Fundraising at its Finest

By Kajal Rohatgi 

Fundraising takes place everyday and everywhere. Millions of dollars have been raised for many different causes and reasons simply from going on a club trip or helping a family in need. No matter what the cause, people are always willing to help out if promoted correctly. With the three fundraisers I had planned over the past two years, I am here to share my tips on how to host a successful fundraiser.

1. The first step is to identify who you are targeting and what their demographics are. For example, are you looking at a crowd of only females, or both males and females? What age range do you target? Are they adults with families, teens in college, or seniors? 

2.  After you have figured out who you are targeting, the next step is to brainstorm ideas that would attract the demographic you have chosen. For instance, hold a get together at a restaurant in which adults would pay ahead of time for tickets. This is a great idea as adults crave to go out more but lack events to go to, and this also brings communities together. 

3. Secure a venue and set a date. Once ideas are flowing, contact nearby businesses and explain what your cause is and if they would like to donate either a monetary value or maybe even a venue. 

4. After securing the venue or event activity, plan how the night will go, meaning what other activities will be taking place during the night. Will there be music? Will there be food, raffles as a good time passer, or a bar for the guests? Questions like these are to be asked before you start promoting the event so that you can include all the details on flyers. 

5. Once the event has been set, the next step is to promote the event to the right audience while advertising one needs to make sure it will reach the correct community. If you are targeting adults, join local town facebook groups and send online flyers to the closed group. 

The last and most important step is to relax a little bit and not stress out too much as all the pieces will come together and create a fun environment for people while supporting a good cause. With that being said, don’t forget to go to Panera on Wednesday, 2/26/20, to support Women in Business as part of your purchase is given back to the club. Just show this flyer at the register! Isenberg Women in Business is also FTK! WIB is participating in the Dance Marathon again, and we need your support! Sign up here to be a part of our team, and keep on fundraising! We have raised $2,964.28 so far and we know we can raise more!

My Experience at the WOI Conference

By Rachel Hall

It’s that time of year again! The Women of Isenberg Conference is TOMORROW, and we are beyond excited. With our very own Dean Anne Massey as the keynote speaker and several new and returning speakers to run the breakout sessions, it looks like it will be another great year. 

Last year, I attended for the first time and had an amazing experience. If you haven’t been before, the day starts with breakfast and introduction by the conference team, followed by the keynote speaker. Last year we were lucky enough to hear from Diane Isenberg about how she made her way in a male-dominated finance industry, along with several accomplishments in public health and other fields. This year, we will hear from Dean Anne Massey to start off the day. The keynote address is followed by the first breakout session, where you will have the option between a few different themed panels to hear from various speakers. This year, the topics will include defining success, intelligent interning, workplace politics, and so many more! After this, everyone will reconvene for another speaker session from Isenberg professor Nora Junaid, then head to breakout two for more panels. 

After the panels it’s time for lunch! Not just any lunch, but a presentation by the Women for UMass Amherst network and a panel on Organizational Culture with speakers from United Technologies. This is followed by the networking lunch where students and professionals are seated together to participate in guided networking activities. Not only is the lunch totally delicious, but you get to gain valuable life skills while you eat! This lunch helped me so much with my networking skills and for me, was one of the best parts of the conference last year. 

After lunch is a third breakout session which consists of workshops hosted by single speakers. These workshops focus on honing specific business and life skills and all of the hosts will provide amazing insight into the business world. These workshops are each so worthwhile, you will wish you could attend them all!

The third breakout session is followed by some closing remarks and MORE amazing food, and that’s pretty much a wrap! We can’t wait to see you there!

https://womenofisenberg.com

Spring into Spring Cleaning

By Meg Maguire

On Groundhog Day 2020 a few weeks back, the infamous Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. According to tradition, this means spring will come early this year! While we welcome the impending warm weather with open arms, we are less welcoming towards another one of spring’s trademarks; spring cleaning. College students, with their hectic lifestyles, often require a deeper cleaning. While this may cause some stress, here are some tips to make the process seamless... 

1) Sell last semesters textbook 

We all have that one textbook that sits on our shelves collecting dust. Occasionally it topples over, reminding us that it needs to be dealt with. Nevertheless, it's probably still there mocking you today. There are a few ways of tackling this problem. First, selling the textbook to another student who is either currently taking the class or are planning to in future semesters. This can be accomplished by posting on your class's Facebook page. Next, selling the textbook to eCampus. Visit the eCampus website, get a quote for your textbook, ship it with the provided shipping label, and get paid. Lastly, it may be time to get realistic. The fact is your textbook probably isn’t worth the $250 you paid originally. If selling isn’t worth the trouble, donate and support your local library! 

2) Update your resume 

After spring comes summer, and with summer comes summer internships. To put your best foot forward and give yourself a chance for that dream internship, it's time to revamp your resume. Anything from receiving a certification, landing a part-time job, or discovering a new interest can spark interest from potential employers. Additionally, take another look at your word choice. Make all your verbs action verbs and your adjectives power adjectives. Apart from additions, it may also be time for some subtractions. A general rule of thumb is including only what is relevant to the job you are applying, so it may be time to lose the camp counselor job you had freshman year of high school. 

