impacting Public Policy
House of Representatives on new and pending legislation. WIPP members also testify

on Capitol Hill before congressional committees on a regular basis. 

• WIPP members are actively involved in

working with the Federal agencies, too. For

instance, the Office of Management and

Budget, the Department of Energy, the

Department of Defense, the Department of

Labor, the Department of Health and Human

Services, and the Small Business

Administration. WIPP files comments on

behalf of its members, and members participate in roundtable discussions on small

business issues that are sponsored by the

agencies.

Milestones

• WIPP has 505,000 members.

• WIPP has members in all 50 states and all

Congressional districts.

• WIPP has 26 Association Partners representing a diverse group of businesswomen

encompassing all ethnic and cultural communities.

• WIPP members’ annual revenues exceed

$200 billion.

• WIPP members employ over 2.5 million voters.

• WIPP members receive daily coverage in

national, regional and local media.

• WIPP members testified on Capitol Hill

before Congressional committees 65 times

in 2002.

• WIPP members are frequently invited to

present business growth recommendations

to the White House, federal departments

and agencies.

LESSONS LEARNED

• The voice of women business owners must

be heard in Washington, DC.

• Women entrepreneurs have a key role to

play in influencing public policy.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Women Impacting Public 

Policy, Inc.

2709 W. I-44 Service Road

Oklahoma City, OK 73112

Telephone: 888-368-5759

Fax: 405-606-4855

E-mail: support@wipp.org

Web site: http://www.wipp.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /65

Women Impacting Public Policy, continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-profit 

Client Groups Served: Women-owned

businesses seeking certification, as well as 

large corporations wishing to work with

women-owned businesses. 

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description 

WBENC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

that offers comprehensive certification for

women-owned businesses administered

through 14 regional affiliates and accepted by

more than 500 national corporations as well

as state and local government agencies. It is

the largest third-party certifier of womenowned businesses in the United States. It is a

leading advocate of women-owned businesses

as suppliers to America’s corporations. It also

conducts research, creates networking opportunities, and honors corporations that show

excellence in purchasing goods and services

from women-owned businesses. 

Mission 

WBENC is dedicated to enhancing opportunities for women’s business enterprises in

America’s major business markets. In partnership with women’s business organizations

throughout the United States, WBENC provides access to a national standard of certification and information on certified women’s

businesses to purchasing managers through

an Internet database, WBENClink. WBENC

works to foster diversity in the world of commerce with programs and policies designed to

expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in

the marketplace for women business owners. 

History

• 1997 WBENC was founded

• 1998 Best Corporate Practices Study

• 2001 Corporate Purchasing Benchmark

Study

• 2002 Next Practices Study

• 2003 Access to Markets Study

66 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
Issues Addressed

• Need to expand opportunities and eliminate

barriers in the market place for women

business owners

• Need to provide access to a nationally recognized standard of certification for

women’s business enterprises

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Certification

• Certification is a key element of WBENC’s

success. WBENC is the largest third-party

certifier of businesses owned and operated

by women in the United States. One of the

most widely recognized and respected certifications in the nation. 

Certification criteria include:

• 51% ownership by a woman or women

• proof of effective management of the

business (operating position, by-laws,

hire-fire and other decision-making roles)

• control of the business as evidenced by

signature role on loans, leases, and contracts

• United States citizenship or United States

resident alien status.

Access to Markets

• WBENC sets up Matchmaker Meetings, in

which women-owned businesses and large

corporations meet one-to-one to discuss

opportunities for working together. 

Access to Networks/Networking

• WBENCLink offers information on certified

women’s businesses to United States corporate purchasing managers. WEBuy@wbenc.org

is a free Internet sourcing tool for posting

an opportunity for women’s business enterprises. Done Deals is a WBENC website page

on women’s business enterprises that are

doing business with corporate customers.

• The Annual WBENC National Conference:

Sharing the Vision, offers extensive opportunities for networking and information-sharing.

Access to Research

• WBENC surveys major United States companies and conducts research on corporate

best practices. It is a leading source of

information on the trends and attitudes of

corporate America and its supplier diversity

programs for women’s business enterprises.

It also maintains ongoing communication

about the attitudes of women-owned businesses toward the growth and impact of targeted supplier diversity programs. 

• The original 1998 WBENC report on Best

Corporate Practices for Women’s Business

Enterprises showed that the most effective

Fortune 1000 companies using womenowned businesses’ goods and services had

some commonalities. Their best practices

included: (a) leadership from the CEO, (b)

outreach to women’s business enterprises,

(c) training of supplier diversity personnel,

(d) policy structures that provide access to

the corporation by women’s business enterprises, and (e) dissemination of information

on program results. 

• In 2001 the organization published a report

entitled the WBENC Corporate Purchasing

Benchmark Survey with assistance from the

Center for Women’s Business Research. This

report, based on a survey mailed to purchasing executives at all Fortune 1000 corporations, reported the best United States

corporations in terms of purchasing

women-owned businesses’ goods and services. This report found that four key indicaJune 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /67

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), continued
tors of improved performance in corporate

supplier diversity were: (a) active CEO

involvement, (b) a higher share of vendor

dollars (more than 3% of annual spending

on vendors) spent with women’s business

enterprises, (c) spending with a larger number of women’s business enterprises, and

(d) requiring third-party certification of

women’s business enterprises. The study

also discovered that there is a low correlation among these four factors, so the presence of one does not predict the presence of

another. Only 10% of Fortune 1000 companies responding to the survey had all four

key indicators. Almost all (95%) responding

companies have corporate diversity efforts

in place to support women’s business enterprises. However, most corporations use

mainly passive efforts (databases and written policies and goals) rather than active

efforts (CEO involvement, written accountability requirements, supplier diversity training, and incentives for company buyers). 

