1. About Women’s WorldWide Web (W4)
1.1 What is Women’s WorldWide Web (W4)?
1.2 What is W4’s mission?
1.3 Why does W4 focus on girls’ and women’s empowerment?
1.4 How is W4 different from other charitable platforms and why should I give through W4?
1.5 How is W4 funded?
1.6 How can I get involved in W4?
2. About our Field Partners
2.1 What is a Field Partner?
2.2 How does Women’s Worldwide Web select its Field Partners?
2.3 What is your due diligence process and how can I know that a Field Partner is trustworthy?
2.4 How can I know that my donation is being used effectively?
2.5 Why do Field Partners need donations?
2.6 How to join W4 as a Field Partner
3. Making Donations
3.1 How can I make a donation to a Field Partner?
3.2 How can I make a donation to a specific Field Partner project?
3.3 Can I make a donation to W4?
3.4 Does W4 charge a fee?
3.5 Who decides how funds are allocated?
3.6 Is there is a minimum donation amount?
3.7 How are funds transferred to the Field Partner?
3.8 How do I know my online payment is secure?
3.9 Can I keep track of my donation and receive feedback about how my donation is used?
3.10 Is my donation tax-deductible?
4. Security & Privacy
4.1 What is Women’s Worldwide Web’s policy in terms of privacy?
5. Further Questions
5.1 Further questions?
1. About Women’s WorldWide Web (W4)
1.1 What is Women’s WorldWide Web?
Women’s WorldWide Web (W4) is an online collaborative platform dedicated to the empowerment of girls and women around the world; in cities and in rural areas, in both developing and developed countries.
W4 mobilizes crucial financial and in-kind support for small-to-medium-sized grassroots organizations (non-governmental organizations and microfinance institutions) that are doing vital work worldwide to protect girls’ and women’s human rights and to promote girls’ and women’s empowerment.
Through the W4 platform, individuals, companies and institutions can discover, donate to and/or provide in-kind support for girls’ and women’s empowerment initiatives across the world.
W4 was soft-launched on International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2010 by a team of passionate social entrepreneurs. W4 is registered in France as a non-profit association and in the United States as a charity with 501(c)(3) status. W4 is non-denominational and without any political affiliation.
1.2 What is W4’s mission?
W4 strives to ensure that girls and women everywhere have access to the crucial constituents of development—education, healthcare, safe livelihoods, the exercise of their rights, and political participation—all of which benefit girls and women and their families and communities.
W4 supports the work of small-to-medium sized grassroots organizations, in both developing and developed countries, that are working to protect girls’ and women’s human rights and to promote girls’ and women’s empowerment, within a bottom-up, community-driven approach to development.
- W4 enables individuals, companies and organizations to contribute, financially and in-kind, in a rewarding, effective manner to the concrete work of grassroots girls’ and women’s empowerment development initiatives;
- W4 aims to heighten global awareness of the imperative to protect girls’ and women’s human rights;
W4 also aims to raise awareness and support initiatives to bridge the gender digital divide and promote girls’ and women’s access to information and communication technologies in ways that can significantly improve their lives.
1.3 Why does W4 focus on girls’ and women’s empowerment?
Girls’ and women’s empowerment is crucial to sustainable social and economic progress. It is globally acknowledged that the protection, education and empowerment of girls and women are among the most important prerequisites for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Although women’s rights are well-established by international agreements, which explicitly include women within the definition of ‘human’, and hence in all International Human Rights Conventions, notably the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the denial and violation of women’s human rights is persistent and widespread.
- Women comprise more than 50% of the world’s population but own only 1% of the world’s property;
- 6 out of 10 of the world’s poorest people are still women and girls;
- 2/3 of all children excluded from schooling are girls;
- Women and girls comprise 80% of the people trafficked annually;
- 1 in 3 women worldwide will suffer some form of violence in her lifetime;
- Less than 16% of the world’s parliamentarians are women;
- Some 75% of the world’s women cannot get bank loans because they have unpaid or insecure jobs and are not entitled to property ownership.
By ensuring that girls and women are better educated, healthier, have greater access to jobs and financial resources, and that girls and women can exercise their rights, and enjoy political participation, we can help girls and women to become agents of positive change and participate fully in their societies. Girls’ and women’s empowerment translates into the greater wellbeing and improved prospects of children, families, communities and societies.
1.4 How is W4 different from other charitable platforms and why should I give through W4?
W4 was created in response to the urgent global need to protect girls’ and women’s human rights and accelerate girls’ and women’s empowerment in order to ensure a safer, fairer, more prosperous world for everyone.
We aspire to a collaborative edge, saluting and supporting the vital work of other charitable organizations that share our vision of a world in which men, women and children everywhere are able to live dignified lives, free from the harms of poverty and the violation of their human rights.
