GIRLS NIGHT IN
WOMEN COMING TOGETHER
to create enduring change for women and girls impacted by disaster
“When we work for the common good, we experience each other in new ways.”
“We don’t worry about diﬀerences, or status, or traditional power relationships. We worry
about whether we’ll succeed in accomplishing what needs to be done. We focus on the
work, not on each other. We learn what trust is. We learn the necessity of good communication. These are always the conditions that bring out our best – we’re focused on something
we care about.”
~ Meg Wheatley (Turning To One Another)
THANK YOU FOR HOSTING
a Girls Night In event!
Co-founders Angela Devlen and Julie Morrill
have spent their entire careers in disaster management.
Through a combination of personal and professional experiences, they’ve experienced ﬁrst-hand the
challenges faced by women and girls after disasters - challenges underscored by root causes robbing
them of their health and dignity. This was the catalyst behind the founding of Mahila Partnership in
2007.
At Mahila, we have spent time working side-byside with women around the world to understand
the needs of their communities. Several pilot
projects have been successfully completed;
chosen for their immediate importance for our
Mahilas and also to further develop our
relationships and understanding of what is
needed most following disasters for women and
girls.
Our experiences have led us to focus on our
health and hygiene program. Our work for the
past seven years has underscored our belief that
investing in women and their health will positively change the trajectory for generations of
women to come.
Our team is entirely volunteer. This ensures that 100% of every donor dollar goes directly to
our programs.
Enclosed are materials to assist in hosting your event including:
• Girls Night In Checklist - to help you plan
• Sample Invitation Letter - for you to tailor and include in your invites
• Sample Agenda - to assist in the format of your evening
• Talking Points - for you to use when introducing Mahila and our shared passion for this work
• Mahila Program Graphic
• Donor Information Sheet - for your friends to ﬁll out
• Sample Thank You Letter - to send to your friends the day after your event
• We have also put together a powerpoint presentation that you can leave running as a slideshow and
a video of our time spent in Haiti
Thank you for being an integral part of our team.
CONSIDERATIONS WHEN PLANNING
your Girls Night In event!
Number of guests to invite
The number of guests is entirely up to you. Consider how intimate of an event you wish to host, the
location and space for comfortable seating, ease of access to food, handouts and viewing of the slideshow and video. By inviting 10-20 of your friends, you can expect about 6 -12 guests which is usually a
good number for an event hosted in your home.
Who should attend
You probably already have a list of friends you want to invite. But if you are trying to ﬁll a couple of extra
spots on your invitation list, consider family and friends who have been supportive of issues you care
about, women you know who share your passion for issues aﬀecting women & girls and/or colleagues
who are looking for a way to pay it forward by investing in projects that apply funds directly to a cause
they care about.
What to print and hand out
• Donor Information Sheet with Donation Envelopes
• Name Tags
• Mahila Program Graphic
What to demonstrate
Run Laptop (w/screen if you have one) and show powerpoint “About Mahila” and/or Haiti Video
Hygiene Kit Example and/or Sanitary Pads made at Artisanat in Haiti (as available)
Checks should be addressed to Mahila Partnership or donations can be made online at
www.mahilapartnership.org and click on the “Donate” button.
Please mail the checks via the Fed Ex Envelope (included) the day after the event to: Mahila Partnership
8875 Hidden River Parkway, Suite 300 Tampa, FL 33637
ABOUT
Girls Night In
By hosting a Girls Night In event, you are helping
women and girls around the world reclaim their
future, their health, and their dignity.
In addition to drinks and snacks, your event
oﬀers attendees a chance to socialize and meet
new people, while providing an opportunity to
support of a good cause: Mahila
I know that all of the women who are a part of Mahila are in my heart, mind and soul every
single day of my life. It is Mahila that keeps me going, Mahila that keeps me strong, Mahila
that keeps me grounded, Mahila that keeps me, ME.
~ Keni
Your Girls Night In Helps:
Grow our Board of Directors
Engage Volunteers
Raise Funds to Support
Grassroots Women
Women coming together to create enduring change
for women and girls impacted by disaster
100%
WE ARE 10 0 %
VOL UN T EER
EVERY
DONOR DOLLAR
WE DONATE 100% OF EVERY DONOR DOLLAR DIRECTLY TO OUR PROGRAMS
Girls Night In
CHECKLIST
10 Weeks Out
Decide on Venue for your event
Compile a list of all of your like-minded, bad-ass, empowered girl friends
Ask your closest friends if they have anyone they think they would like to add to the list
If you are hosting with someone else, decide on roles and responsibilities (i.e. who is paying for
food? Who will be responsible for printing name tags?)