• WBENC produced the 2002 Next Practices:

Excellence in Corporate Purchasing from

Women’s Business Enterprises Report, which

was designed to show how the best practices in the 1998 report had evolved. The

2002 report, produced by McKay and

Associates for WBENC, identified the policies, practices, and programs that were

instrumental for corporations that made significant progress in purchasing from

women’s business enterprises. Eight corporations were shown to be outstanding. Their

“next practices” included (a) active CEO

commitment, support, and accountability;

(b) accountability for women’s business

results and progress at all levels of the

accountability chain; (c) the structure of the

company’s supplier diversity initiative provides maximum support of women’s business enterprises and internal awareness

linked with external commitment; (d) active

outreach and inclusion help reach business

goals, and (e) managing the supply chain

for maximum return on investment while

increasing women’s business enterprise

participation. 

• In 2003, jointly with the Kaufman

Foundation and Fleet Bank, WBENC commissioned the Center for Women’s Business

Research to conduct the Access to Markets

study, which showed that although womenowned businesses comprise one-third of all

United States businesses, the majority of

Fortune 1000 corporations, which spend

more than $1 billion in purchasing outside

goods and services annually, generally fail

to turn to women-owned businesses to supply their needs. Women-owned businesses

receive less than 4% of the funds spent

annually on outside goods and services. The

study concluded that corporate America

could have greater economic benefit,

increased profitability, and greater business

success by connecting with women-owned

businesses. 

Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• WBENC provides Accelerator workshops to

help women-owned businesses meet strategic sourcing needs of corporate America. 

• The Tuck-WBENC Executive Program at the

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

College offers intensive education for leaders of women-owned businesses. Its major

underwriter is IBM, but other corporations

also contribute.

• WBENC also provides executive scholarships through the Dorothy Brothers

68 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), continued
Scholarship Fund (Bank of America) and the

WBENC Executive Scholarship Fund. 

Access to Honors 

• WBENC has annual honors events, such as

the Salute to Women’s Business Enterprises. 

• It provides an annual listing of America’s Top

Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises.

Milestones

• More than 700 national corporations plus

state and local corporations and governmental agencies accept WBENC certification.

• WBENC has 14 regional affiliates

• Women in Business 2004: Sharing the Vision,

WBENC’s annual conference, will have more

than 300 exhibitors, including Fortune 1000

companies and America’s leading women’s

business enterprises as well as federal government agencies.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Opportunities for women business owners

can be enhanced through dedicated, interlocking efforts including research, education, networking, and certification. 

• A high standard for certifying womenowned businesses is essential. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Women’s Business Enterprise National

Council

1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Suite 1000

Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: 202-872-5515

Fax: 202-872-5505

E-mail: info@wbenc.org

Web site: http://www.wbenc.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /69

Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), continued
IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Type of Organization: Membership

Association

Client Groups Served: Women presidents

who have guided their businesses to at least

$2 million in gross annual sales (or $1 million

for a service-based business).

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

Description

The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO)

brings together highly motivated and successful female entrepreneurs in a dynamic forum

where they can share their expertise and

experience. 

The Women Presidents’ Organization

attracts a diverse group of successful women

business owners who face similar issues but

are different enough to make a unique contribution to the group. Each chapter has no

more than 20-25 women to help build trust

and familiarity and allow for frank discussion

of the sensitive information that is at the

heart of our members’ business concerns. 

Mission 

The ten primary objectives for joining and

participating in the Women Presidents’

Organization include the following: 

• To increase the business and financial success of women entrepreneurs. 

• To provide a confidential environment in

which women presidents of diverse backgrounds can openly discuss issues and concerns, celebrate their successes, and develop innovative solutions to business challenges. 

• To provide continuing education in business

and leadership. 

• To increase awareness of women’s issues

and opportunities. 

• To provide a local and national forum where

women presidents can make strategic contacts, and promote business development. 

• To increase the visibility of women entrepreneurs on the local and national level. 

• To provide business resources including

monthly newsletters, a Web site, media

70 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO)
referrals, a national membership directory,

annual national meetings, and preferential

sponsor benefits. 

• To advance the influence of women in the

business and financial community. 

• Members say that WPO meetings create an

electric synergy resulting from women collaborating and supporting one another that

is unmatched by other organizations. 

• To return to their businesses reenergized and

remotivated. 

History

• 1996 The Women Presidents’ Organization

was founded by Dr. Marsha Firestone.

