| Program Overview
Strengthening Women's Business Organizations
To effectively represent the interests
and concerns of their members
(Global)
I. Summary
While women entrepreneurs are an important and growing force
within economies in transition, often their full participation
in the business and public policy arenas is hindered by lack
of representation, legal barriers, and traditional gender
roles. Effective women's business organizations can help women
entrepreneurs begin to overcome these obstacles.
To help women's business organizations fulfill this role,
CIPE proposes to conduct a program to strengthen women's business
organizations so that they can more effectively represent
the interests and concerns of their members. As part of this
program, CIPE will 1) conduct a market survey of existing
institutions and successful programs, 2) contract a collection
of papers on topics identified in the market survey, 3) sponsor
a 3-day international strategy forum to discuss challenges
and solutions, and 4) produce a guide to action based on the
conclusions from the forum.
As a participant in the National Endowment for Democracy,
the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) has
as its mission the building and strengthening of democracy
around the globe through the promotion of private enterprise
and market-oriented economic reform. Women's business organizations
have consistently been represented in CIPE training programs,
accounting for 24 percent of total participation. To date,
CIPE has awarded four grants which specifically focused on
the women's business community and women's business associations.
II. Background
The rising importance of women-owned businesses in the US
economy has recently been highlighted in reports by the National
Foundation for Women Business Owners and the US Bureau of
the Census which indicate that women-owned businesses currently
employ one in four American workers and that the number of
women-owned businesses has increased by 43 percent between
1987 and 1992 with annual sales increasing by 131 percent.
Women-owned businesses are also vital to economies in transition.
In many newly democratizing countries, women comprise a majority
of the workforce especially in the informal- and small-business
sectors. Due to both legal and cultural traditions, these
businesswomen face unique challenges and restrictions to the
success of their businesses. While CIPE's experiences globally
have proven that business organizations can offer a vehicle
for improving the business environment through advocacy, training
and other services, women rarely benefit from adequate representation
in the existing business organizations. Further, the business
organizations dedicated specifically to women are often weak,
lacking the institutional capability, resources, skills and
experience to assist their members and to promote women in
business.
With adequate institutional frameworks, women's business
organizations-professional or trade-can be conduits for promoting
women in business and market-oriented economic policies. Women's
needs within business organizations are similar to the needs
of their male counterparts in many ways. For example, they
benefit from training and services that business organizations
provide for their members. Yet, women also have unique needs
such as confidence building and advocacy for a legal framework
favorable to women in business. The National Association of
Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and Les Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises
Mondiales (FCE or World Association of Women Entrepreneurs)
are two notable examples of women's business organizations
that have provided technical assistance programs and made
a positive impact on the business environment for businesswomen
in the US, Canada, and France.
The three basic activities for women's business organizations
are:
- Training, basic business skills as well as how to grow
businesses from micro and small to medium and large scale,
- Advocating a legal framework and business culture that
encourages women in business, and
- Confidence building and technical assistance in societies
where women have not traditionally participated in the economic
sector.
This program aims to bring together experts from successful
international women's business organizations to develop a strategy
to strengthen the institutional capabilities of women's business
organizations worldwide in each of these key areas. As a result
of strengthening these activities within business organizations,
the program seeks to (1) enhance women's participation and representation
in public policy debates effecting their businesses, and (2)
enable them to move their businesses into the formal sector
and grow into medium or large scale enterprises.
III. Project Objectives
CIPE developed a project to strengthen women's business organizations
with the following objectives:
- to identify women's business organizations and the unique
needs of their institutions and membership,
- to help build stronger institutions which are capable
of providing services and representing members, and
- to promote public policy which favors women's participation
in the business community.
IV. Project Activities
To achieve these objectives and goals, CIPE held a three-day
international strategy forum in Washington, DC, providing
an opportunity for women throughout the world to discuss challenges,
experiences and best practices, and to develop a strategy
to improve the effectiveness of women's business organizations.
