Our Impact
Learn more about the impact Women Unite! has had over the past few years—the impact made possible by our clients, generous donors, and business partners.
End of Year Impact: 2023
We just wrapped yet another unprecedented year and are longing, nay pleading for precedented times. Based on how things have started, it doesn’t feel like we’ll be getting our wish in 2024 (or anytime soon).
If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to feel angry, overwhelmed, and hopeless. So, what do you do when everything is terrible? Well, here at Women Unite! (WU!) we do the best thing we know how to do—we show up.
As Palestinian-American activist and poet Hala Alyan wrote,
“All relentless entities depend enormously on a few things: your fatigue, your hopelessness, your turning away.”
We will not turn away. We refuse to turn away. Because we cannot afford to turn away. Our community needs us. Our families need us. We need us.
I want to thank each of you for turning up instead of turning away—for forging connection and demonstrating collective impact. Our 2023 Impact Report is more than a collection of statistics and figures, although you will certainly find those. It’s a testament to the impact we’ve made in this place we call home. It’s a celebration of what happens when we do what we can with what we have. Most importantly, it’s a giant THANK YOU to everyone who has helped make this work possible.
Mid-Year Update: 2023
We are just over halfway through 2023 and our country has already experienced a non-stop stream of tragedy, and we are tired. We’re tired of the tragedy, and we’re tired of trying to muster the energy to keep doing this work. We’re tired, tired, tired. Often, all we can drum up is an exasperated “Dude, wtf?”
Despite the exhaustion, we find hope. We remind ourselves that although our individual actions feel like drops in the bucket; collectively they create waves of change. In this year’s mid-year report, we hope you find the nourishment you need, a reminder of what can happen when we work together. Most importantly, we hope you feel proud knowing that through your support and engagement, we are continuing to make our world a more just, more compassionate place.
End of Year Impact: 2022
With 2022 nearly behind us, it’s time for us to send out our annual love letter, our chance to say thanks to everyone who makes Women Unite! the vibrant, engaged community it is—thank you! Thank you for showing up, for showing support, and for reminding us that love means never having to say “we did it alone.”
80% of our dollars donated were to Black-led organizations committed to supporting Black communities and communities of color.
The average grant size awarded is just under $23,000. The average annual budget of awarded organizations is less than $2M.
93% of services offered in 2022 were provided for free or on a sliding scale.
Mid-Year Update: 2022
There’s been a whole lot of bad so far in 2022, but together we’re making good happen. We’re excited to share some mid-year updates that highlight what we’ve been able to accomplish for our partners and clients and the ripple effects our work has had across Chicago. Thanks to everyone in our community who is making our work possible.
End of Year Impact: 2021
As always, our community showed up to support Women Unite! Check out our 2021 Impact Report, our annual love letter to you. Because love means never having to say “We did it alone.”
Mid-Year Update: 2021
Thanks to our community, Women Unite! has already achieved so much in 2021. From supporting our partners with free capacity-building services to donating to organizations across Chicago, none of it would have been possible without your sustained generosity.
Read our 2021 Mid-Year Impact Report here.
End of Year Impact: 2020
Check out our first-ever impact report, our love letter to you. You are the ones who make our work possible, and together we’re making the world a more just and compassionate place.