Issues Addressed

Women presidents encounter unique challenges in business and deserve and desire a

creative and supportive resource that provides

them with the knowledge and skills to excel as

business leaders.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Successful Elements 

Access to Education, Mentoring or Technical

Assistance

• Monthly Meetings of WPO’s 31 Chapters provide peer advisement in small groups with

professional facilitators. Members can benefit

from an informal “board of directors” with

whom they can discuss strategies for growing

their businesses, the next step in their organizational development, or analyze case studies

of their own businesses. The WPO is a

resource for developing innovative and creative solutions to business concerns. Members

benefit by sharing honest, candid feedback

derived from the real experiences of the diverse

WPO membership and the variety of expertise

of every conceivable kind of business. 

Access to Networks/Networking

• An Annual Conference where all WPO members have the opportunity to meet other successful women business owners from across

the country and interact with women who

are the leaders in their fields is convened

each year. 

• An Annual National Meeting of WPO members offers unparalleled opportunities to

make important strategic contacts with

other successful female entrepreneurs from

every section of the country as well as gain

important information from interactive seminars and speakers tailored to the specific

needs of WPO members.

• WPO’s Monthly Newsletter serves as a forum

to share news and events and gives members an opportunity to highlight their businesses in the WPO Spotlight column. 

• WPO’s National Directory provides photos,

bios, and contact information for all our

members. 

• The WPO Website allows members to list their

biographical data and contact information

and provide hyperlinks to their businesses. It

also provides online peer advisement. 

Access to Certification

• The Women Presidents’ Educational

Organization conducts certification for

women-owned businesses as a partner

organization of the Women’s Business

Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Milestones

• The Women Presidents’ Organization has

experienced extremely rapid growth as an

independent membership organization.

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /71

Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), continued
There are now 38 chapters located in cities

across the country.

• WPO member businesses have an average

of $10 million in annual revenues, 80

employees and 16 years in business. 

• In total, the current aggregate WPO membership represents: $5.6 billion in annual

revenues; 45,000 employees and 9,000

years in business.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Develop a budget and follow it carefully.

• Develop a unique program for corporate

sponsors.

• Stick to the organization’s mission and don’t

overcommit.

• Use criteria for membership.

• Don’t offer too many programs - focus in

order to achieve your goals.

• Identify strong and creative member services through research.

• Don’t require members to hold offices or

use their personal time except to work on

their businesses. 

• Use financial prudence.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Women Presidents’ Organization

155 East 55th Street, Suite 4-H

New York, NY 10022

Telephone: 212-688-4114

Fax: 212-688-4766

E-mail: info@womenpresidentsorg.com

Web site: www.womenpresidentsorg.com

72 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), continued
Part IV 

Other Organizations

Contributing to Women in

Business and to Women’s

Economic Advancement
Asian Women in Business (AWIB) was

founded to assist Asian women in fulfilling

their entrepreneurial potential and is available

to assist members in all aspects of small business development. AWIB fills a vital need for

women who need information, education and

networking opportunities to start or expand

their businesses. AWIB sponsors conferences

and workshops, provides individualized technical assistance, and serves as a support mechanism for small business owners. AWIB has an

open door policy and works with other groups

such as the Coalition of 100 Black Women, 100

Hispanic Women, and other organizations to

maximize opportunities to share, learn, and

make business connections and deals. AWIB

also has consulting services in obtaining

Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprise

certification and other areas of business development. Over 10,000 people have attended

AWIB’s sponsored events.

Type of Organization:

Membership Association

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Asian Women in Business 

358 Fifth Avenue, Suite 504

New York, New York 10001

Telephone: 212-868-1368

Fax: 212-868-1373

E-mail: info@awib.org

Web site: http://www.awib.org/

74 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Asian Women in Business (AWIB)
Boardroom Bound ®, founded in 2000, is a

Washington, DC-based nonprofit group

that offers resources and developmental programs to a new generation of individuals

seeking board service and to companies seeking to regain public confidence in American

corporate business practices in the postEnron era. Boardroom Bound identifies seasoned talent in the ethnic minority and

women’s business communities through

alliances with leading national membership

organizations that represent ethnic minority

and women’s interests. Boardroom Bound

nurtures and promotes candidates for corporate board service in Fortune 1000 and emerging and rapid growth companies. The mission

is to re-invent corporate America one board

at a time by pre-qualifying director candidates

from the growing talent pool of “outsiders”

represented by women and ethnic males. “Its

goal is to encourage candidates to hold companies accountable to both their balance

sheet and their responsibility to the public

good,” says Linda K. Bolliger, social engineer

and founder. Boardroom Bound has established a goal of 50% minorities and women

seated on every board by 2015.

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-profit

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Boardroom Bound

Maryland Office

617 Shore Drive, Upper Level

Edgewater, MD 21037

Telephone: 301-261-7202

E-mail: Boards123@aol.com

Web site: http://www.boardroombound.biz

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /75

Boardroom Bound
I

ndependent Means Inc. is a leading provider

of financial education products and programs in the United States. IMI provides onthe-ground programs, camps, seminars,

books, newsletters, games, and other activities for children, parents and mentors, and the

companies that serve them. The Independent

Means staff and trainers believe that financial

literacy is a gateway to independence, character development, and life long well being.

They share a belief that financial literacy is

important to both poor and privileged children

and that financial literacy cuts across both

race and class. At the heart of the company is

a set of values shared by team members:

Money is a tool for achieving and maintaining

independence. Saving is good; accumulation

for its own sake is not. Spending is best done

wisely and within one’s means (though a bold

purchase of investment may also be an act of

wisdom); greed is not good. Giving generously

is part of one’s responsibility to the human

family; shepherding wealth is an act of

respect – to the past and to the future. Money

is an energy (not a commodity) that can be

used for evil or for good.

