Girls Write Now Awards Host Committee

THE FIFTH ANNUAL GIRLS WRITE NOW AWARDS

For two decades, Girls Write Now has been dedicated to mentoring the next generation of writers. A beloved tradition, the Girls Write Now Awards celebrate the fearless leaders who are evolving the narrative and igniting change for our girls. Our Fifth Annual Girls Write Now Awards will take place on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at City Winery in New York City, including reception, awards ceremony, a mentor-mentee pair performance, and live auction.
Honorees includes Zadie Smith, author of Swing Time; Sophia Amoruso, Author & Founder of Girlboss; Ilana Glazer, Co-creator & Co-star of Broad City; Melissa Harris–Perry, Editor-at-Large at Elle.com; Abbi Jacobson, Co-creator & Co-star of Broad City; with Elaine Welteroth, Editor of Teen Vogue, as emcee for the evening and accompanied by a mentee co-emcee.
We anticipate approximately 300 guests in attendance, which includes writers, editors, publishers, media makers, and change-makers. The event will also be announced and shared with our social media community of 15,200+ Twitter followers, 21,000+ Facebook likes, and an aggregate reach of 200,000+ per month.
Past honorees include: Gloria Steinem, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi, Janet Mock, and BBDO’s CEO John Osborn, who led the team that is redefining the Barbie campaign, New York Times Book Review Editor Pamela Paul, DOMA litigator Roberta Kaplan, and more. Diane von Furstenburg, Anne Hathaway, and Roxane Gay are all supporters of Girls Write Now.
This year’s Awards takes on special significance as we implement an innovative growth plan to expand programs to serve twice as many girls, and to extend and enrich our college prep and alumnae services. Our theme this year is Rise Speak Change: The young women of color we work with are among today’s most vulnerable and never has our mission been more important.

HOST COMMITTEE: LEVELS

The Fifth Annual Girls Write Now Awards are fast approaching , and we are excited to engage our entire community to make it our best Awards event yet!  As a member of the Host Committee, your commitment and hard work are crucial to the success of the event. All it takes to be a Host is getting six friends to come join you at the “Explorer” level – or just two people at the “Trailblazer” level! Host Committee members who fulfill their commitments will be invited to the VIP reception at the start of the event, which includes a photo with the honorees.

• Host: Contribute $1,000 (includes preferred seating for one, pre-reception for one, and official Host Committee recognition)
  OR Raise $1,000 and get a bonus preferred seat and pre-reception entry!
  (another way to think about it is an “upgrade”.  Buy a $175 ticket, raise the rest, and you and a guest get upgraded to preferred seating and entry into the pre-reception)
• Vice Chair: Raise/contribute $2,500 (includes preferred seating for two, pre-reception for two, and official Vice Chair recognition)
• Chair: Raise/contribute $5,000 (includes premiere seating for two, pre-reception for for two, photo with Honorees, and official Chair recognition)

HOST COMMITTEE: EVENT TIMELINE*

• Host Committee Meeting: Tuesday, April 4, 2-3 PM (by phone conference, dial in to be circulated)
• CHAPTERS After Party Gathering: Friday, April 21, 8 PM at Almond, 12 East 22 Street, NYC (post CHAPTERS Reading, 6-8 PM at Pen & Brush, 29 East 22 Street, with keynote speaker Emma Cline)
• Awards VIP Reception: Tuesday, May 23, 6-7 PM, downstairs at City Winery, 155 Varick Street, NYC (to start off the Fifth Annual Girls Write Now Awards)

*Suggested/optional

HOST COMMITTEE: JOIN AND CONNECT

Throughout your involvement on the Host Committee, the Girls Write Now staff will stay in close, individual touch with you, streamlining communication and customizing the experience to meet your time, skills, comfort level, and needs.

• Confirm Your Details: As a Host Committee member, we ask you to publish your name in the Awards invitation and in other promotional materials. Please email Development with your full name(s) as you would like listed on collateral. Please be sure to confirm your level of participation (Host, Vice Chair, or Chair).
• Invite Your Friends and Contacts: Please send emails and social media posts to your friends, family, colleagues, individual and institutional networks inviting them to join you in supporting Girls Write Now on May 23. Be sure to instruct your friends to indicate  your name when purchasing their tickets so that we can properly track your attendees.  We will regularly update you with a list of those who purchase tickets under your name to help keep track of your progress. Check out our Awards Toolkit for easy-to-use images, one-sheets, and messaging.
• Recruit Other Host Committee Members & Sponsors: Help us expand our Host Committee and sponsor list by encouraging your friends and corporate contacts to join you in this important effort. And all new individuals and institutions you recruit will count towards your goal!  New or prospective Host Committee members or sponsors may email Development directly and we will make sure everyone is clear and comfortable with next steps.
• Meet our Girls Our acclaimed reading series CHAPTERS is a perfect way for you and your friends to see the community in action leading up to the Awards. Mark you calendar for: March 17, April 21, and May 19.
• Don’t Forget to Buy Your Own Ticket(s)! Tickets here.
  Explorer: $175 (general admission)
  Groundbreaker: $250 (preferred seating)
  Trailblazer: $500 (premiere seating)

ABOUT GIRLS WRITE NOW

For nearly 20 years, Girls Write Now has been a leader in the arts education space as the first writing and mentoring organization for girls. We match teen girls with women professional writers and digital media makers as their personal mentors. Our mentees — over 95% girls of color and 90% high need — are published in outlets including The New York Times, Newsweek, and BuzzFeed, perform at Lincoln Center and the United Nations, and earn hundreds of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. 100% of Girls Write Now seniors go on to college. Girls Write Now has been distinguished three times by the White House as one of the nation’s top youth programs and twice by the Nonprofit Excellence Awards as one of New York’s top ten nonprofits. Reaching thousands of girls, the organization is a founding partner of the STARS Citywide Girls Initiative. Girls Write Now has received the Youth INC Innovators Award, NBCUniversal’s 21st Century Solutions prize for social innovation through media arts, and the Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) People’s Choice nomination. Girls Write Now is currently implementing an innovative strategic plan to double the number of girls served, to enrich and extend college prep and  alumnae services, and to elevate the voices of today’s most vulnerable, young women of color. More about our story.