Bank of America's Impactful Partnership with YWCA Utah
In a commendable move to foster positive change and contribute to the well-being of communities, Bank of America has forged a meaningful partnership with YWCA Utah through their Neighborhood Builders program. Recognizing YWCA Utah's outstanding efforts in Northern Utah to eliminate economic barriers and promote greater economic mobility, Bank of America named YWCA Utah as one of its Neighborhood Builders in 2022. This collaboration is part of a broader initiative by Bank of America to invest in local organizations, with a total investment of over $4.5M in Utah since 2020.
The Neighborhood Builders program is designed to identify and support organizations making a significant impact in their communities. YWCA Utah received a $200,000 grant over two years, demonstrating Bank of America's commitment to empowering organizations that work tirelessly to address critical issues.
YWCA Utah is currently utilizing this funding to address urgent needs in our community. The focus is on providing critical services, such as emergency shelter and transitional housing, to survivors of domestic violence who seek safety, sanctuary, and support. This initiative aligns with YWCA Utah's mission to offer life-saving, culturally competent, and trauma-informed care to all survivors, ensuring they have access to the support they need.
Liz Owens, CEO of YWCA Utah, expressed her gratitude for Bank of America’s commitment to building upon the organization's legacy of serving survivors. She emphasized the importance of creating a model organization where anti-racism, gender equity, and safety are central to all services, forming the pillars of the organizational culture.
Comprehensive Leadership Training:
Beyond financial support, YWCA Utah has benefited from comprehensive leadership training provided to our CEO, Liz Owens and Veanna Pau’u, our Director of Child Advocacy. This training encompassed various vital topics, including financial sustainability, strategic storytelling, and other essential skills. The aim is to equip the leadership with the tools needed to steer YWCA Utah and other organizations effectively and make a lasting impact.
Recently, YWCA Utah CEO Liz Owens and Director of Child Advocacy, Veanna Pa’u attended the Neighborhood Builders Leadership Training in Charlotte North Carolina. Veanna was so grateful for the experience and opportunity to participate, mentioning that the training gave a fresh perspective on some of the typical tools and topics that you'll find in most leadership trainings. There was a heavy focus on storytelling. As a former elementary school teacher, storytelling is already a tool that she is familiar with, and therefore feels confident and excited about applying this skill toward public speaking, developing a public narrative, and storytelling through a financial lens. The most inspiring presentation for our team was offered by Ranjay Gulati from the Harvard Business School on Transformational Leadership. Veanna said that leadership gets conflated with complexity, which makes it feel out of reach and can give way to imposter syndrome. This presentation made leadership feel a lot less complex and a lot more attainable. Gulati's presentation reviewed the following 3 main common-sense guiding principles:
Think: Diagnostic Thinking
Relate: Challenge, Support, Trust
Act: A Bias For Action No Matter The Direction
We are so grateful for Bank of America for offering such amazing training opportunities both for our CEO Liz Owens and for our Director of Child Advocacy, Veanna Pau’u. This partnership with Bank of America is not only making an impact on the lives of survivors living in our shelter, but also creating more capacity and sustainability for our staff.
Bank of America's partnership with YWCA Utah stands as a testament to the impact that can be achieved through collaboration between financial institutions and community-based organizations. As YWCA Utah continues its essential work in supporting survivors of domestic violence, this partnership exemplifies how targeted investments and comprehensive support can lead to transformative change. By addressing economic barriers and advancing economic mobility, Bank of America and YWCA Utah are creating a brighter and more resilient future for the communities we serve.