Shecky’s

Spark is an organization (by women and for women!) that’s just branching out from the West Coast nest where it started in San Francisco and carving a brand-new niche in NYC (viva Women’s Small Business Month!). This not-for-profit brings ideas and funds to women all over the world in an effort to make real change in real women’s lives.

The coolest thing about Spark is that it’s set up specifically so that us recessionistas can see exactly where our dollars are going. We’re not talking tons of dough, either. We’re saying, you donate $4, and you know that $4 bought a little girl in Kenya a paddle so she could keep canoeing to school and not drop out of sixth grade. You donate $50, and you’ll see the face of the woman that money put through college. Sparks skips the bureaucracy and reaches out to small women-founded, women-owned, women-centered organizations that can use your money most efficiently and show results most tangibly.

New Yorkers and San Fransicans have it easy—you can hit up one of the sporadic Spark-sponsored events where all proceeds go to support a specific charity or organization. Whether you sip drinks at one of their super-fun cocktail hours or attend a more informative (and sometimes intense) documentary screening, you know that your admission donation will go directly to a woman who needs it, whether she’s in Nairobi or Queens. You can even attend the grant-making and committee meetings to decide where the money goes—all are welcome and all voices are heard at this little start-up.

If you aren’t in one of Spark’s home-base cities, check out their website at sparksf.org. You can also connect with Spark on Facebook and Twitter. Or you could contact Executive Director Shannon Farley to talk about bringing Spark to your own ‘hood.

Spark is here to help girls unite about undeniable issues, to treat women’s rights as human rights and to unite girlfriends around the globe. Get involved!

-Claire Zahm

GIRL TALK TIME: Will you support Spark? What women-related charities have you gotten involved with?