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COLLECTION Identifier: MC 669: T-192: Vt-196

Records of the International Alliance for Women, 1979-2004

Overview

By-laws, correspondence, financial records, membership records and directories, minutes, phone logs, reports, tax records, conference material, programs and projects, press releases, speeches, memorabilia, audiovisual material, photographs, etc., of the International Alliance for Women, a global umbrella organization that unites, supports and promotes professional women and their networks.

Dates

  • Creation: 1979-2004

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Access Restrictions:

Access. Unrestricted except for #15.28, which is closed until January 1, 2038. Originals of redacted photocopies from #20.17, 21.3, 25.10, 29.9, 38.22, 39.11, and 41.15, are closed until January 1, 2060. An appointment is necessary to use any audiovisual material.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright. Copyright in the records created by the International Alliance for Women is held by the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Schlesinger Library. Copyright in other records in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.

Copying. Records may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

Extent

17.31 linear feet ((41 + 1/2 file boxes) plus 5 audiotapes, 1 videotape, 5 objects, electronic records)
171.78 Megabytes (51 files)

The records of the International Alliance for Women reflect the work of the organization's administrative business and activities. Electronic records were received in 1 3.5" disk, 41 5.25 disk, 7 CD-ROM, 2 zip drives, and 1 USB drive. The disk was imaged using FTK imager, the CD-ROM data was unrecoverable. Selected data has been converted to PDF/A for preservation and delivery.

Series I, ADMINISTRATION, ORGANIZATION, AND RELATED, 1979-2003, undated (#1.1-21.18, E.1-E.38), contains appointment calendars; draft, revised, and amended by-laws; contracts; correspondence; directories; financial records; application and registration forms; policy and procedure manuals; membership records; minutes; pamphlets; phone logs; proposals; reports; schedules and agendas; surveys; tax related material; and other related administrative files. The series also includes photographs; clippings; and electronic records. Original folder titles were maintained, folder contents were rearranged or combined, and the processor created the overall arrangement.

Correspondence files include letters, faxes, and memos relating to conferences, membership, finances, fundraising, publicity, and other general administrative matters. Related material is also included (e.g., clippings, pamphlets, invitations, announcements, photographs, etc.). Financial records include correspondence, treasurer's reports, budgets, financial statements, etc. Membership records include applications; correspondence; directories; general information on the organization (e.g., statistics, background/history, programs/projects, mission statements, pamphlets, etc.); lists of group and individual members, board of directors, committees, etc.; recruitment material; and a 1996 survey on membership activity and input. Minutes include material from the 1979 organizational meeting and president's meeting files; correspondence; meeting minutes and reports from the board of directors meetings, general membership annual conference meetings, strategic planning committee meetings, and other committee and administrative meetings; registration forms; attendance lists; voting material; contracts; by-laws; treasurer's reports; planning material for conferences, retreats, and other meetings; schedules and agendas; notes; clippings; photographs; etc. Reports include annual reports, strategic plans, and other related administrative reports. Tax material includes correspondence; application forms; tax returns; budgets and treasurer's reports; by-laws; articles of organization; etc., relating to tax exempt status and an issue involving the organization's tax identification number. The series is arranged alphabetically by document type, and thereunder chronologically. The International Alliance for Women web site, which includes photographs and other writing, is being captured periodically as part of Harvard University Library's Web Archive Collection (WAX).

Series II, CONFERENCES, PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, ETC., 1979-2004, undated (#21.19-42.3, T-192.1 - T-195.5, Vt-196.1, Mem.1-Mem.5, E.39-E.52), contains announcements and fliers; annual and international conference materials; programs and projects; fundraising material, including corporate donor lists; committee files; newsletter related material; press releases; publicity material; biographical material on board members and conference speakers; speeches; correspondence; financial records; reports; registration forms; contracts; planning material; pamphlets; minutes; proposals; surveys; and other related events and activities material. The series also includes a chronological listing of all Alliance meetings and conferences from 1979 through 2001; audiovisual material; clippings; photographic material; memorabilia; and electronic records. Original folder titles were maintained, folder contents were rearranged or combined, and the processor created the overall arrangement.

