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Donor Spotlight: Bill Weismann
Oregon Tradeswomen depends on the generosity of our supporters to continue providing free pre-apprenticeship training and support to those who need it the most. Monthly donors like Bill Weismann make a huge impact because they provide a predictable, steady income that expands our ability to plan strategically for long-term sustainability. When asking Bill what first drew him to Oregon Tradeswomen, he recounted how he had met Connie Ashbrook, Oregon Tradeswomen’s founding Executive Director, before Oregon Tradeswomen was the organization we know today: way back when there was no Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class, nor Annual Career Fair. Connie and the initial Oregon Tradeswomen Board connected with Bill to get assistance with non-profit startup and grant writing support in order to raise funds, hire staff, and open an office. Bill shares that, “It was an honor to put my personal values into action as a straight white man who has self-defined as a feminist since the early 70s and the rise of the women’s liberation movement.” Once Oregon Tradeswomen started to take off as a successful venture, Bill transitioned to being an event participant and monthly donor because “I knew that community-based groups need sustainable funding and monthly donors are a means to achieve that.”
Considering his commitment as a donor and supporter for all these years, we asked Bill how his sustaining gift reflected his values. Bill explained how “Oregon Tradeswomen directly aligns with my core beliefs and commitment to social change at the intersection of economic, social, and racial justice.” He goes on to say that “I strongly believe in fairness, justice, and equal opportunity, and Oregon Tradeswomen breathes life into these values every day of the year.” The fact that Oregon Tradeswomen’s graduates set an important example for other girls and women to follow, proving that women can do any job a man can do, is a driving reason why Bill believes that Oregon Tradeswomen is a vital part of the community and economy.
Bill’s message to Oregon Tradeswomen’s supporters and potential donors is simple: “As Oregon Tradeswomen matures, I see the demand for services growing, more girls and women engaged, more training programs and outreach being held, and yet costs keep rising. As my own ability to give increased, I choose to ‘put my money where my mouth is.'” In a recent move, Bill has increased his monthly giving by 50% because “I know that Oregon Tradeswomen needs a growing source of stable funding and individual supporters need to be a reliable income stream.” After 20 years of being a monthly donor, Bill also created an estate plan with a personal will. He shares that “I decided to include Oregon Tradeswomen in my will with a sizable, planned gift. I like knowing that my support will leave a legacy and make a lasting impact to benefit future generations of Oregon girls and women.” We are endlessly grateful for Bill and all our supporters who invest in this mission that is meaningful and makes our community stronger.
You can join The Builders, a community of Oregon Tradeswomen’s monthly sustaining donors by signing up on our donate page. If you are already a monthly donor and would like to update your contribution, please reach out to Paul Morris, Development Director, at paul@oregontradeswomen.org for assistance.
Oregon Tradeswomen is Back in Give!Guide!
Supporting Oregon Tradeswomen has never been more fun! As one of nearly 200 non-profits featured in Willamette Week’s Give!Guide, Oregon Tradeswomen is proud to be sitting among so many great organizations serving communities in the Portland Metro region.
What is Willamette Week’s Give!Guide?
Give!Guide is an annual grassroots campaign starting November 1st and ending on December 31st that highlights the important work of local non-profits and encourages whoever is able to get into the habit of community-based philanthropy.
To encourage the habit of end-of-year giving, especially amongst younger community members, Willamette Week’s Give!Guide rewards all donors with a small selection of treats from local businesses. In addition, Give!Guide has extra incentives for donors who give $10 or more on their Big Give Days.
What is a Big Give Day?
There are 13 days from November through December designed to reward donors with some truly awesome prize packages. On these Big Give Days, donors who give $10 or more are automatically entered to win prizes ranging from local shopping sprees to small vacations. This is a great opportunity to support your favorite non-profits and potentially win big!
How do you get involved?
It’s easy! You can visit Give!Guide online to browse all the participating organizations sorted by category. Oregon Tradeswomen is featured in the Education category with some other stellar organizations, so feel free to explore and see what missions call to you. Each organization has a page where you can learn more and make a gift.