Type of Organization: Educational 

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Independent Means Inc.

126 East Haley Street, #A16

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Phone: 805-965-0475

Fax: 805-965-3148

E-mail: info@independentmeans.com 

Web site: http://www.independentmeans.com 

76 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Independent Means Inc. (IMI)
The National Association for Female

Executives (NAFE), is a women’s professional association and women business 

owners’ organization providing resources and

services - through education, networking, and

public advocacy - to empower its members to

achieve career success and financial security.

NAFE sponsors professional networking

events, conferences and seminars around the

country ranging from dialogues on consciousness and/or non-religious spirituality in MBA

curricula in San Francisco to foreign accent

reduction coaching in New York City. 

Type of Organization:

Membership Association

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

National Association for Female Executives

260 Madison Avenue, Third Floor

New York, NY 10016

Telephone: 800-927-6233

Fax: 212-351-6486

E-mail: nafe@nafe.com

Web site: http://www.nafe.com 

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /77

The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE)
Seton Hill University’s National Education

Center for Women in Business is designed

to “strengthen the economic impact of women

business owners as a collective force and to

advance their growth through innovative programming in entrepreneurship and new venture creation.” Since its inception in 1991, The

Center has reached thousands of women with

its model educational initiatives and has

become a leading authority on small business

issues. The Center encourages entrepreneurial

skills for women beginning with undergraduate students and extending through the graduate and professional life stages. It has

received “Vision 2000” State Model of

Excellence Award by the Office of Advocacy,

United States Small Business Administration;

the Leavy Award for Excellence in Private

Enterprise Education, First Place in the

National Federation of Independent Business

(NFIB) Education Foundation’s National

Awards Program, and the Award of Excellence

in Innovative Educational Programs from the

American Society of Association Executives

(ASAE).

Type of Organization: Educational 

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

The National Education Center for Women in

Business

Seton Hill University

Seton Hill Drive

Greensburg, PA 15601

Telephone: 724-830-4625

Fax: 724-834-7131

E-mail: info@setonhill.edu 

Web site: http://www.e-magnify.com 

78 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

National Education Center for Women in Business

The National Education

Center for 

WOMEN in BUSINESS
The International Alliance for Women

(TIAW) serves as a global umbrella organization uniting, supporting and promoting professional women and their networks. TIAW’s

members work together, share resources and

leverage ideas. The mission of TIAW is to

encourage, develop, fund and implement programs that foster economic empowerment

and advancement for women around the

world and connecting TIAW members in ways

that enhance economic empowerment and

success for women around the world. It provides access to education, networking, and

microenterprise capital. It was originally

formed as a national alliance in 1980 but

expanded in 1986 to become The International

Alliance (TIA). In 2002 the name changed to

The International Alliance for Women (TIAW).

Its membership surpassed 26,000 women

from around the world by 2003. 

Type of Organization: 

Membership Association

CONTACT INFORMATION:

The International Alliance for Women

8405 Greensboro Drive, Suite 800

McLean, Virginia 22102

Telephone: 703-506-3284

Fax: 703-506-3266

E-mail: info@tiaw.org

Web site: http://www.tiaw.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /79

The International Alliance for Women 
The United States Women’s Chamber of

CommerceTM (USWCC) is creating economic and leadership opportunities for women by

building a strong community voice, lobbying

for women in business, and providing programs and benefits to support the growth of

its members. It is building a national network

of affiliate USWCC chambers to serve the

needs of local communities and provide links

to our national programs. The USWCC leadership is a diverse group of women and men

committed to creating economic and leadership opportunities for women. Its members

include small business, large corporations,

trade and community associations, students

and individuals from all across the United

States and around the globe. 

Type of Organization:

Membership Association

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300

Washington, DC 20004

Telephone: 888-41-USWCC

Fax: 202- 478-0995

E-mail: info@uswomenschamber.com

Web site: http://www.uswomenschamber.com

80 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

The United States Women’s Chamber of CommerceTM (USWCC)
Vital Voices, headquartered in Washington,

D.C., is a nonprofit bipartisan organization dedicated to increasing women’s leadership around the world. Its work focuses on

three critical areas: expanding women’s roles

in politics and civil society; increasing successful women’s entrepreneurship; and fighting trafficking in women and girls and other

human rights abuses. Its mission is a global

partnership that supports women’s progress

in building democracies, strong economies,

and peace. Vital Voices also has a Global

Advisory Council, made up of women leaders

from every region of the world, who advise

Vital Voices about the most pressing issues

facing women in their countries and work

with Vital Voices to address them. In addition,

Vital Voices has Global Network Affiliates and

thousands of network members throughout

the world—from Russia to Venezuela—and

partners with leading corporations, universities, nonprofits, foundations, and governments

around the world who share our dedication to

improving the economic, political and social

status of women everywhere. 

