1. To pay by Credit Card:

2. Donate in Installments

Or you can setup donations in installments. Select an amount in the first box and the number of months or weeks you want to make that donation, then hit the “Donation on Installments” button.

I would like to donate $

every month for

3. To pay by check:

Please make your check payable to Journalism & Women Symposium and mail to this address:

3701 Drakeshire Drive.
Modesto, CA 95356

DONATING TO JAWS IS SO IMPORTANT!

A healthy democracy relies on a thriving, diverse media and you can support that mission by giving to the Journalism & Women Symposium.

It’s easy to think the battles so many of our veteran members waged decades ago have been won. Sadly, journalism lags many other professions. Women working full-time in daily newspapers total about 36 percent, according to the American Society of News Editors. That’s not much better than it was nearly 30 years ago. The percentage of women radio news directors fell from 23.5 percent to 20.0 percent in 2008, according to the Radio Television and Digital News Association.

A 2009 study by Scott Reinardy at the University of Kansas found that 62 percent of women working in newspaper newsrooms have some intention of leaving journalism, citing exhaustion and cynicism, two components that can lead to burnout. Of women 27 and younger, more than 74 percent answered “yes” or “don’t know” to the intention-to-leave question.

For anyone dedicated to a media that truly reflects our democracy, these statistics should come as a concern. When media lacks those diverse voices, it is naturally reflected in the coverage we see every day. JAWS tackles these issues head on with a combination of training, mentoring, and networking that has proven to be a powerful bulwark against the industry’s economic turmoil and gender discrimination. Each year we bring a group of young women to our annual conference, known as Camp, with fellowships and match them with mentors who give them guidance on career planning, self-advocacy and leadership and connect them with opportunities. We have offered multimedia training to keep our members competitive in a challenging environment. Indeed several of our members have launched online media organizations, including Women’s eNews and the St. Louis Beacon. Others have created their own entrepreneurial multimedia projects.

JAWS has remained lean and efficient for 26 years with almost no overhead and few staff resources, supported mostly by membership fees and conference revenue. But over the last three years, we landed two grants from the Challenge Fund for Journalism, one for $20,000 and a second for $50,000. We matched those early through members and outside individual donors, despite the worst economy in decades.

We used the funds to pay for multimedia training workshops in Chicago, Stanford, Calif., and Washington, D.C. We revamped our website and made it possible to accept online donations. We bought new computer and hardware equipment for our executive director and we were able to help a number of members come to our annual fall “camp” to rebound after a layoff, or to reconnect and learn new skills.

This last year, we were one of seven journalism organizations to receive $20,000 from the Knight Foundation and thousands of dollars worth of scholarships for training at the prestigious Poynter Institute. We are building on these successes by implementing a long-term, sustainable fundraising program focused on individual donors, grants and planned giving. Won’t you help us fulfill our mission of advancing women in journalism and working toward a more accurate portrayal of our whole society?

How to Donate

1. To donate by credit card:

2. Or you can setup donations in installments:

Select an amount in the first box and the number of months or weeks you want to make that donation, then hit the “Donation on Installments” button.

I would like to donate $

every month for

3. To pay by check:

Please make your check payable to Journalism & Women Symposium and mail to this address:

3701 Drakeshire Drive.
Modesto, CA 95356

Matching gifts

Seek a matching gift for your JAWS donation

This is an ideal way to multiply your gift by two or even three times. Recognizing the importance of philanthropy, many employers agree to match or multiply donations made by both active and retired employees and, in some cases, employees’ spouses. To learn more about matching gift programs, inquire with your employer’s human resources office.

Companies that match your donation to JAWS

  • Chicago Tribune Company
  • Copely Press Inc.
  • Dow Jones & Co., Inc.
  • Gannett Co., Inc.
  • Globe Newspapers Company and subsidiaries
  • McCormick & Co., Inc.
  • New York Times Co.
  • Reuters America
  • E.W. Scripps Co.
  • Time Inc.
  • Time Warner
  • Times Publishing
  • Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
  • Turner Corp.
  • Washington Post Co.

Here is information about three matching programs. If you work for a New York Times company, a Washington Post company or a Tribune Co. business unit, here are the specifics. Please tell us if you have information about other employers of JAWS members and benefactors by e-mailing beckyd@jaws.org.

New York Times | Washington Post | Tribune Company

New York Times

New York Times Company Foundation matches gifts at 1.5 to 1 for employees of the newspaper and the company’s wholly owned subsidiaries. It also provides the same match for retired employees and for company directors. The annual limit per person is $3,000 a year, which evokes $4,500 in Times contributions. Gifts to educational, cultural, environmental and journalistic organizations are matched, and JAWS has qualified. The matching gift form must be an original, not a photo-copy or a fax copy. It may be obtained at company offices or by phone request to 212 556-1901. The foundation notifies donors, by e-mail, when a matching gift has been mailed. The Web site is www.nytco.com/foundation.

Washington Post

The Washington Post matches contributions to tax-exempt organizations, up to $2,000 a year for full-time employees. The Post double-matches contributions to organizations for which an employee is an active volunteer, meaning you serve on the board of directors or hold an active committee position. Employees send a form to the organization with their donation. The organization then returns the form to The Washington Post.

To access a form and instructions, go to the company’s IntraNed website and click on ‘online forms.’ Questions also can be directed to washpost@easymatch.com or 877-702-6381.

Tribune Company

“Tribune Company or its participating business units will match donations to most United States nonprofit organizations that are tax-deductible under Section 501 (c)(3) and 170 (b) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States. Included are public as well as private elementary and secondary schools; two- and four-year colleges, universities, graduate and professional schools listed in Accredited Institutions of Post Secondary Education, U.S. Office of Education; state, regional or national associations of colleges or universities; cultural, performing and visual arts organizations; hospitals; social service organizations and a wide variety of other non-profit organizations.

“Excluded are donations to public television, public radio or their connected enterprises; the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation; the United Way/Crusade of Mercy; places of worship; partisan political organizations; and organizations that discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected classification in access to services, employment, membership, or in the selection of volunteers or vendors.”

  • Gifts must be in cash (check or money order).
  • $25 is the minimum amount for a single gift to be eligible for a company match.
  • An employee may make an unlimited number of gifts during a calendar year. Up to $500 of employee gifts will be eligible for a company match.
  • The company will match qualifying tax-deductible donations on a $2-for$1 basis.
  • Gifts will be matched on a first-come, first-served basis, as there is a limited employer matching gifts budget.
  • Memberships, subscriptions, fees, tuition or any form of purchase or payment for service are not eligible for matching purposes.
  • Donations to college or university athletic associations or their athletic booster clubs are not eligible for matching purposes.
  • At the time when an employee makes a donation to an organization, a preference to have the company’s matching gift applied for a specified fund or particular area of support may be indicated.
  • The company has final approval on whether or not a gift qualifies for matching purposes.