3) Make next semesters game plan 

A part of cleaning up the present is planning for the future. Ease your worries by starting early. If studying abroad is on your radar, schedule a visit with the IPO office to discuss your options. If you are staying on campus, schedule a meeting with your academic advisor and sort out which requirements you have left to take. Getting a head start will alleviate anxieties about the future, spring cleaning your mind in a sense. 

Not everyone's version of spring cleaning is the same. Prioritize what you want to be done and break bigger tasks into smaller parts. The process is about self-improvement and setting up a productive future, not causing added stress. Take your time and have fun with it!

Is the Business Industry Lacking Women?

By: Lara Pereira

It is with no surprise that women have stepped up to the plate and succeeded in a male-dominated business industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017, nearly 52% of all managers were women. It has been three years since that statistic launched and women are only moving up in the ladder of businesses and big corporations. However, there are still some fields of business where women are underrepresented.

Finance is a major field where women are underrepresented, specifically in financial analysis. In 2017, 39.6% of women held positions in the field; however in a research study conducted by a professor at the University of California Davis in 2019, he found that only 18% of finance jobs are occupied by women which is less than any STEM field. Jobs try not to discriminate by gender, so why are there so few women in finance? 

In the study, the professor found that there are some barriers that discourage women from entering the field. In being a very extensive and time-consuming field, it rewards those who work the longer, inflexible hours which often women are unable to do once family comes along with maternity (if applicable).

In Isenberg itself, only about 15% of finance majors are females. Although the number is increasing, it is still lower than other majors such as Marketing and Management in which women are taking up a little over 50%. Thanks to opportunities like Isenberg Women in Business, women are able to become more confident in conquering all types of fields within business as a whole. 

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The present is crucial to a growing future. As women, it is our duty to empower each other in accomplishing the thought-to-be “impossible” and succeed collectively. In times as early as junior-high school, young girls need to be mentored on a number of fields that they could involve themselves in through programs and internships. Over the next few years, it is hopeful that big financial corporations will offer programs for young girls to become exposed to a field in which they are underrepresented to produce an entire generation of female financial game-changers!

Sources

https://gsm.ucdavis.edu/post/why-so-few-women-finance

https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-databook/2017/home.htm

How Mindfulness Translates to the Workplace

By: Payton Wright

During a time where self-help is an emerging trend, you have probably been force fed the idea of how important it is to practice mindfulness through meditation app advertisements, social media influencers, or that person you used to know in high school’s Facebook posts. And although I admit it is easy to brush off these assertions the fact of the matter is – practicing mindfulness yields positive results. That means being a better friend, a better student, and in terms of the internship hunting sophomore and juniors or soon-to-be-UMass-graduates, a better employee. Mindfulness is the basic ability we all have within us as humans to be fully present, aware of who we are, where we are, and what we are doing. So, you get it, somehow this mindfulness thing has the potential to improve your life, but let’s take a look at a few examples of exactly how.

Goodbye Distractions

Wandering thoughts and distractions are something that seemingly everyone suffers from. It can be difficult to stay focused on one thing at a time, especially in a society where notifications are dinging off everyone’s phones 24/7. Other than the obvious consequences of mind wandering like wasted time and incomplete goals, research has shown that people are less happy when their mind is not present. However, studies have also shown that practicing mindfulness reduces mind wandering (and in turn decreases unhappy moods). Less mind wandering means more time spent being productive resulting in a more efficient workday that ends with you leaving feeling accomplished!

Get Those Creative Juices Flowing 

If you think about it, it makes sense that a clear head makes way for a more creative mindset. When you are mindful, you root out the negative thoughts which makes room for ideas to roam around your head more freely. Ravi S. Kudesia, the author of Mindfulness and Creativity in the Workplace, explains the relationship between the two by stating that mindfulness “builds unique cognitive abilities that enable creativity in individuals that otherwise would be trapped in conventional ways of interpreting their world.” We live in a world that thrives off innovation, no matter what industry you are in or position you hold, thinking outside the box will set you apart and allow you to reach new heights!

Be in Control of Your Emotions

Being able to understand and process your emotions will not only help you be a better co-worker, but it can give you the interpersonal skills necessary to become an effective leader. When you practice mindfulness, you gain insight to your own mind and increase awareness to your body by simply taking the time to pay attention to the thoughts and motions you go through every day. By being better able to understand your own emotions, recognize those of the people around you, and improve the ability to control and use your emotions correctly you can expand your emotional intelligence. All of which will enable you to be a solid team-player and a more understanding and patient leader. 

Whether this post sold you or not on the benefits of mindfulness is not the point. But I hope that through reading this that you at least got to thinking about how much attention you currently pay to your own brain and body. To be the best friend, sister, daughter, employee, the best YOU has to start from a place of pure determination in yourself to start making conscious decisions that will better your life. Mindfulness is innate, all you need to do is pay attention.

Inspiration:

https://www.behavioralessentials.com/the-benefits-of-mindfulness-in-the-workplace/

https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/