Annual and international conference materials include contracts; correspondence; financial records; grant proposals; minutes; pamphlets; planning material; presentations; press packets; program bulletins; questionnaires and surveys; reports; registration forms; schedules and agendas; speeches; audiotapes; Alliance banners; clippings; photographs; a ca.1981 paperweight with the Alliance logo; etc. Programs and projects include the Corporate Director's Resource Bank, which aims to increase the number of women serving on non-profit boards of directors and commissions; the Microenterprise Development Project, which works to commercialize the microfinance industry in increasing capital for loans to women; the Speakers Bank, a referral service bringing member organizations and highly effective and dynamic women speakers together; award programs; fundraising; newsletter material; partnerships; retreats; seminars; symposiums; workshops; etc. President Corazon C. Aquino's (Republic of the Philippines) speech and related material for her reception and material for the annual White House Briefings (later called Washington Briefings), addressing women's issues in economic development and private enterprise, are also included in programs and projects. Committee files include the records of the government relations committee and the strategic planning committee; records of the fundraising committee are included with the fundraising material. Publicity material includes files on the making of the Alliance's brochures, logo, and video, including a ca.2001 promotional videotape. Planning material refers to a combination of materials, which include pamphlets; program bulletins; registration forms; schedules and agendas; clippings; photographs; publicity material; contracts; correspondence; etc. The organization's newsletters were transferred to the Schlesinger Library periodicals collection; consult the library's catalog for holdings. The series is arranged alphabetically by document type and/or event title, and thereunder chronologically.

HISTORY

In 1979, two anonymous women made a grant to the Women's National Educational Fund in Washington, D.C. The grant was to study the phenomenon of women and networking. In March of that year, a group of twenty women who had formed networks in ten cities across the United States were invited to Washington, D.C., to discuss their networking experiences. The meeting recognized the need for career women to come together periodically to share their expertise and experiences in the business world, provide a career and personal support system for professional women, and form a national organization to facilitate communication among women's network groups across the country. As a result, the National Alliance of Professional and Executive Women's Networks was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 22, 1980 with Deane C. Laycock (a Boston businesswoman and founder of the Boston Luncheon Club, later renamed the Boston Club) as president. The organization's mission was to act as an information clearing house, provide educational programs, conduct meetings and forums to benefit women, facilitate communication among the national women's networking groups, and focus on improving and advancing the role of women in society. In 1986, the organization changed its name to the International Alliance, an Association of Executive and Professional Women and turned its attention to professional women on a global scale. Today, the organization is known as the International Alliance for Women. The Alliance is a not-for-profit organization and functions as a global umbrella organization for professional women around the world. It "unites, supports, and promotes professional women and their networks to work together, share resources and leverage ideas." Through conferences, meetings, and activities, the International Alliance for Women implements and funds programs that provide economic empowerment and advancement for women around the world. Such programs include the Microenterprise Development, Corporate Women's Leadership Network, Women On Boards, Entrepreneurship, and Daughters.

ARRANGEMENT

The collection is arranged in two series:

  1. Series I. Administration, organization, and related, 1979-2003, undated (#1.1-21.18, E.1-E.38)
  2. Series II. Conferences, programs, projects, etc., 1979-2004, undated (#21.19-42.3, T-192.1 - T-195.5, Vt-196.1, Mem.1-Mem.5, E.39-E.52)

Physical Location

Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession numbers: 86-M100, 89-M23, 89-M150, 90-M179, 90-M213, 91-M29, 95-M10, 95-M16, 95-M39, 95-M112, 95-M122, 97-M153, 98-M91, 99-M46, 2001-M203, 2002-M6, 2002-M27, 2006-M128, 2011-M24

The records of the International Alliance for Women were given to the Schlesinger Library by the International Alliance for Women between 1986 and 2011.

Processing Information

Processed: July 2011

By: Bridgette A. Woodall, with assistance from Camille Torres.

Updated and additional materials added: July 2017

By: Pablo Morales Henry

Title
International Alliance for Women. Records of the International Alliance for Women, 1979-2004: A Finding Aid
Author
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Language of description
eng
Sponsor
Processing of this collection was made possible by gifts from generous supporters of the Schlesinger Library to the Maximum Access Fund.
EAD ID
sch01345

Repository Details

Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository

The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.

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