The Center for Women’s Leadership has frequent opportunities to work in partnership with or to tap into the resources of a wide variety of professional organizations focused on women’s issues.
Catalyst: Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit corporate membership research and advisory organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business. With offices in New York, Sunnyvale, Toronto, and Zug, and the support and confidence of more than 340 leading corporations, firms, business schools, and associations, Catalyst is connected to business and its changing needs and is the premier resource for information and data about women in the workplace. In addition, Catalyst honors exemplary business initiatives that promote women’s leadership with the annual Catalyst Award.
Center for Women and Enterprise: Established in 1995, the Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women start and grow their own businesses. CWE is a national leader among women’s business development agencies. CWE's mission is to empower women to become economically self-sufficient and prosperous through entrepreneurship.
Center for Women’s Business Research: The Center for Women's Business Research is the go-to source on the trends, characteristics, achievements, and challenges of women business owners and their enterprises. Our research enables America's top corporations, government policymakers, associations, and advocacy organizations to make informed, progressive decisions about programs and policies designed to reach and benefit women entrepreneurs.
Downtown Women’s Club: Founded as a networking organization in Boston by a group of energetic and enthusiastic young professionals in 1998, the Downtown Women’s Club (DWC) has evolved into an online social network and in-person community designed for smart and sophisticated businesswomen on the go. Our mission is: to empower women through access to information and opportunities for collaboration. With our expanding club system and online services, no matter where you work, play, or live, you can join the DWC and interact with dynamic corporate executives and entrepreneurs from a variety of industries.
85 Broads: Founded in 1997, 85 Broads was originally launched by Janet Hanson as an independent network for current and former Goldman Sachs women (the name being a humorous play on Goldman Sachs' street address in NYC). Today, the 85 Broads network is open to students and alums from over 250 leading colleges and graduate schools across the globe along. Our members range in age from 17-65+, work for over 1000 different companies, and live on all 7 continents.
Forté Foundation: Babson is a founding member of Forte Foundation and over the last five years has awarded scholarships to promising women MBAs. The Forte is a consortium of major corporations and top business schools that has become a powerful change agent in educating and directing talented women toward leadership roles in business. Our mission is to substantially increase the number of women business leaders by increasing the flow of women into key educational gateways and business networks.
Springboard Enterprises: A national not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating women's access to the equity markets. The organization produces programs that educate, showcase and support entrepreneurs as they seek equity capital and grow their companies. Springboard’s target market is the growing ranks of women entrepreneurs who lead high-growth potential enterprises. The entrepreneurs who have participated in Springboard programs are the newest faces representing emerging growth enterprises and, certainly, the first wave of women to launch non-lifestyle businesses and grow their enterprises via the equity markets.
The Commonwealth Institute: The Commonwealth Institute's mission is to support women CEOs, entrepreneurs and senior corporate executives by helping them grow their businesses and careers. The cornerstone of their approach is peer mentoring. The Institute has found that interaction with other entrepreneurs who have faced the challenges building businesses is one of the most effective modes of learning.
The Conference Board: The world's preeminent business membership and research organization. Best known for the Consumer Confidence Index and the Leading Economic Indicators, The Conference Board has, for over 90 years, equipped the world's leading corporations with practical knowledge through issues-oriented research and senior executive peer-to-peer meetings.The Conference Board promotes confidence in the free enterprise system by shaping the values critical to ethical business performance.
The Massachusetts Conference for Women: The Massachusetts Conference for Women, hosted in conjunction with the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, is a non-profit, non-partisan, one-day event where Massachusetts women can connect, learn practical and professional strategies from nationally recognized experts, and network with peers. The Conference first opened its doors in 2005, and since then it has grown to attract more than 5,000 attendees and truly impact lives. In a very unique way, it serves to build connections, enhance collaboration and embody community.
Women@Work: Through national and international chapters, Women@Work is a rapidly expanding network of exceptionally talented current and returning professional women who are seeking work-life balance and flexibility. We connect and serve two constituencies: women who are interested in permanent full-time and part-time positions, consulting engagements and temporary assignments and the employers who need their top-notch skills and expertise. Women@Work is consistently recognized in the national press as a leading resource for hard-to-find, highly skilled and diverse talent--and its recruiting services are enhanced by strong alliances with top business and undergraduate schools as well as prominent professional and women's organizations.
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC): The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), founded in 1997, is the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations. It also is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. 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. WBENC works with representatives of corporations to encourage the utilization and expansion of supplier/vendor diversity programs.
