Earlier this month, the Women’s Forest Congress held our final lunch and learn of the year – a debrief and celebration of where we’ve been, where we are, and where are we going. It’s been two years since the historical in-person Women’s Forest Congress event took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the resulting declaration was shared with the world. We are proud of where we have come since then, and want to share a bit about what’s next and how you can support it.
First, we want to highlight all the amazing ways that the Women’s Forest Congress community has continued to show up for each other over the past couple of years. In 2023 and 2024, we hosted nine virtual events, ranging from storytelling to forest bathing and career pathways. We also helped organize or support 11 events where themes from the Women’s Forest Congress were relevant, and people were already gathering. We’ve hosted meetups at SAF’s National Convention, supported women organizing the first-ever National Indian Timber Symposium’s Native Women & Allies in Forestry Luncheon, and were honored to collaborate with the women planning the Women in Timber event at the International Mass Timber Conference. These events have been a chance for us to gather with our community and introduce new faces to the Women’s Forest Congress. You can learn more about some of our accomplishments here.
Importantly, over the past year we have also spent time considering the ways the Women’s Forest Congress has evolved since the in-person event and what we want this community to become in the future. Last winter and spring, the Steering Committee and Advisory Council convened a series of strategy discussions and were asked to consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the future of the Women’s Forest Congress and to help envision the future of the WFC. Some of the strengths identified included a passionate, strong, and enduring community that sees value in the network and is passionate about uplifting women and gaining different perspectives. Some of the weaknesses identified were that this is mostly a volunteer-led effort, which is hard to sustain and can lead to leadership burnout, the lack of a consistent funding structure, and the challenge of moving from a one-time event to an enduring platform.
We also asked the broader community to weigh in. We heard about what you feel are the key benefits of the Women’s Forest Congress and where people would most like to see the Women’s Forest Congress focus on. Responding to those ideas, in 2025 we plan to continue hosting WFC meetups, as well as a series of virtual skill-building workshops.
As part of this strategic process, we decided to make a few logistical changes to the organization and leadership of the Women’s Forest Congress. We combined the Steering Committee and Advisory Council, forming a singular Steering Committee that meets monthly to govern the WFC. We also moved the fiscal agent responsibility to Dovetail Partners, after American Forests graciously hosted and supported the Women’s Forest Congress for close to four years. Over the coming year, we will continue to engage in strategic planning to determine what the future looks like for the Women’s Forest Congress.
We know nothing happens without the commitment, dedication, and resources that everyone involved, past and current, gives of their time, energy, ideas, and money. When we took stock of what we accomplished and where we could go, we agreed that continuing to grow and formalize the Women’s Forest Congress will require increased financial support. We are running a year-end giving campaign, which includes a generous match through December 20 from Steering Committee members, to help fund all of the gathering, strategic planning, and impact that we hope to have in 2025. You can donate via this link.
We are so grateful for all of the ways that the Women’s Forest Congress community has shown up together in 2024, and look forward to continuing this work with you all in the New Year.
WFC Steering Committee