CIPE is currently in the process of producing a publication
which will provide an opportunity to share lessons-learned,
successful programs and the strategy with a wider audience.
1. International Strategy Forum to Strengthen Women's Business
Organizations
In order to identify priority issues for women's business
organizations, develop an agenda for future action, and share
successful programs and experiences, CIPE developed and conducted
an International Strategy Forum to Strengthen Women's Business
Organizations in Washington, DC at the US Chamber of Commerce
in April 1997. Approximately 20 representatives from women's
business organizations world-wide were invited to participate
in the meeting. Participants will be selected on the basis
of the relative strength and successes of their business organizations'
programs for women entrepreneurs, and to provide a relative
balance among regions. Additional individuals were invited
to attend the meeting as observers. The focus will be the
economic challenges that women entrepreneurs face and how
these obstacles can be lessened through effective activities
and services conducted by women's business organizations.
The forum was divided into speeches, open discussions, and
regional working groups.
Topics will included:
- Assessment of How Women's Business Organizations Can Address
the Needs and Challenges Unique to Women Entrepreneurs
- Best Practices-Exemplary Women's Business Organizations
Worldwide and What They Have Accomplished
- The Role of Grassroots Public Policy Advocacy for Women
Business Organizations
- Successful Media Techniques for Women's Business Organizations
- Strategy Formulation for Educational Programs and Services
- Strategy Formulation for Public Policy Advocacy
- Setting an Agenda for Women's Business Associations Worldwide
In order to reach organizations worldwide and benefit from their
perspectives, participation included experts from Africa, the
Middle East, Asia, Russia/NIS, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin
America and the US. Participants were selected on the basis
of recommendations from CIPE's regional program staff and the
project advisory committee.
Market Survey
Prior to the forum, CIPE conducted a market survey of the
current institutional structure, membership base, activities,
and needs of women's business organizations. Organizations
were identified through contacts with CIPE grantees, American
Chambers of Commerce, and US Embassy staffs. These additional
organizations were also be included in the survey. The survey
itself was based on CIPE's business association training needs
assessment survey.
Success Stories
Also prior to the forum, CIPE contracted international leaders
to write papers on each of the topics identified for the forum.
The papers were presented by the authors at the forum and
distributed to the participants. These papers will also be
incorporated into the post-forum guide to action.
2. Guide to Action
A guide to action including a collection of the unique needs
for women in business organizations, best-practices, and strategies
will be produced. The publication will include reports on
advocacy, confidence-building, training and other relevant
topics.
3. Advisory Committee
To assist CIPE in formulating the forum agenda and identify
the best participants, an advisory committee was formed. The
twelve members were invited on the basis of the expertise
as women entrepreneurs, knowledge of the needs of women entrepreneurs,
and involvement with successful programs. In order to ensure
representation from each region on the advisory committee,
international members were identified by the CIPE program
staff and individuals invited to participate in a "virtual"
advisory committee via faxes and conference calls. The advisory
committee met three times prior to the conference in order
to develop the agenda, invite participants and plan the conference
itself.
V. Evaluation Plan
The conference was also evaluated through the following criteria:
- A pre- and post-survey of participants
- The successful development of a consensus and a strategic
plan
- The germination of future CIPE programs
VI. Organizational Background
As a participant in the National Endowment for Democracy,
the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) has
as its mission the building and strengthening of democracy
around the globe through the promotion of private enterprise
and market-oriented economic reform. It is hoped that through
this conference, CIPE can identify specific training needs
for women's business organizations internationally. In the
area of training, CIPE bases its international efforts on
the adaptation of the US Chamber of Commerce's domestic Institute
for Organization Management for use overseas, and has also
developed strategic planning seminars to enhance local organization's
involvement in democratic development. Institute programs
have been carried out regionally in Asia, Latin America, Southern
Africa and Central Europe, and on a single country basis in
the Philippines, Thailand, Russia, Mozambique, Egypt and South
Africa.
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