Working Women’s Forum Changes Owner and Name

After 13 years of serving as Executive Director of the Working Women’s Forum, a women’s networking and business organization that meets monthly in Harrisonburg, Anne Stephens decided to pass the group’s leadership on to a new person. Lois Carter Fay, founder of MarketingIdeaShop.com, purchased the business in July and became the new Executive Director, only the third Director in its 21-year history.

“I’ve been involved with several entrepreneurial and women’s organizations in the past, holding leadership positions in all of them. When I came to the area four years ago, I immediately looked for a dynamic women’s group to join and luckily, found the Working Women’s Forum,” said Carter Fay. “I’ve found friends, business associates, excellent vendors and clients through the group.” It didn’t take Carter Fay long to decide to take Stephens up on her offer. “I’ve had the pleasure of serving as an Executive Director for other organizations in the past, so I knew exactly what the job would entail. I also knew that it’s a terrific way to really get to know the members and guests.”

Why Change the Name?

After buying the business, Carter Fay looked at the list of members and considered the stimulating guests who had been attending the monthly meetings. “I found the name ‘Working Women’s Forum’ no longer fit, so I simplified it and changed the name to ‘Women’s Forum’. It is a better reflection of the people we attract.” Many members have been involved since shortly after the organization started in 1985. Some have retired; others will soon do so.

“When the group first started, women didn’t have many options available to them. Now they have so many options, it’s hard to choose the right path. I want the group to be inviting and useful to the whole spectrum of adult women,” Carter Fay said. “To reflect the nature of our changing membership and also to attract new members, I believe it’s in the group’s best interest to adapt to our changing environment. Although women who are employed in managerial positions or who are self-employed are the bulk of our membership, we have always accepted women who are on the ‘rise’ and other interesting women who are willing to contribute to our organization. We’ll continue to do that. And the new name will be a little less restrictive. Going forward, our new name will be the Women’s Forum. It’s easier to say, simpler and reflects what the group has become.”

New Logo and Tagline

The group has also developed a new logo and tagline, reflective of the updated perspective. The logo uses a traditional type font combined with an image of an up-to-date woman, symbolizing the melding of the old and the new roles that women play in life. The new tagline is: The Women’s Forum—Where Women Meet to Network, Learn and Have Fun!

The Organization’s History

In 1985 a group of seven businesswomen began networking informally over dinner on a regular basis. “Now, bear in mind…at that time, Rotary Club and Kiiwanis Club were exclusively for men, and women in business had no formal opportunity to network and exchange ideas,” said Anne Stephens.

This original group of seven women called themselves “LEG’s”—the Ladies Entrepreneurial Group. Once word of this group filtered out, other women who had moved into management-level positions or who owned their own businesses began calling to see if they, too, could meet with them. Sensing the need was even broader than they had at first imagined, the women of LEG’s issued an invitation to 200 business and professional women to come together to talk about whether there was interest in developing a structured organization to meet the networking needs of professional women. The evening meeting drew a response from 150 women; over 100 joined on the spot. And so began the Working Women’s Forum.

Dues, Attendance and Commitment

Now called the Women’s Forum, it continues to meet monthly for lunch, featuring a guest speaker on a specific business issue, or topics of interest to women in general, health issues for women, or issues related to the development of the community. Cost of membership is currently $100 annually for for-profit businesses and $75 per year for nonprofits; most businesses cover the membership fees of their employees. There is also a $12 member/$15 guest meeting fee for lunch. The group meets the second Thursday of each month at the Spotswood Country Club, and reservations are required by the Tuesday preceding.

Honoring the reality that most businesswomen also have the responsibility of family or managing a household, the Forum does not require anything of its membership other than to participate actively in the regularly scheduled meetings. Opportunities are available (and encouraged) to work with and mentor young women entering the business world, and occasional evening seminars are presented on subjects that are too broad for the monthly meeting, but participation in these opportunities is strictly voluntary. After seeking input from the membership, the Director plans all meetings and luncheons, provides a monthly newsletter with articles and ideas of interest to businesswomen, and develops a business/services directory for the membership. A blog for the group, BoomerWomenBlog.com, is now delivering content.

To learn more about the Women’s Forum or to be added to the mailing list, contact Lois Carter Fay at 540.820.3840 or lcf@marketingideashop.com.