WCCWF Chairperson's Message 

Ed note: in lieu of her normal message Chair Julie Cawoski is focusing on the results of the resent survey open to all our members and friends:  

WCCWF Survey Results 2012

Thirty - three people responded to our Survey Monkey Survey.  Of the 33 that responded 25 were members and 8 were non members. Fifty - two percent of the respondents were between the ages of 50 and 59. In total, 85% of the respondents were over 40 years of age. Most respondents (29) reside in central Westmoreland County.  Nearly 3/4 or 24 of the thirty -  three respondents work in non profit, governmental or religious organizations.   

Of those who responded that they were not a member 3 sited that they did not live in the area, 3 said they had time constraints and 3 said they felt they got what they needed from our newsletter and emails.  We asked what did people value about the WCCWF and the responses were as follows: networking (22), presentations (16), meetings (15), newsletter/emails (14) and special projects (13).   

We asked about meeting attendance and 50% said they attended 1 or 2 meetings per year while 30% said they attended 3 or 4 meetings a year.  Those who didn't attend any meetings or few meetings said lack of time or schedule conflicts were the reason.   Only 2 people said lack of value or lack of interest was the reasons they didn’t attend.  When asked if they ever invited someone to join the commission, 50% said they had and 50% said they hadn't.  Responses to the question about increasing membership included ideas to grow awareness and visibility through media and other marketing tools as well as looking for members at places where women shop, visit or work.  Some suggested recruiting events or membership campaigns utilizing incentives or discounted memberships.  Others stated that we need to be more mission driven, do special projects or merge/collaborate with other women's groups.  

Perhaps the most interesting responses came from the question "What would make the WCCWF more valuable to you?"  Most responses had to do with clarifying the mission, providing opportunities to learn, train for or participate in projects.  Many wanted to feel they were accomplishing some type of project with their time.  Some said we should focus on women, advocacy and tough issues while others want us to focus on local efforts.  Some wanted a greater assortment of speakers while others felt we have had topics that are not relevant to the group.  Some felt we met too often, too little or just right.  There was a suggestion to partner or collaborate with other groups, to focus more on women's issues and not as much on families.  There was a suggestion to have a retreat or a work project where we could all get together.  

The survey results were interesting and it gave people an opportunity to provide thoughtful insight.  Interestingly, no one suggested we disband the group.  Two people suggested either breakfast or evening meetings rather than lunch meetings.  No one felt price of membership (or meetings) was too expensive and no one wanted to move the location of meetings.  I think it was clear that members want to revisit the mission of the WCCWF and they want to make a difference in our community by doing something related to the mission.  However we must also be aware that many of our respondents stated a lack of time or conflicts of time hindered their ability to attend and participate.  

 We must now consider what to do next.  If you are interested in helping us to shape our future please email me at cawoskij@fswp.org or call me at 724 837-5410 Ext: 701.  I will be scheduling a meeting of the officers and anyone interested in helping the WCCWF to set a course for the future.

Thanks for participating!

                                              Julie Cawoski - WCCWF Chairperson