We want to emphasize that every gift makes a difference, no matter how big or small. This is about the impact an entire community can have when we work together to support the essential services that Portland’s non-profit community offers. If you are not in the position to make a gift today, that is okay! You can still help by forwarding this message with your community and spreading the word about Oregon Tradeswomen’s work and mission.
Thank you for being in community with us, we are forever grateful for your generosity and support.
Please consider making a gift to Oregon Tradeswomen with Give!Guide today.
Now More Than Ever: Join The Builders and Stand With Trillium
We are in a critical moment, not just as an organization, but as a movement.
At Oregon Tradeswomen, we’ve spent more than three decades breaking down barriers for women and gender minorities in the skilled trades. But today, the political climate is threatening everything we’ve built.
As a nonprofit rooted in equity and inclusion, we’ve felt the direct impact of recent political attacks on DEI efforts. Several of our largest grants have either been rescinded or put on hold due to legal challenges, jeopardizing the programs that empower our students and sustain our mission.
In the face of this instability, we’re launching The Builders. A new community of monthly donors who are stepping up to help us weather this storm. Monthly giving allows us to plan ahead, keep our programs running, and continue offering life-changing training at no cost to our students.
Here’s what that impact looks like:
By joining The Builders, you’re not just giving monthly; you’re helping protect access, opportunity, and economic justice for the people who need it most. Even $5/month makes a meaningful difference.
Be part of the foundation that holds us together in hard times. Join The Builders today: Become a Monthly Donor
Workforce Partner Spotlight: Autodesk
Aerial view of the Autodesk offices in Portland, Oregon.
Oregon Tradeswomen is always grateful to our Workforce Partners for their commitment to a diverse and equitable workforce. When we moved in to our new office space in the Rockwood neighborhood, complete with a workshop for our pre-apprenticeship training program, Autodesk helped us out with a donation including AutoCAD 360 software to help us take our hands-on training to the next level. Autodesk is changing how the world is designed and made. Their technology spans architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, media, and entertainment, empowering innovators everywhere to solve challenges big and small. From greener buildings to smarter products to mesmerizing blockbusters, Autodesk software helps their customers to design and make a better world for all.
Workforce Partner Spotlight: Streimer Sheet Metal
When Oregon Tradeswomen’s founders came together, the idea of women working in the construction trades was a radical idea. While we are still on the road to a construction workforce with an equal representation of women and men on the job-site, the face of the construction industry is definitely changing.
Much of this shift is a result of the commitment of Oregon Tradeswomen’s Workforce Partners who empower our organization to continue giving women the tools to succeed and who embrace our mission to increase women’s participation on job sites across our region. We are grateful to Workforce Partners like Streimer Sheet Metal who have made an active effort to hire women, including a number of Oregon Tradeswomen graduates.
We spoke with Streimer Sheet Metal’s HR Manager, Teresa Bergan, about why they support Oregon Tradeswomen as a Workforce Partner. Teresa explained, “Streimer supports Oregon Tradeswomen because learning a trade is an educational pathway to a great career choice that raises women above the everyday career. Streimer supports and partners with Oregon Tradeswomen to train women who are looking for a career in the sheet metal craft. Those graduates become employees that become a voice and an ambassador of Streimers’ dedication to excellence and professionalism in the construction industry.”
Oregon Tradeswomen is grateful for Streimer’s commitment to the tradeswomen movement, and their positive impact on the industry. We invite you to meet some of the incredible tradeswomen on their team:
Meet the Women of Streimer Sheet Metal:
A Peek Behind the Curtain – And a Big Thank You
Bringing in the money to keep nonprofits going, year after year, is mostly like a big patchwork quilt your grandma made. It has:
- Bits of solid old fabric (funders who are with you year after year)
- Patches of new fabric (new donors) to cover the worn spots
- Yearly mending to keep the quilt from fraying as the years go by.