8 Weeks Out
Create an Eventbrite invitation and send to the list you compiled
Reach out to those on your list and ask them to invite their friends, too (if space is available).
3 Weeks Out
Send another round of Eventbright invites to anyone new to your list or anyone from your old list
who hasn’t yet responded (some people don’t plan too far in advance!)
1 Week Out
Send a reminder email to those who have signed up – make sure all of the details of the
Who/What/When/Where and How are very clear.
Purchase food/wine (or make it a pot luck and ask everyone to sign up and bring a dish!)
Purchase and print name tags (Eventbright will allow you to create name tags)
Create a sign-in sheet to capture everyone who came (you can print one directly oﬀ of Eventbright).
Day Of Event
Set up and have a blast!
We know it is sometimes hard asking for money, but if you are passionate about our cause, then
your friends will be, too. Do your best to encourage people to open their hearts and wallets
because without them – and you - we won’t be able to fulﬁll our mission!
Day After Event
Write thank you notes
Send any collections to Mahila Partnership
G I R LYoSu’re
d
e
t
i
v
N I G IHnT
IN
I am hosting an intimate event in my home to beneﬁt Mahila
Partnership, an organization seeking to address the health and
hygiene needs of women and girls following disasters.
This event will provide a wonderful opportunity to connect
with like-minded women working to change the world – one
woman at a time.
You will learn about some of the exciting programs Mahila
Partnership is working on and how you can get involved. We
are asking for a voluntary $XXX (between $25-$125 - whatever is appropriate for your crowd) donation to attend this
wonderful event, which will go directly towards the eﬀorts to
improve the health and hygiene needs of woman and girls
following disasters.
Please join us for
wine and light
appetizers on:
DATE
TIME
LOCATION
ADDRESS
You may RSVP by clicking here: (INSERT EVENTBRIGHT LINK)
If you wish to bring a friend who might be interested in learning more about Mahila please let us know as space is limited.
Your Name
Title if you wish
Girls Night In
AGENDA
Xxx am/pm
Mahila hosts arrive and set up the following
Name Tags (XXX will print/bring)
Projector and screen/TV/Laptop (XXX)
Table with hand outs (XXX)
Mahila Partnership Ts/Swag for sale (XXX)
Sample Hygiene Kit (XXX) not for sale, just to show
Envelopes for donations (XXX)
20 minutes later
Guests arrive
They are greeted and given name tags
Guests are informed the program will begin around ONE HOUR LATER and to please mingle around
and have a look at our literature
One Hour Later
Hostess speaks and makes ask for donations
One More Hour of Socializing
Girls Night In
HOSTESS TALKING POINTS
• Hello and thank you for joining me this evening.
• I have asked you here today to talk to you about an organization and an issue that is close to my
heart.
• Mahila Partnership was founded in 2007 by two women who realized that there was a need to do
things diﬀerently during disasters.
• In so many disaster situations, women and girls’ needs are so often overlooked.
• Often times, women do not have a quiet/safe place to nurse babies.
• Girls don’t have access to safe and separate toilet facilities.
• They certainly don’t have access to appropriate sanitation materials.
• That’s why Mahila Partnership was founded – to address the unmet needs of women and girls
following disasters.
• Now, these aren’t always issues that exist in the United States (although, sometimes they do).
• But in developing countries these issues are prevalent.
• When a girl is on her period, she is more likely to miss school.
• A woman might miss a week’s worth of work and wages because of her period.
• There are so often not safe toilet facilities where women can change or dispose of their sanitary
napkins.
• Mahila Partnership wants to address this issue by investing in local women’s cooperatives to produce
aﬀordable, accessible, and locally sourced sanitary napkins and other hygiene materials. (This point is
key)
• Lack of access to hygiene materials for girls leads to poor health outcomes; it magniﬁes
education disparities; and it reduces their ability to participate in their communities.
• Mahila Partnership believes that by investing in one girl or woman today we can change
the entire trajectory for generations to come.