Type of Organization: Entrepreneurial

Support Organization / Non-Profit

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Vital Voices Global Partnership

1050 Connecticut Ave., NW, 10th Floor

Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: 202-772-4162

Fax: 202-772-2353 

E-mail: info@vitalvoices.org

Web site: http://www.vitalvoices.org/about/contact

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /81

Vital Voices Global Partnership
Women’s Leadership Exchange® (WLE) is

a multi-media company founded in

2002 by and for female entrepreneurs. Its

founders, Leslie Grossman and Andrea March,

identified a need for regional, intensive, oneday conferences for established business

owners, who all have limited time, could participate in annually and close to their base of

operations in the largest markets for women

business owners. These educational conferences offer women entrepreneurs access to

tools and connections that drive business

growth. The mission of Women’s Leadership

Exchange is to help develop more women

leaders in business and other areas of human

endeavor by connecting women with top

business experts, corporate leaders, and with

each other. Together with advisors - successful and prominent women from a cross-section of industries - WLE supports the growth

of women-led businesses in all sectors

through the sharing of knowledge, resources

and contacts, believing that business growth

can be impacted in a minimal time frame if

critical issues are addressed. It presents

Compass Awards to women who have shifted

the paradigm of how women are perceived as

leaders in the world. In the first 15 months of

the program, nearly 3,000 women participated in WLE conferences. 

Type of Organization: Corporation, 

For-Profit Organization

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Women’s Leadership Exchange®

14 Wall Street, 20th Floor

New York, NY 10005

Telephone: 212-618-1811

Fax: 212-618-1800

E-mail: information@womensleadershipexchange.com 

Web site:

http://www.womensleadershipexchange.com/index.php 

82 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Women’s Leadership Exchange
Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a

global service organization of executives in

business and the professions working together, across political and social boundaries, to

advance the status of women worldwide.

Zonta International members volunteer their

time, talents and money to local and international service programs, as well as scholarship and award programs aimed at furthering

women’s education, leadership and youth

development. Of particular interest to women

business owners is Zonta International’s Jane

M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship

Program, which has provided 102 scholarships to women in 22 countries since 1998.

Zonta International has 33,000 members in

2,254 clubs in 67 countries. 

Type of Organization:

Membership Association

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Zonta International 

557 West Randolph Street

Chicago, IL 60661

Telephone: 312-930-5848 

Fax: 312-930-0951

E-mail: zontaintl@zonta.org

Web site: http://www.zonta.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /83

Zonta International
84 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004
Part V

Conclusions 

and

Recommendations
The NWBC is delighted to find so many

organizations meeting the inclusion criteria, indicating a strong focus on and commitment to women’s entrepreneurship.

The NWBC is also pleased that so many other

organizations, while not fully meeting all the

inclusion criteria, are powerfully contributing

to women in business. One reason why few

public organizations are profiled in this report

is that many public organizations do not have

gender-specific programs. Gender-specificity

was one of the inclusion criteria for this

report. 

Though most of the organizations included

were in the private sector, there is also public

sector involvement in many of the efforts. For

example, seed money for many of the efforts

in women’s entrepreneurship comes from the

United States Small Business Administration.

Historically the government has been the

“lead funder” for many positive activities in

the private sector. 

86 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Conclusions
Recognition of Women’s

Entrepreneurship as a Business Issue.

We must increase society’s recognition of the

fact that maximizing opportunity and

advancement for women is a business issue,

just as fundamental as productivity, quality, or

product development. Business must realize

the full potential of everyone in our workforce

in order to maximize its fullest potential.

Recognition of outstanding organizations fostering the development of women’s entrepreneurship can help in this regard. They also

spur the development of other organizations to

fill gaps and inspire women’s entrepreneurial

support organizations to achieve excellence. 

Research as a Foundation. Many organizations we spoke with mentioned the importance of fact-based information as both providing program direction and increased public

awareness. Well-supported, timely, accurate,

and reliable research is thus a driving force

behind (a) the design and expansion of both

public and private sector programs that expand

opportunities for women to lead profitable,

growth-oriented businesses; (b) the recognition

of women-owned businesses as a major contributor to our society; and (c) public policies

and the monitoring of these policies. 

Public-Private Partnerships. Sustainable

support for women’s business development

can best be achieved if there is active involvement not only from women business owners

and their organizations but also from government and non-government organizations supporting enterprise development. Therefore,

public-private partnerships are invaluable and

should continue and expand. The government

should continue to provide seed capital for

the private sector, while allowing local variation among private sector organizations.

Strong Partnerships to Create

Collaboration and Reduce Duplication.

It is important to nurture strong partnerships

across organizations that are working toward

the same goals. This will reduce duplication

and strengthen each group’s efforts. As one

organization stated, “Be collaborative, not

duplicative.” When organizations fostering

women’s entrepreneurship work together, they

can encourage each other, build stronger businesses, and create equity in the workplace.

Needs Assessments. Services to women

entrepreneurs must be targeted to meet the

most important goals. Needs assessments

would be very useful to determine, for example, whether – given existing services and

organizations – a new online procurement

website, a new certifying organization, or

another national conference is needed at a

given time. 

Impetus for Action and

Implementation. The impetus for action

and implementation of programs for women

entrepreneurs has historically come from the

women business owner community. It is

important to ensure that activism continues. It

is thus very important for women entrepreneurs to continue to have a voice in public

policy matters, not just for the benefit of

women entrepreneurs but for all of society.

