What is the 100 Women Fund COVID-19 Coaching Program?

In April 2020, we launched our annual 100 Women Fund raising funds to support 100 women who are fighting COVID-19 on the front line.

With the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, we are facing global challenges unprecedented in our lifetime. Our mission has always been to empower women leaders in social impact to build a new world. This year we have chosen to dedicate our resources through the 100 Women Fund to women leaders fighting COVID-19 on the frontline.

Whether you are a healthcare professional, an educator, a community organizer, a social worker, food bank operator, and more — we are committed to supporting you.

We are supporting women who are:

• Fighting COVID-19 on the front line
• Dedicated to prioritizing her well-being while supporting her community
• Willing to speak openly about both difficulties and triumphs
• Clear on what to expect from coaching (see: FAQ section below for further clarification)
• Understand that coaching is not therapy
• Willing to give a coach feedback on coaching conversation and relationship

Who are some of the front line women we want to support?

• Alicia (NYC, NY, USA) — An emergency medicine resident physician in NYC, Alicia spent the last few months working in the ER and ICU at Elmhurst Hospital, called "the epicenter of the epicenter" of the pandemic. She started Frontline Suits, a fundraised initiative to donate 1000+ head-to-toe suits and face shields to healthcare workers at NYC safety-net hospitals. Coaching will help her find a balance between her ER doctor work and her passion for creating systematic changes.
• Lily (San Francisco, CA, USA) — Previously an ER doctor and currently starting a new role at her local Health Department working on COVID-19 response. Coaching can help her to manage stress, anxiety and balance.
• Liz (Wuhan, China) — A supply chain manager who mobilized volunteers and coordinated supplies for 60+ hospitals in Wuhan for two months without seeing her two small children. Coaching can help to unpack her emergency response experience to sustainable leadership development.

How can coaching support women on the front line?

• Provide a safe, non-judgemental space to process experience and emotions
• Develop practices for stress management & self-care in crisis
• Build resilience and capacity to think clearly under pressure
• Strategize approaches to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity
• Learn mindfulness and attention practices for emotional health
• Process learning and growth opportunities from crisis
• Design ways to manage caring for family while working on the front lines
• Clarify values and deeper purpose for their work right now
• Envision long-term development and connect with purpose

How does the COVID-19 coaching program work?

1. COVID-19 leaders are nominated or can self-nominate. NOTE: we have reached the program capacity at this time and will not process any additional nominations until further notice.
2. Our team will notify COVID-19 nominees regarding their eligibility on a first-come-first-serve basis.
3. Eligible COVID-19 nominees can submit a request to start coaching before December 31, 2020.
4. Our team will personally match each nominee on a rolling basis with one of our certified and highly experienced leadership coaches who most closely meet the nominee’s coaching goals and needs.
5. Initial get-to-know-you call for the nominee and coach to meet and determine if they are a good fit with each other.
6. Each nominee has four 1:1 virtual coaching sessions with her coach (via phone, Skype, Zoom etc., as agreed with your coach) to be completed no later than December 31, 2020.
7. This coaching program is completely free of charge for the nominees.

How do we match a nominee with a coach?

We are proud to have successfully matched over 800 of our fellows with our coaches all over the world. Our team will personally match each nominee with a coach as much as possible based on timezone compatibility, and the nominee’s coaching needs.

All our coaches are professionally trained, certified, highly experienced in leadership development, and dedicated to supporting impact leaders. They come from very different backgrounds and are experts in helping a nominee to help herself. They are here to help each nominee to gain a better understanding of her strengths and blind spots, both personally and professionally.

Support women fighting COVID-19

By making a gift of $100 or more, you are not only supporting women who are fighting COVID-19 on the front line, you’re also keeping our doors open to continue providing coaching and community to women leaders around the world.

Double your impact with our Partners.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” When we’re connected, we can have more impact. We can do more when we support each other.

A sincere thank you to our donors and partners:

Vital Voices & TRESemmé - Vital Voices and TRESemmé believe women should be equally seen and heard at all levels of society. That’s why TRESemmé is making a long-term commitment with Vital Voices to advocate for and invest in the next generation of women leaders.

Interested in becoming a matching fund donor/partner? We’d love to chat! Reach out to [email protected].

FAQ

1. NOTE: We have reached the program capacity at this time and will not process any additional nominations until further notice.

2. Can I nominate myself? I just stumbled upon this campaign and I have never heard of The Coaching Fellowship before but I am interested!
   Absolutely! As long as you fit the qualifications to be a COVID–19 nominee we encourage you to submit your own nomination. We would love to support you!

3. Is there an age limit for participating in this special coaching program?
   Fellowship program applicants, fellows and alumnae are typically between the ages of 25–35. Our coaches are therefore the most familiar working with young women leaders in this age demographic. Like our fellowship program, the COVID-19 coaching program does not have age limits for nomination. We will review each nominee on a rolling basis, case by case, and determine if we have a suitable coach match for each nominee.

4. When will my nominee be informed about the next steps?
   Our team will review the nominations on a rolling basis. We will reach out to your nominee as soon as we confirm she meets the criteria.

5. Can the nominee start coaching at a later date?
   Absolutely. We understand that women who are fighting COVID-19 on the front line might not have the bandwidth to dive into coaching at the moment. Confirmed nominees can start coaching any time in 2020 before December 31, 2020.

6. What is coaching NOT designed to support?
   While all of our coaches are experienced and certified coaching professionals, they are NOT trained or equipped to provide therapy, diagnose a mental disorder, or process trauma. If a nominee requires mental health support beyond the scope of coaching, we highly recommend the nominee to seek out professional mental health support first before engaging in coaching. Learn more on our program page under the section “What is a Coach?”

7. Have questions?
   Reach out to us at [email protected].