Here are some of the ways in which W4 differs from other charitable platforms and some important reasons to give through W4:
- W4 is the only online social investment and networking platform on the international online philanthropy market that focuses specifically on girls’ and women’s empowerment within a human rights’ framework and a community-driven, bottom-up approach to development;
- W4 selects its Field Partners with care and places emphasis on highly effective and measurable social impact. W4 partners with remarkable grassroots organizations around the world that are run by highly skilled and dedicated local personnel who are closely attuned to their communities’ needs and are conducting powerful, effective work;
- W4 offers donors a portfolio of pre-screened Field Partner projects and ensures that donors know exactly how their contributions are being used and achieving social impact. W4 ensures that donors receive rigorous, informative feedback (notably through impact & progress reports) about the effective use of their donations;
- W4 optimizes impact by supporting an integrated approach to girls’ and women’s empowerment and building, innovatively, on the synergy between microfinance, education and other vital capacity-building services;
- W4 harnesses microfinance within the broader objective of achieving girls’ and women’s empowerment. This is important because, while microfinance itself has the potential to alleviate poverty, it is most effective when combined with other crucial services, such as education, business training and healthcare;
- W4 harnesses the power of digital technology to enable everyone to be a change-maker and a co-creator of our W4 platform! We invite everyone to get involved, support our work and the development of our W4 platform in a variety of financial and non-financial ways.
1.5 How is W4 funded?
The initial launch and operation of our platform were in part financed by our founding team members, who are passionate social entrepreneurs dedicated to making a difference in the world!
W4 has also benefited from the essential support of sponsors.
Field Partners pay no fees to be part of the W4 community and receive 100% of all funds raised through our platform by individual donors. In order to cover operating costs, a 10% commission rate is deducted from corporate donations. It is W4’s objective to keep our administrative fees for the platform’s operations to a strict minimum. Our objective is to channel the maximum amount of funds to our Field Partners.
Donations to W4 are welcome and are extremely helpful as they enable us to cover our operating expenses and develop the platform. We invite you to be a micro business angel and make a smart investment – no matter how small or big – in W4!
1.6 How can I contribute to W4?
Thank you so much for your interest in Women’s Worldwide Web! You can get involved and contribute to our work in various vital ways. You can:
- Join the conversation on WOWWIRE
- Spread the word by sending a free e-card
- Make your voice count: sign a petition
- Participate in one of our events
2. About our Field Partners
2.1 What is a Field Partner?
W4 supports the work of small-to-medium-sized grassroots NGOs or MFIs that are working to promote girls’ and women’s empowerment around the world, in both developed and developing countries, both in urban and rural areas. W4 partners with these organizations, who are our Field Partners.
W4 uses a two-tiered Field Partner organization in order to have more flexible responses to the needs that arise in different geographical contexts, to adapt our services to Field Partners’ needs, to be more diverse, and to better manage risk.
Tier 1 Field Partner
Tier 1 Field Partners are organizations whose mission is aligned with or falls within the scope of W4’s mission to protect girls’ and women’s human rights and to promote girls’ and women’s empowerment. Via W4, individuals, companies and institutions can make donations to our Field Partners and/or to (a) Field Partners’ specific project(s).
W4 performs a thorough due diligence process before entering into a Field Partnership and conducts a thorough field audit within a 2-year period from the beginning of the partnership.
Tier 2 Field Partner
In some cases, W4 partners with organizations that do not focus exclusively on girls’ and women’s empowerment but which are operating specific, effective projects that focus on the girls’ and women’s empowerment issues that fall within the scope of W4’s mission. Via W4, individuals, companies and institutions can make donations to such Field Partners’ specific project(s).
W4 performs a thorough due diligence process before entering into the partnership.
2.2 How does W4 select its Field Partners?
W4 selects its Field Partners with care and diligence.
W4 partners with organizations with a proven track record of working effectively to promote girls’ and women’s empowerment but which are challenged with funding constraints. We select our Field Partners according to specific criteria and we conduct thorough due diligence.
W4 supports organizations that give priority to the self-determination and autonomy of the organization’s participant community and which demonstrate clear, effective, measurable impact and a commitment to transparency and accountability.
With respect to microfinance, W4 gives priority to NGOs and MFIs that seek to help ultra-poor women (that are conducting social mission microfinance with a clear, demonstrated poverty alleviation objective as opposed to a commercial objective) and those who provide ultra-poor borrowers with optimal loan terms and crucial complementary capacity-building services.
2.3 What is your due diligence process and how can I know that a Field Partner is trustworthy?
It is W4’s priority to provide donors with a diverse portfolio of pre-screened Field Partner projects so that donors may give with confidence, in the knowledge that their donations will be used efficiently and effectively and will achieve real impact.
W4 conducts a thorough due diligence process, verifying all aspects of our Field Partners’ work and ensuring their effective impact and thereby pre-screening our field partners working in the field.
For every donation made via our platform to a W4 Field Partner, W4 guarantees that donors will receive a report demonstrating how their donation is being used.
Donors understand that they are solely responsible for any and all decisions made with respect to the donations they may make via the W4 platform.