Having an official voice in government for

women business owners is important for

advancing policy. 

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /87

Recommendations
88 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004
Appendices
Beginning in November 2003, meetings

were held with The National Women’s

Business Council (NWBC) to discuss updating

the 2000 Report, “United States Case Study:

Successful Public and Private Sector Initiatives

Fostering the Growth of Women’s Business

Ownership.” In the initial meetings, the

desired criteria for inclusion, components of

the profiles and the case study format were

discussed. It was agreed upon that the

NWBC would provide a list of organizations/

programs for the updated case study which

would be included based on a set of criteria. 

Many conversations were held to ensure that

the vital information was captured from the

most appropriate organizations. Based on

these conversations, a list of approximately

30 potentially relevant organizations was

compiled, along with basic historical data and

contact information. The Council’s “friends

and family” list, including NWBC Council

members, was contacted to cull feedback on

programs and organizations for inclusion.

NWBC sent a letter explaining the importance

of the study and a description of how the ultimate report would be used. 

Because of the vast amount of information to

be gathered and the importance of having

background information before talking with

key individuals at potentially relevant organizations, the next step was to conduct iterative

reviews of the Internet websites of the organizations on our initial list. An expanded list of

approximately 50-55 organizations that

seemed to deserve further review was compiled. These included organizations on the initial list and additional organizations identified

through further research.

The OECD distinctions were used as a 

starting point to develop a set of “successful

elements,” i.e., the emphases found on the

matrix in Appendix D. Categories were used

to organize and describe the specific work of

each of the potentially relevant organizations.

The categories included:

• Access to Influencing Public Policy and

Opinion

• Access to Capital

• Access to Markets 

• Access to Education, Mentoring, or

Technical Assistance

• Access to Research

• Access to Networks/Networking

• Access to Board Membership

• Access to Certification

• Access to Honors

Initial, rough drafts of profiles for each organization of interest were created. Next, each

organization’s goals, history, and successful

elements were compared to the inclusion criteria. Based on this analysis, it was clear that

some of the organizations, while valuable and

productive, clearly did not fit the criteria. Key

individuals at the organizations were contacted by telephone, fax, and e-mail. 

90 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Appendix A

Methodology
Many of the organizations were able to provide information on “Lessons Learned” easily

and smoothly. However, it was interesting

that a majority of the profiled organizations

did not think in these terms. Some had difficulty coming up with “Lessons Learned,” possibly because they were so busy taking action

that they had little time to reflect about what

they had learned in the past. For other organizations, any expression of “Lessons Learned”

had to be vetted among all of their officers,

and this took a significant amount of time.

Still other organizations said they could not

think of “Lessons Learned” or simply did not

respond to that section of the interview, fax,

or email. In a case in which an organization

clearly matched the inclusion criteria but

failed to provide any “Lessons Learned” information, the organization was not eliminated

from the study based on not providing complete information. In such instances, information that was available on the organization

was used and the most obvious “Lessons

Learned”garnered. In every instance, some

kind of lesson was evident. 

The organizations were given the opportunity

to review their profiles and make changes.

Because many organizations did not perfectly

fit the inclusion criteria but still offered a

great deal to women entrepreneurs, it was

decided to design a new report-section called

“Other Organizations Contributing to Women

in Business and to Women’s Economic

Advancement.” This new section was an

important addition for readers who might

want to see a larger landscape. 

The “Conclusions and Recommendations”

section was based on several sources: 

(a) discussions among the authors, and the

NWBC, (b) a review of all of the finalized

organizational profiles, and (c) a special

review of the “Lessons Learned” parts of the

profiles. Prioritization of the recommendations

occurred after further in-house discussions. 

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /91
1. Access America

United States Chamber of Commerce

1615 H Street, NW

Washington, DC 20062

Telephone: 202-659-6000 and 202-463-5870

Fax: 202-463-5836

E-mail: accessamerica@uschamber.com 

Web site: http://www.uschamber.com/access/default

2. Association of Women’s Business

Centers

PO Box 1255

Camden, ME 04843

Telephone: 207-236-9753

Fax: 207-236-2954

E-mail: ama@awbc.biz

Web site: http://www.womensbusinesscenters.org

3. ATHENA Foundation

70 E. Lake Street, Suite 1220

Chicago, IL 60601-5939

Telephone: 312-580-0111

Fax: 312-580-0110

E-mail: athena@athenafoundation.org 

Web site: http://www.athenafoundation.org/

4. Business and Professional

Women/USA

1900 M Street, NW, Suite 310

Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: 202-293-1100

Fax: 202-861-0298

E-mail: memberservices@bpwusa.org

Web site: http://www.bpwusa.org

5. Center for Women’s Business

Research

1411 K Street, NW

Suite 1350

Washington, DC 20005-3407

Telephone: 202-638-3060

Fax: 202-638-3064

E-mail: info@womensbusinessresearch.org 

Web site: http://www.womensbusinessresearch.org

6. Center for Women’s Leadership

Babson College

Nichols 100

Babson Park, MA 02457-0310

Telephone: 781-239-5001

Fax: 781-239-5322

E-mail: cwl@babson.edu 

Web site: http://www3.babson.edu/cwl

7. The Committee of 200

980 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1575

Chicago, IL 60611 

Telephone: 312-255-0296

Fax: 312-255-0789

E-mail: info@c200.org

Web site: http://www.c200.org

8. Count Me In

240 Central Park South

Suite 7H

New York, NY 10019

Telephone: 212-245-1245

Fax: 212-245-1236

E-mail: info@count-me-in.org 

Web site: http://www.count-me-in.org

92 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Appendix B

Contact Information for Profiled Organizations
9. The Diana Project

Patricia G. Greene 

Undergraduate School 

President’s Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship

Hollister Hall 

Babson College

Babson Park, MA 02457

Telephone: 781-239-5008

Fax: 781-239-5322

E-mail: greene@ babson.edu

Sweden Telephone: 08-458 78 00

Sweden E-mail: info@esbri.se

Web site: http://www.esbri.se/diana.asp

10. Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’

