Who, What, How

1. Who

Who makes up this organization?
Zonta is an organization of volunteer executives and professionals or others in decision-making positions from communities around the world.

Who are the members, staff/employees, volunteers, people who they help or serve?
There is a support staff headquartered in Chicago, Illinois suburb. Each club in the 67 countries serves the community in which it is located and sends money to headquarters in Chicago. Each club is affiliated with Zonta International. The money collected by Zonta International funds international projects to educate women and children, improve the health of women and children, provide micro-loans to women to start businesses to improve the economic status of women and children, prevent violence against women (domestic violence and human trafficking), or a similar project. Specific projects are proposed and chosen by a new international board every biennium.

What are the differences between these groups?
The groups they assist are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and class but homogeneous as to gender: female (because studies have shown if the lives of women are improved, the lives of the entire family will also be improved).

Are the groups similar or different in terms of race or ethnicity/gender/class?
The groups of professionals belonging to Zonta clubs are quite different in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender but fairly homogeneous as to class.

How do they interact?
Our goal is not to impose Western morality or Western culture on other cultures but to improve the health, education, and economic status of women. Therefore, we work with local government in the area to change or implement laws, if necessary, or educate local women to become teachers, etc. Our goal is to set up a program to be self-sustaining within the culture.

2. What

What is this organization? What are the goals or issues?
The objects of this Club are:
(a) To improve the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women at the global and local level through service and advocacy.
(b) To work for the advancement of understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of executives in business and the professions.
(c) To promote justice and universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
(d) To be united internationally to foster high ethical standards, to implement service programs, and to provide mutual support and fellowship for members who serve their communities, their nations, and the world.

We believe that making the world a better place for women makes the world a better place for human beings and that women's rights ARE human rights. Our goal is to create an environment in which no woman lives in fear of violence. Areas that the club are currently working on are: raising money for the women's division (Harvest Home) of the Haven of Rest homeless shelter for homeless women and their children and for scholarships for displaced homemakers at The University of Akron; dissemination of educational information and awareness regarding human trafficking; raising money for the renovation and re-decorating of the Zonta room at the Harvest Home; sponsorship of the 2009 Sister-to-Sister Girls' Summit in Medina County; award of an annual book scholarship to area college student; and raising money for Zonta International projects for the 2008-10 biennium.

How does this vary across different people involved?
Each club is free to choose its own projects.

How do their positions and goals on the issues vary in comparison to other groups, organization, the state, etc?
In many ways, Zonta combines certain aspects and aspirations of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA).

3. How

Who do they target?
Zonta ABC has a 501(c)(3) foundation Zonta-ABC Foundation. The Foundation annually solicits funding applications.

What strategies do they use to meet their goals?
Hard work! Every club member is expected to volunteer her time in the community as an individual and to donated her money to worthy causes in addition to the club's and international's causes. So, there is a hierarchy of personal, club, and international charitable goals. The "how much" time and money an individual decides to give of them self at each level is up to her.

How are they organized? What are their resources?
We have one large fundraiser per year--a style show/luncheon/silent auction--devoted to charities that submitted applications and were chosen the year before as fund recipients. This year it will be Saturday, April 25, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. at Guy's Party Center on Waterloo Rd. (off I-77) in Akron. The ticket price is only $25 and includes a great lunch. This year's theme is "Chic for Cheap" and features two resale shops. The charities are the prescription program for Harvest Home (Akron's homeless shelter for women and children) and the displaced homemaker's scholarship program for The University of Akron. This year we also raised $3,000 to renovate and redecorate the Zonta room at the Haven of Rest. We give smaller ($25-50) grants for interim applicants and $500 grants for book scholarships for college students upon application and scholarship committee selection. We have some small in-house fundraisers such as Pampered Chef catalog sales. ABC is an affiliate partner with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Campaign to Rescue and Restore victims of human trafficking.

*This information was provided by Alanna Arnold of Zonta ABC