2.4 How can I know that my donation is being used effectively?
W4 ensures that donors receive rigorous, informative feedback (notably through impact & progress reports) so that donors know exactly how their contributions are being used and achieving social impact.
Our Field Partners provide an account of the use of funds on a quarterly basis.
2.5 Why do Field Partners need donations?
W4 aims to help small to medium-sized Field Partner grassroots organizations around the world which are conducting courageous, vital work to alleviate poverty, protect girls’ and women’s human rights and provide girls and women with essential opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
The organizations with whom W4 partners are local organizations run by highly skilled and dedicated local personnel who are closely attuned to their community’s needs and are conducting powerful, effective work at the community level. These organizations often face funding constraints which limit their capacity to respond to urgent needs and extend their outreach.
It is a constant ongoing challenge for such organizations to mobilize funds to finance their work, while also conducting that crucial work. W4 aims to raise funds to enable our Field Partners to increase their outreach and to focus on their work more effectively.
Our Field Partners have specific needs, long-term objectives and challenges that are explained in the Field Partner’s profile.
2.6 How to join W4 as a Field Partner
If your organization is interested in joining W4 as a Field Partner, please send us an email and we will send you our documentation. We look forward to hearing from you!
3. Making donations
3.1 How can I make a donation to a Field Partner?
We invite you to make donations to fund the vital work of our Field Partners. You can make an online or offline donation to a specific Field partner organization or to a Field partner’s specific project(s).
To make an online donation to a specific Field Partner organization, please click here.
You may also make a donation to one of our Field Partners by check. To do so, please send an email specifying the name of the Field Partner to which you would like to make a donation.
3.2 How can I make a donation to a Field Partner’s specific project(s)?
We invite you to make donations to fund the vital grassroots work of our Field Partners. You can make an online or offline donation to (a) specific Field Partner project(s).
To make an online donation to (a) specific Field Partner project(s), please click here.
You may also make a donation to (a) specific Field Partner project(s) by check. To do so, please send an email specifying the name of the Field Partner and the name of the project to which you would like to make a donation to.
3.3 Can I make a donation to W4?
Donations to W4 are very welcome and are extremely helpful as they enable us to cover our operating expenses and develop our platform.
3.4 Does W4 charge a fee?
Field partners pay no fees to be part of the W4 community and receive 100% of all funds raised through our platform by individual donors. In order to cover operating costs, a 10% commission rate is deducted from corporate donations. It is W4’s objective to keep our administrative fees for the platform’s operations to a strict minimum. Our objective is to channel the maximum amount of funds to our Field Partners.
3.5 Who decides how funds are allocated?
In the case of donations made to a Field Partner organization, the allocation of funds is at the discretion of the Field Partner, but the activity must fall within the scope of girls’ and women’s empowerment. If donors make a donation to (a) specific Field Partner project(s), the funds are allocated to the specified project(s).
3.6 Is there is a minimum donation amount?
All donations, even modest amounts, can make a difference! The minimum donation amount is 5 Euros.
3.7 How are funds transferred to the Field Partner?
W4 transfers funds raised through online and offline donations to our Field Partners on a monthly basis subject to a minimum monthly threshold of total funds raised of 50 Euros. Our Field Partners are responsible for ensuring the prompt, accurate allocation of funds to finance their grassroots work at the community level.
3.8 How do I know my online payment is secure?
Online donations are made through our highly secure third-party online payment service provider, PayPal. W4 does not have access to your bank data. All donations made through PayPal, a leader in online payments, are kept private over their secure network.
3.9 Can I keep track of my donation and receive feedback about how my donation is used?
Field partners are required to provide feedback about the use of funds, demonstrating measurable impact and ideally providing testimonies from the individual women/groups of women who are the beneficiaries or recipients of the funds. Field partners are requested to provide an account of the allocation of funds on a quarterly basis.
3.10 Is my donation tax-deductible?
W4 France is a not-for-profit Association registered in France under the Law 1901.
For individuals making donations in France, your donations will entitle you to a tax deduction against income tax, amounting to 66% of the amount donated, within a limit of 20% of your net taxable income. Upon receipt of your payment, a tax receipt will be sent to you as soon as possible. The receipt will serve as proof of your donation at the time of preparation of your tax return.
For legal entities (companies) making donations in France, all your payments under the sponsorship allow you to benefit from a tax credit on corporate income of 60% of the amount of payments, to a maximum of 5 per thousand of your net turnover. Beyond 5 per thousand or in the event of financial year loss, the balance may be carried forward to the following 4 years within a limit of 5 per thousand. Upon receipt of your payment, a tax receipt will be sent as soon as possible.
4. Security & Privacy
4.1 What is W4’s policy in terms of privacy?
Please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Portraits, stories, articles and artistic content appearing on our platform and on our blog WOWWIRE are used only if authorized and are governed by intellectual property agreements.
5. Further questions?
5.1 Further questions?
If you have any other questions, you can email us. Our team will be glad to answer your questions.