Connection

100 Federal Street

Boston, MA 02110

Telephone: 617-346-4175

Fax: 617-346-2723

E-mail: smallbiz@fleet.com

Web site: http://www.theconnection.fleet.com

11. Ms. Foundation for Women

120 Wall Street, 33rd Floor

New York, NY 10005 

Telephone: 212-742-2300

Fax: 212-742-1653

E-mail: info@ms.foundation.org

Web site: http://www.ms.foundation.org 

12. National Association of Women

Business Owners

8405 Greensboro Drive

Suite 800

McLean VA 22102

Telephone: 703-506-3268

Fax: 703-506-3266

E-mail: national@nawbo.org 

Web site: http://www.nawbo.org

13. National Women Business Owners

Corporation

1001 W. Jasmine Drive 

Suite G

Lake Park, FL 33403

Telephone: 800-675-5066

Fax: 561-881-7364

E-mail: info@nwboc.org 

Web site: http://www.nwboc.org

14. The National Women’s Business

Council

409 Third Street, SW, Suite 210

Washington, DC 20024

Telephone: 202-205-3850

Fax: 202-205-6825

E-mail: info@nwbc.gov

Web site: http://www.nwbc.gov

15. Office of Women’s Business

Ownership

U.S. Small Business Administration 

409 Third Street SW, 6th Floor

Washington, DC 20416

Telephone: 202-205-6673

Fax: 202-205-7287

E-mail: owbo@sba.gov

Web site: http://www.sba.gov/womeninbusiness

16. Organization of Women in

International Trade 

Amy Johannesen

Coudert Brothers

1114 Avenue of the Americas 

New York, NY 10036

E-mail: johannesena@coudert.com

Web site: http://www.owit.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /93
17. Springboard Enterprises

2100 Foxhall Road, NW

Washington, DC 20007

Telephone: 202-242-6282 

Fax: 202-242-6284 

E-mail: info@springboardenterprises.org

Web site: http://www.springboardenterprises.org

18. Three Guineas Fund

525 Brannan Street, Suite 208

San Francisco, CA 94107

Telephone: 415-348-1581

Fax: 415-348-1584

E-mail: Info@3gf.org 

Web site: http://www.3gf.org

19. U.S. Census Bureau

Company Statistics Division 

Room 1182, FB3

Washington DC 20233-6400

Telephone: 301-763-3389

Fax: 301-457-3396

E-mail: ruth.a.runyan@census.gov 

Web site:

http://www.census.gov/csd/mwb/Womenp.htm

20. Wells Fargo Women’s Business

Services Program

525 Market Street, 22nd Floor

MAC A0103-220

San Francisco, CA 94105-2724

Telephone: 415-222-1195

Fax: 415-975-6402

Web site: http://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/intentions/

women_bus_svcs.html

21. Women Entrepreneurs, Inc.

P.O. Box 367

Oakton, VA 22214-9998

Telephone: 202-785-0238

Fax: 202-822-8118

E-mail: info@we-inc.org

Web site: http://www.we-inc.org

22. Women Impacting Public 

Policy, Inc.

2709 W. 1-44 Service Road

Oklahoma City, OK 73112

Telephone: 888-368-5759

Fax: 405-606-4855

E-mail: support@wipp.org

Web site: http://www.wipp.org

23. Women’s Business Enterprise

National Council

1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Suite 1000

Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: 202-872-5515

Fax: 202-872-5505

E-mail: info@wbenc.org

Web site: http://www.wbenc.org

24. Women Presidents’ Organization

155 East 55th Street, Suite 4-H

New York, NY 10022

Telephone: 212-688-4114

Fax: 212-688-4766

E-mail: info@womenpresidentsorg.com

Web site: http://www.womenpresidentsorg.com

94 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004
1. Asian Women in Business 