Those of us who work at nonprofits often ask each other about this patchwork and share stories of pain and triumph. 2020 started as a year full of hope and excitement – we moved into our beautiful new workshop and training facility in January. We set up desks for our newly expanded staff and welcomed the first group of students into the new classroom where we expected to serve more women and do it more effectively than ever before. On track to offer classes in the evenings and on weekends, we had finally removed one of the historic barriers preventing more women from taking advantage of this free, life changing resource.
As the year wore on, it felt like the rug was pulled out from under our feet with COVID health and safety restrictions forcing us to cancel classes and our oh-so-beloved annual Career Fair.
But then the light started to shine through the window and help started to show up in many different forms:
- We’re grateful to the Foundation Partners who called to say that our grant funding could be used to simply get through the year.
- Long time industry partners, hearing about lost funding, said – “how can we help?” – then they dug deep and doubled or tripled their “normal” investment.
- A ten year old named Earlie, who saves her money all year to help local nonprofits, sent in a gift of $25 (Thank you Earlie!)
- When we needed extra tools to set up the training workshop in a COVID-safe way, and I couldn’t reach my local contacts, the leadership team at Milwaukee Tools simply said “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you”
- When we needed extra lumber and supplies to re-start training, Parr Lumber and Platt Electric donated everything on our wish list.
- A woman I’ve never met knocked on the front door, told me she had known about our work for some time and thought we might need some help. She sat and wrote us a check saying, “Use it wherever you need it most”.
- In the first two weeks of the Willamette Week Give!Guide, half of all the donors have made their first gift to the organization.
We’re grateful for every person, for every dollar and for every kind word that has helped us get through this year – including Laura, who sent in $10 and said “I’m unemployed right now, I wish this was more”.
To every single person who has invested in our work and the mission of OTW, and who’s helping us put women to work, giving them and their families a secure future – YOU will forever be part of our well loved patchwork quilt.
Thank you,
Lisa Palermo
Development Director
Dean’s Car Care: Giving Back
Oregon Tradeswomen is excited to introduce you to Dean’s Car Care and their community giving program!
Dean’s Car Care is a local car care business with an equal mix of male and female auto service professionals and they work with an underlying philosophy of education, empowerment, and community!
One of Dean’s Car Care service advisers, Harriet Hargrave, nominated Oregon Tradeswomen during a community organization presentation, and we’re thrilled to have been selected as one of four awesome organizations customers can choose to give back to when they complete their service at the shop.
“Congratulations on the great work you all are doing, we are excited to be able to support your efforts! Your organization received votes from every member of our team after Harriett lead a brief discussion on how if we want to see more women in the industry, supporting organizations like Oregon Tradeswomen is a practical step. Additionally, some of our favorite customers are graduates of your programs and have been great advocates.
—
With Appreciation,
The Dean’s Team
This program runs through June 2020, so please check them out for your next maintenance service – or if you hear a weird noise from under your hood!
You Built With Us!
Build With Us!, Oregon Tradeswomen’s third annual Blue Collar Gala, was filled to capacity with excitement, generosity and a few happy tears! YOU turned out in force with an overwhelming outpouring of support that exceeded our goal and will help set us up to serve even more tradeswomen in our new training facility in January. The incredible spirit of community and unwavering commitment to equity, inclusion, and economic justice is humbling.
Congratulations to four incredible people, nominated by the industry and awarded for their commitment to being leaders in their trades. Valerie Curbelo, Shaz Lynch, Sara Moore, and Aisha Winters (Not Pictured) were selected for the award by Oregon Tradeswomen’s Board of Directors, not an easy feat considering the field of 27 exceptional nominees.
Two new honors were also awarded this year: The Equity Partner Award and the Wanda Hall Legacy Award. The Equity Partner Award was given to Rod Belisle, Training Director at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center, to honor his commitment to increasing diversity in the electrical trade, and for being an incredible partner to Oregon Tradeswomen.
