Shelly Dionne - WS Alum works for NH Women's Fund, 4/13/2010
Shelly Dionne, Women’s Studies alumni at UNH, is one of the many women who is fueling positive change for the advancement of women. She was hired this year at the Women’s Fund of New Hampshire, whose motto is “believing in the power of women and the future of girls."
Shelly first got involved in the Women’s Fund during her senior year at UNH with the help of Mary Moynihan and Carina Self in the Women’s Studies office. Carina sent out information that the organization was looking for summer interns. Mary suggested Shelly to apply for a Winant Fellowship through the Carsey Institute, which provides applicants with work for New Hampshire non-profit organizations. Shelly became an employee after working for the Women’s Fund as an intern.
This is Shelly’s first post-graduate job. Through it, she has had many opportunities to apply her Women’s Studies degree. She says, “The Women's Fund has a strong focus on challenging systemic barriers for women and girls, and tries to strategically invest using that focus. This sort of macroscopic outlook on philanthropy is totally in line with my Women's Studies education and feminist beliefs-- in a real world application.”
The Women’s Fund of New Hampshire (WFNH) was founded in 1998 and is only one of the hundred of women’s funds globally. The fund is involved in various efforts which challenge hegemonic and patriarchal institutions and promote leadership and community among women/girls. WFNH funds multiple programs, research, special projects, start-up expenses, organizational capacity building, and general operating support. This fund also looks for programs that end sexual and domestic violence, empowers and strengthens self-esteem in women/girls, and ensure women to well paid jobs, job training, secure shelter, health resources, educational opportunities.
According to Shelly, non-profit work provides great opportunities and she highly recommends it to graduating students. Since the Women’s Fund is a grant making organization they are linked to a number of other non-profit organizations in New Hampshire. If anyone is interested in getting involved with non-profit organizations, Shelly recommends looking at The New Hampshire Center for Non-Profits job board.
If you would like more information about Women’s Fund you can explore their website at: wfnh.org.