358 Fifth Avenue, Suite 504

New York, New York 10001

Telephone: 212-868-1368

Fax: 212-868-1373

E-mail: info@awib.org

Web site: http://www.awib.org/

2. Boardroom Bound

Maryland Office

617 Shore Drive, Upper Level

Edgewater, MD 21037

Telephone: 301-261-7202

E-mail: Boards123@aol.com 

Web site: http://www.boardroombound.biz

3. Independent Means Inc.

126 East Haley Street, #A16

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Phone: 805-965-0475

Fax: 805-965-3148

E-mail: info@independentmeans.com 

Web site: http://www.independentmeans.com 

4. National Association for Female

Executives

260 Madison Avenue, Third Floor

New York, NY 10016

Telephone: 800-927-6233

Fax: 212-351-6486

E-mail: nafe@nafe.com

Web site: http://www.nafe.com 

5. The National Education Center for

Women in Business

Seton Hill University

Seton Hill Drive

Greensburg, PA 15601

Telephone: 724-830-4625

Fax: 724-834-7131

E-mail: info@setonhill.edu 

Web site: http://www.e-magnify.com 

6. The International Alliance for

Women

8405 Greensboro Drive, Suite 800

McLean, Virginia 22102

Telephone: 703-506-3284

Fax: 703-506-3266

E-mail: info@tiaw.org

Web site: http://www.tiaw.org

7. U.S. Women’s Chamber of

Commerce

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 300

Washington, D.C. 20004

Telephone: 888-41-USWCC

Fax: 202-478-0995

E-mail: info@uswomenschamber.com

Web site: http://www.uswomenschamber.com

8. Vital Voices Global Partnership

1050 Connecticut Ave., NW, 10th Floor

Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: 202-772-4162

Fax: 202-772-2353 

E-mail: info@vitalvoices.org 

Web site: http://www.vitalvoices.org

9. Women’s Leadership Exchange®

14 Wall Street, 20th Floor

New York, NY 10005

Telephone: 212-618-1811

Fax: 212-618-1800

E-mail: information@womensleadershipexchange.com 

Web site:

http://www.womensleadershipexchange.com/index.php

10. Zonta International 

557 West Randolph Street

Chicago, IL 60661

Telephone: 312-930-5848

Fax: 312-930-0951

E-mail: zontaintl@zonta.org

Web site: http://www.zonta.org

June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /95

Apprendix C

Contact Information for Organizations with Brief Descriptions

in this Report
96 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Appendix D

Functional Matrix of Organizations Profiled in This Report

Note: The symbol represents a major emphasis, and the symbol below represents a minor emphasis

ORGANIZATION NAME SHORT TYPE

FORM 1 = Public Sector Educational/ Networks/

2 = Entrepreneurial Support Mentoring/ Networking

Organization/Non-profit Technical Assistance

3 = Membership Association

4 = Corporation, For-profit

Organizations

5 = Educational

Access America 3

Association of Women’s AWBC 3

Business Centers

ATHENA Foundation 2

Business and Professional BPW/USA 3

Women/USA

Center for Women’s Business 2

Research

Center for Women’s Leadership, 5

Babson College

Committee of 200 C200 3

Count Me In for Women’s CMI 2

Economic Independence

Diana Project Diana 5

Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’ The 4

Connection Connection

Ms. Foundation for Women 2

National Association of NAWBO 3

Women Business Owners

National Women Business NWBOC 2

Owners Corporation

National Women’s Business Council NWBC 1

Office of Women’s Business OWBO 1

Ownership, U.S. Small Business 

Administration

Organization of Women in OWIT 3

International Trade

Springboard Enterprises 2

Three Guineas Fund 3GF 2

U.S. Census Bureau Survey of SWOBE 1

Women-Owned Business Enterprises

Wells Fargo Women’s Business 4

Services Program

Women Entrepreneurs, Inc. WE, Inc. 2

Women Impacting Public Policy WIPP 3

Women’s Business Enterprise WBENC 2

National Council 

Women Presidents’ Organization WPO 3
June 2004 Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States /97

TYPE ORGANIZATION NAME

Influencing Public Capital Research Markets Honors Certification

Policy and Opinion 

Access America

Association of Women’s 

Business Centers

ATHENA Foundation

Business and Professional 

Women/USA

Center for Women’s Business 

Research

Center for Women’s Leadership, 

Babson College

Committee of 200

Count Me In for Women’s 

Economic Independence

Diana Project

Fleet Women Entrepreneurs’ 

Connection

Ms. Foundation for Women

National Association of 

Women Business Owners

National Women Business 

Owners Corporation

National Women’s Business Council

Office of Women’s Business 

Ownership, U.S. Small Business 

Administration

Organization of Women in 

International Trade

Springboard Enterprises

Three Guineas Fund

U.S. Census Bureau Survey of WomenOwned Business Enterprises

Wells Fargo Women’s Business 

Services Program

Women Entrepreneurs, Inc.

Women Impacting Public Policy

Women’s Business Enterprise 

National Council 

Women Presidents’ Organization
98 / Best Practices in Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship in the United States June 2004

Barrera Associates, Inc. is a 15 year-old woman- and minority-owned firm specializing in

the provision of professional administrative and management support services to clients in the

public and private sector. Among its many successful projects, Barrera Associates, Inc. has been

engaged to provide research tasks related to issues in the women-owned and minority business

area as well as in educational programs operated by states with funding from the U.S.

Department of Education. The company is classified as a small business and was admitted to

the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 8(a) business development program in 2002.

The National Women’s Business Council is a bi-partisan Federal advisory council created

to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President,

Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to

women business owners. The Council’s mission is to promote bold initiatives, policies and programs designed to support women’s business enterprises at all stages of development in the

public and private sector marketplaces, from start-up to success to significance. 

About the Authors

National Women’s Business Council

409 Third Street, SW, Suite 210

Washington, DC 20024

Phone: 202/205-3850

Fax: 202/205-6825

June, 2004