Girls Night In
HOSTESS TALKING POINTS
• The Mahila model employs women locally to manufacture sanitary napkins that they can then sell to
other women in their community at an aﬀordable price.
• Not only will women be able to produce a quality product that is needed, but they will be able to
earn income while doing so.
• We want to stimulate the local economy and the individual economies of women through this
program.
• To do this, we need to increase our investment in the Women’s Health Clinic and Cooperative in
Haiti. Your contribution of $_____ for this event will provide a hygiene kit for one woman or girl, allowing her to continue with her studies and work.
• Your continued ﬁnancial support of Mahila helps us reach our goal of $100,000 for our program in
Haiti. Your gift of:
• $125.00 provides the materials and a local health worker to educate 100 women and girls on healthy
hygiene practices
• $250.00 provides materials for a sewing cooperative to produce sanitary pads for 50 women
• $1000.00 provides capital to invest in the purchase of equipment for the women’s cooperative
strengthening local procurement and sustainable, local sourcing of raw materials for the hygiene kits
• It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in only 7 years, and we’ve shared with you much of our
progress tonight. But we still have so far to go.
• Tonight, we had a Girl’s Night In. I encourage you to think about what you would have spent tonight
had we all gone out for dinner and drinks…and instead, make a gift in that amount to Mahila.
• For the price of dinner and drinks, you have the power to make a tremendous impact on the lives of
women and girls in need.
• Envelopes are available and all contributions are tax deductible.
•Thank you and now - eat, drink and be merry!
Girls Night In
DONOR INFORMATION SHEET
Name:
Street Address:
City, State, Zip
Phone number
Email address
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
*Your receipt (for tax purposes) will be sent to the above e-mail address.
Please make checks out to Mahila Partnership
Credit Card Type: Visa Mastercard AMEX
Credit Card Number
Expiration Date
Security Code
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Is your billing address is the same as address above? Yes No
If not, please enter your billing address below:
Name on Card:
Street Address:
City, State, Zip
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Gifts may also be made online at www.mahilapartnership.org. Please see your host for assistance.
GIRLS
N I G HkTyou!
n
a
h
T
IN
Insert Date Here
Dear First Name,
I would like to personally thank you for attending the Girls
Night In event to beneﬁt Mahila Partnership. Your donation is
going towards a great cause! Please be assured that you have
made a direct impact on the lives of women and girls in need.
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY,STATE,ZIP
If you have any questions about your donation, I urge you to
contact me directly or contact Mahila by phone at [PHONE
NUMBER] or online at www.mahilapartnership.org. Thank you
again for attending the Girls Night In event and I hope to see
you soon!
Warmly,
Your Name
Title if you wish
CREATING ENDURING CHANGE FOR WOMEN
With Health and Economic-Independence Initiatives
How an investment in ONE woman today changes the trajectory for generations of women to come.
BARRIERS
=
IMPACT
LACK OF
ACCESS TO
HYGIENE MATERIALS
POOR
HEALTH &
HYGIENE
LACK OF
SAFE ACCESS
TO WATER AND LATRINES
MAGNIFIED
EDUCATION
DISPARITIES
LACK OF
HEALTH
EDUCATION
REDUCED PARTICIPATION
IN HOUSEHOLD &
COMMUNITY RECOVERY
An estimated 200 million
menstruating
girls
and
An estimated
200 million
menstruating
girls to
and
women struggle
ﬁnd clean
women
struggle
to ﬁnd private
water
for washing,
clean water for washing,
places
and
private
placesforfor changing,
changadequate
blood
absorbing
ing, and
adequate
blood
absorbing
materials.
materials.
SOLUTION
DEVELOPMENT
SOURCING
Stimulate economic
development by stablishing
social enterprises for women.
Create health and
hygiene products
from local sources.
360 APPROACH
POSITIVE OUTCOMES
Engage the impacted women who
now have hygiene education and
access to hygiene supplies.
INVESTMENT
Use positive economic and health
outcomes at the local level to
stimulate further investment.
TO HEALTH & HYGIENE
NEEDS FOLLOWING
DISASTERS
EDUCATION
Create and distribute
educational materials and train
women to educate themselves
and their peers about healthy
reproductive practices.
MATERIALS
Distribute culturally
sensitive hygiene kits.