International Women’s Day: 48in48 Recognizes Rankin Foundation
In celebration of International Women’s Day, 48in48 highlights one of our nonprofit recipients from 2018, who celebrates women year-round!
Honoring Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the United States Congress, the Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund (JRF) helps adult women secure degrees that would allow them to enter the workforce successfully.
“We’re working to support women who have clear goals for their future, a concrete plan to reach those goals, and a strong concept of how their education will benefit themselves, their families, and their communities as a whole.”
The JRF provides scholarships and support to low-income women aged 35 and older across the United States to build better lives through post-secondary education. JRF is unique because the students can use the scholarship fund for more than just tuition. Many of their students are low-income and receive the Pell Grant allowing them to use the JRF scholarship money where they need it most. For some, that is paying for childcare, transportation, books, materials, or other living expenses.
The JRF helps women reach the finish line of graduation faster and with less debt. JRF scholars are achieving success at amazing rates. For the 2017-2018 Academic Year, 87% of JRF Scholarship Recipients either graduated or continued working towards their degrees. In comparison, the national average of the JRF demographic of students is only 31%.
The 48in48 Impact
JRF participated in the Atlanta event in October 2018. They received a new website including marketing and web guidance to be successful with their new website.
Easy to Update
“Moving our website over to WordPress and getting a sleek, updated, fresh design has really helped our Scholarship Applicants. We’ve been able to easily update information as needed, and the site is much easier to maneuver for users.”
Better User Experience
“We had a record number of users come to our application this year, which we credit to the ease of access and information on our website. Now, our applicants can easily find the information they need to know if they are eligible for the scholarship, how to apply, and where to go for more information. We’ve also been able to build out an external resources page, and have a Contact Us Form that gives our Applicants a direct access point to our internal team!”
Better for Donors
“Our donors are also able to find the information they are looking for more easily with our updated website.”
Easier for Volunteers
“We also saw a record number of volunteers sign up this year! We use our volunteers to help us read and review scholarship applications. Last year, we had about 230 people sign up, and this year we’ve had more than 300 sign up!
Stronger Brand Presence
“Our online presence finally matches who we are as an organization – forward-thinking, efficient, sharp, and in constant pursuit of excellence. This shift moves us onto a new level as far as marketing and PR goes, and our donors love it! We owe so much of that to the team at 48in48 for giving us an incredible website template.”
This International Women’s Day find out how you can get involved by visiting JRF’s website. If you are ready to put your web and marketing expertise to work for nonprofits like JRF, learn how you can volunteer here. To nominate a nonprofit who could benefit from similar services, visit 48in48.org/nonprofit-referrals/.
