She's the First

She's the First is a non-profit organization based in Manhattan borough of New York City, New York that sponsors girls’ education in developing countries, through creative and innovative means — particularly leveraging the leadership of students in the US and social media. By the end of 2012, She’s the First will have sponsored more than 300 girls across eight countries, and it supports 40 campus chapters across the US.^[1]

Mission

She’s the First is a not-for-profit that sponsors girls’ education in the developing world, helping them be the first in their families to graduate. In the process, She’s the First fosters leadership and self-awareness in young Americans, by inspiring them to lead creative fundraisers and correspond with sponsored students. Their efforts shape a rising generation of well-educated global leaders, future philanthropists, and cross-cultural communicators.^[2]

History

She's the First launched November 1, 2009 as a YouTube video featuring the singer JoJo. The video received a very good response, and this inspired Tammy Tibbetts to create a bigger effort of outreach, with the hope of creating more tangible results of change.^[3] In July 2011, She’s the First became an official 501(c)(3) organization and ran entirely on volunteer efforts up until May 2012, when found Tammy Tibbetts was hired as its first employee.^[4]

College chapters

She's the First has established college and high school chapters across the United States, recognized officially as She’s the First*[Campus] chapters. The organization connects US students with the girls and schools in need of sponsorship and provides leadership training.^[5] On October 11, 2012, which was the first-ever United Nations’ Day of the Girl, She’s the First*[Campus] presidents convened in New York City for a two-day Leadership Summit.^[6]

Syracuse University was the first chapter created and served as the model for other schools. All chapters have their own social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter pages. Those interested in creating a chapter at their school can apply through the She's the First website.^[4]

Partners and programs

She's the First hosts an on-line directory of NGOs with sponsorship programs which they have vetted and stay in year-round contact with to track the girls' progress. They connect donors with these programs to arrange the sponsorship.^[7]

For example, She’s the First has partnered with AfricAid on their Kisa Project to raise funds that will put girls in Tanzania into secondary school,^[8][9] and the Shanti Bhavan's Children Project in India.^[10] In 2010, the organization piloted mentoring and social media programs for lower-income high school girls in the U.S., many of whom will be first-generation college students, through a partnership with the Young Women’s Leadership Network Schools, founded by Ann Tisch.^[11]

In October 2012, She’s the First began working with Jane Cosmetics, the corporate sponsor of its Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off campaign, and has received generous support from Merck, HerCampus.com, and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation.^[12]

International partners

• AfricAid’s Kisa Project
• Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project
• Selamta Family Project
• Arlington Academy of Hope
• Kopila Valley Children’s School
• Kibera School for Girls (run by Shining Hope for Communities)
• Starfish One by One
• Project Education Sudan

Recognition

In 2010, the organization was recognized by Glamour on its 20th Annual Women of the Year Awards at the Carnegie Hall citing its founder, Tammy Tibbetts, as one of Glamour's 20 Young Women Who Are Already Changing the World.^[13]

The Syracuse University chapter won the 2011 Macy’s Rising Star Award "The 44 Stars of Excellence Gala & Celebration," sponsored by Macy’s and Bloomingdales, on April 19, 2011.^[14]

In April 2013, Founder Tammy Tibbetts was honored for her work with She's the First at DVF Awards where she received the People's Voice Award.^[15]

New media usage

She's the First operates as a new media campaign and the founder said that digital media is the perfect way to make a cause viral. They continue to garner interest and education through the organization's Tumblr blog, Twitter and Facebook.^[16] As of March 10, 2012, She's the First had 4,479 "likes" on Facebook and 5,300 followers on Twitter.^[17][18]

The organization has gained a lot of attention from blog posts and tweets from the Huffington Post. Creator and editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington profiled She's the First for Women's History Month in March 2011. Huffington also tweeted the story to her 600,000+ followers. The Huffington Post featured on the homepage of their Impact section an essay by Elizabeth David, a young woman sponsored by She's the First in Tanzania. She was featured as the Huffington Post's "Greatest Person of the Day."^[19]

Celebrity involvement

In June 2010, She's the First launched their Girls Who Rock benefit concert in New York City^[20] with the help of celebrities such as Kat DeLuna, Lenka, Shontelle, DJ Kalkutta,^[21][22] and musician-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, She's The First's first celebrity male supporter.^[23]

They have launched their fundraising bracelet designed by Asha Patel and modeled by pop singer JoJo.^[24][25]

On May 4, 2010, Perez Hilton featured She's the First on his "A Worthwhile Cause" section on his eponymous website. He posted a She's the First promotional video, a quote from it about the organization and a link to the website.^[26]

Finances

She's the First uses simple fundraising ideas to add up to larger sums. They have organized fundraisers like bake sales and poker nights. In its first year, She's the First raised $13,500 and sponsored 37 girls in developing countries.^[19] The organization gives 100% of a donation to the partner organizations and the programs that donors choose. The nonprofit fundraises separately for overhead and administrative costs.

References

External links

• Official website