The other new award in 2019 was a posthumous award presented to the daughters of Wanda Hall of the Portland Water Bureau. Wanda’s enthusiasm and dedication to uplifting women in the trades through support and mentorship will be missed. Starting in 2020, Oregon Tradeswomen will solicit nominations for the Wanda Hall Legacy Award to honor other women in the trades whose commitment to informing and mentoring the next generation stands out. Oregon Tradeswomen salutes all the winners and nominees for their perseverance, passion, and grit, and thank them for their many contributions to our community, industry, and movement.
The staff and board of Oregon Tradeswomen thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity – helping us build the future home of Oregon Tradeswomen and increasing our capacity to help more women change their lives. Thank you for helping us pave a pathway to prosperity for the women who want to work in construction and a brighter future for our region’s construction workforce and industry.
We hope you had a wonderful time and we look forward to seeing you next year!
Oregon Tradeswomen Supporters Bring on Industry Challenge!
“We admire the ability of Oregon Tradeswomen to do outreach and offer training that helps people be work ready in such a short time. We want to make sure everyone who needs more workers knows about this incredible resource and help them train even more construction workers!”
~ HoneyPot Fund donors
Oregon Tradeswomen is truly lucky to have such tremendous support across our industry and community to live our mission and work in supporting women into skilled trades careers and economic self-sufficiency.
Two such donors, who wish to remain anonymous, created the “HoneyPot Fund” to support our Pathways to Success program and general operation support for our expansion to Rockwood. These incredible donors are challenging others to step up to fund our apprenticeship readiness program and help ensure more women have good careers with good wages and benefits to support themselves and their families.
What’s the Challenge?
The HoneyPot Fund is offering $10,000 to match any $10,000 donation to Oregon Tradeswomen!
When is the Challenge?
You can donate online today, join us at Build with Us! and raise your paddle for $10,000 or go old school and send us a check to:
Oregon Tradeswomen
ATTN: HoneyPot Fund
454 SE 187th Avenue
Portland OR 97233
How Can I Support the Challenge?
Are you ready to put your wallet behind your conviction to a diverse, skilled, and equitable workforce? We knew you’d say YES! Donate today and challenge others in our industry and community!
How will my donation help?
Your generous contribution will be matched by the HoneyPot Fund to help support Oregon Tradeswomen’s continued growth, our move to Rockwood, and allow us to support more women securing their economic future through and help meet industry demand for a skilled and diverse workforce!
Thank you for your support and stepping up to the HoneyPot Industry Challenge!
With gratitude & love,
Oregon Tradeswomen
Helen Getchell Women of Color in the Trades Fund
Oregon Tradeswomen is committed to increasing the participation of women in the skilled trades, and we have shifted our outreach to focus on women of color who remain significantly under-represented in the construction industry, here in Oregon and across the nation.
We know women of color leave the construction industry at higher rates than both white women and their male counterparts, and Oregon Tradeswomen is working to address barriers and increase retention. There are many factors contributing to these high attrition rates, and Oregon Tradeswomen is working to help address those issues.
- We are focusing on strong public policy to ensure participation goals are in place on public project for a diverse workforce.
- We are working to create access to quality, affordable childcare.
- We are committed to addressing harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
These are just some of the ways we seek to shift the numbers, support our industry, and improve outcomes for workers in our communities. The Helen Getchell Fund was established to specifically provide support to help increase the retention of success of our sisters of color in the construction industry.
More about The Helen Getchell Women of Color in the Trades Fund
The Helen Getchell Women of Color in the Trades Fund is a designated fund housed and managed at Oregon Tradeswomen. Through the fund, women of color who demonstrate need are provided with direct financial support to successfully complete pre-apprenticeship and enter into employment and registered apprenticeship in the skilled trades.
The fund is advised by members of the Helen Getchell Giving Circle, which is comprised of the fund’s founder, Charlene Getchell, and invited community and industry stakeholders who are committed to ensuring access, opportunity and equity for women of color in the skilled trades.
Or mail your gift to:
Oregon Tradeswomen
454 SE 187th Avenue
Portland, OR 97233