Rosa – Caring and sharing for women

Anya Stern, Rosa co-ordinator

Rosa is the first UK-wide fund for women and girls. Since her launch in 2008 she has given grants using a number of different models, working to develop philanthropy for women in the UK. Here Anya Stern, Rosa co-ordinator, shares the fund’s vision.

Shared giving has always been at the heart of her agenda, be this between established funders working together on joint initiatives, or through creating a virtual network of individual donors pledging £1,000 a year to Rosa.

Going forward Rosa hopes to develop and pilot other models of shared giving to connect donors and workers to each other and create a new commitment to philanthropy in tomorrow’s decision makers.

As well as bringing money into the sector, giving with others exposes people to new issues and ideas. One of the most important links Rosa wishes to make is that between donors and recipients. These links will mean that donors can make more informed decisions about where they give, and that these decisions will be informed by those working in the field – allowing those who form the narratives to influence the decisions about how change is made. We believe this engagement makes a more rewarding experience for all involved, as well as ensuring that the ideas of the experts are supported.

Rosa has been doing this in her own work. This year, following the launch of her Challenge Fund, she undertook an analysis of all the applications received, as well as the responses to a consultation about how the money should be spent. What was very clear from both the survey and the analysis, was that work with young women was in dire need of funding, and that much of the work dealt with the need for young girls to have varied role models, and opportunities to develop leadership skills and aspiration.

Rosa is now looking to use the giving circle model of shared giving to work with young women throughout the UK. By working with their peers to raise or distribute money young women will be able to explore the issues that matter to them, and also build skills and confidence in their ability to influence.

Women and girls involved in collective giving in the US, where it’s a much more established model, cite the many benefits, which include bringing new funds to a particular issue or organisation; fuelling social change; contributing in an intellectually stimulating way; giving teens an opportunity to exercise and demonstrate responsibility; and learning about what really works.

By encouraging young women to give, Rosa hopes to embed a sense of aspiration towards financial decision-making in girls from more disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as demonstrating the power of giving, even in small amounts. By coming together to give with your peers – whether in a school, a community centre, an investment bank, a dinner party, or through an online portal – women can broaden their knowledge, deepen their impact, and lend power to the voices of those who most often go unheard. 

 www.rosauk.org