Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Women Business Collaborative?

The Women Business Collaborative (WBC) is an unprecedented alliance of 80+ women’s business organizations and hundreds of business leaders building a movement to achieve equal position, pay, and power for all women in business. Through collaboration, advocacy, action, and accountability, we mobilize thousands of diverse professional women and men, business organizations, public and private companies to accelerate change.

What is WBC’s mission?

WBC’s mission is to accelerate the advancement of all women business leaders and to spotlight the need for gender, diversity, and pay parity in the workplace.

How is WBC governed?

WBC is governed by a diverse group of business leaders who are affiliated with a variety of leadership roles across industry sectors and who have the working experience and commitment to advancing women in business and paving the way to progress diversity in the workplace. WBC is led by its CEO Gwen K. Young who over the course of her career has built companies, served on Boards, and received major Leadership awards. Working alongside Gwen at WBC is a Board of Directors comprised of highly accomplished individuals who provide their time, expertise, and industry insights so that WBC achieves its mission and vision. Additionally, WBC has an WBC Champions that feature hundreds women and men in business who lend their voice and share their knowledge to steer WBC so that it creates the most impact for women and diverse talent in the workplace.

What are WBC’s core values?

WBC is dedicated to driving action through collaboration. We are passionate about changing the status quo, we believe in the power of diversity, and we are built on a foundation of inclusivity. WBC takes pride in celebrating victories and honoring successes every single day.

How does WBC create change?

Through collaboration, advocacy, action, and accountability, WBC mobilizes thousands to create momentum and accelerate the pace of change. Our work centers around four Action Initiatives:

How Does WBC communicate its mission?

WBC aligns over 1 million individuals, companies, and organizations to help accelerate the pace at which we achieve defined and measurable goals. WBC creates powerful content that is shared through our proprietary reports, on the WBC website, and on social and business networking platforms. Additionally, WBC hosts seminars, inspiring conversations, and round-table discussions covering topics such as Gender Parity in the Boardroom, CEO Positions, and C-Suite and Women-Owned Companies. WBC also provides representatives to serve as presenters during interviews and media appearances.

Can men join WBC?

WBC considers men to be our biggest ally and welcomes them to become a WBC Champion, as well as part of our Board of Directors and a WBC Champion. The WBC has the Ally of Her Initiative which showcases the men who comprise over 10% of WBC stakeholders and the best practices in achieving allyship across companies and organizations.

How is WBC funded?

WBC is funded by donations and sponsor giving.

Is WBC a 501(c)(3) organization?

WBC is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

What is a WBC Partner?

WBC is proud to align with an esteemed group of over 80+ Partners that serve as a valuable extension for programs, events, and research to enhance WBC’s existing efforts so that we continue to uphold our commitment to diversity and inclusion in all that we do. WBC Partners are comprised of well-known local and national organizations including The Black Boardroom Initiative, Ascend Pan-Asian Leaders, and Latino Corporate Directors Association, among others. A complete list of Partners can be found on the WBC website.

What is a WBC Sponsor?

WBC has 50+ Sponsors that share our mission of creating parity for women in the corporate arena and propelling diversity at work. WBC Sponsors provide support at four levels of financial commitment so that we continue to move our cause forward and obtain the resources that are needed to do so. WBC Sponsor Levels include Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and General, and feature globally recognized companies such as Diligent (Platinum), Wells Fargo (Diamond), BlackRock (Gold), P&G (Silver), and AWS Professional Services (General), among others. A complete list of Sponsors can be found here.

What types of reports does WBC produce?

WBC produces a series of comprehensive reports providing research that is highly collaborative and thoroughly analyzed and includes qualitative and quantitative data from over 80+ partner organizations and key companies. The content of our reports includes information on topics that pertain to advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace, providing data, informational insights, and recommendations relevant for companies and leadership teams who are aligned with WBC’s mission of accelerating the pace at which women move into leadership roles. WBC offers a monthly report on women joining the boards of public companies and throughout the year also produces key reports on pertinent topics including Women CEOs in America, WBC Collaboration Report, and Staffing Industry Report, among others.

How does WBC obtain research data for its reports?

The information found in WBC’s reports is collected by WBC as well as by our Partners and Sponsors.

How does WBC work with corporate organizations?

WBC provides resources and services that are available to companies in the areas of Succession Planning, Recruiting Services, Leadership Development, and Sponsorship/Allyship Consulting, among others. These services are designed to assist business leaders with creating a culture of change when it comes to the advancement of women and diverse talent in the workplace. WBC produces a resources repository which highlights the specific services its Partners provide to organizations to drive parity, DEI, and leadership development across businesses.

What is the WBC Annual Action for Summit?

The WBC Action For Impact (A4I) Annual Summit is WBC’s largest annual convening. The two-day event, which is intentionally held around September 22nd – American Business Women’s Day – convenes our community of supporters and partners from around the world to hear from corporate thought leaders on the latest ACTION being taken to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and the direct IMPACT it is having in making a difference.

The A4I Annual Summit also allows the WBC to recognize two key groups of individuals who are taking action to advance diversity and whose leadership and innovation have created new pathways for change within their communities and beyond. The CEO Excellence in Gender Equity and Diversity Award recognizes corporate leaders whose efforts have made significant contributions to the advancement of diversity within their companies and increased opportunities for women in business roles. The WBC Trailblazer in Gender Equity & Diversity Award honors individual leaders who have implemented innovative change within their own communities and beyond. These award recipients further gender equity and diversity in all they do, from uplifting those around them to cultivating an environment of inclusion. The awards are presented as part of the two-day summit program.