Power Up Club FAQs
The Power Up Club is a passionate, dynamic and determined group of Women for Women International supporters with a common purpose: growing women’s power globally and building a more equal, peaceful and prosperous future.
Power Up Club members commit to donating £7 or more per month to Women for Women International – making a vital, long-term investment in our work empowering women survivors of war.
The Club is inspired by our Stronger Women, Stronger Nations programme - where women come together to build networks, expand their knowledge, and be a part of creating change. We wanted to offer our dedicated supporters a similar experience of powering change in their lives.
Q: What do I get as a Power Up Club member?
Every month, you’ll receive an exclusive Power Up email, including recommendations submitted by your fellow members for What to read, What to watch, What to do, a Member Spotlight and an Action of the Month.
Every quarter, you’ll receive a Power Up impact report showing how your donation is making a difference for women living in some of the world’s most dangerous places. You’ll also hear directly from the women we serve and colleagues who deliver our programmes in countries affected by conflict.
Every six weeks, you’ll receive an invite to a free virtual Power Up event with a speaker sharing their expertise on topics linked to the Stronger Women, Stronger Nations programme.
You can connect with other members on an ongoing basis via a private Power Up Club Facebook Group – a space to share ideas, spark discussion about the issues you care about, and build a network of changemakers.
Q: How will my monthly donations be used?
Your monthly donation will support Women for Women International’s life-changing work with women survivors of war. Knowing we can count on your monthly contribution gives our teams in countries like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan the confidence to plan ahead, try out new approaches and grow the global movement.
By joining the Power Up Club, you’ll help them respond quickly to women’s needs during times of crisis and uncertainty – as well as continuously collaborate with communities to develop long-term solutions to the toughest problems they face. Through our quarterly Power Up impact reports, we’ll show you the tangible difference that your donations make for women and their communities using first-person case studies, monitoring and evaluation data, and insights from our teams who deliver the programmes.
Q: What percentage of my donation goes directly to your programmes in conflict-affected countries?
We are committed to ensuring that every woman we work with receives the most from your contributions. In 2020, we spent 86% of our total expenditure on charitable activities, or 86p per £1 donated. For more information on Women for Women International's financials, please see our Annual Reports.
Q: Why is £7 per month the minimum donation required to join?
One of the key objectives of the Power Up Club is to provide a consistent, predictable source of funding for our work year-round, which can be used wherever the need is greatest. This improves our ability to plan and budget, so we can be more efficient. It gives our teams in countries affected by conflict the security to make long-term plans and the flexibility to respond rapidly to changing situations. Regular monthly donations are critical to our effectiveness and sustainability as an organisation, so we wanted to grow a community of dedicated supporters who want to contribute in this way.
We also wanted to make the Power Up Club accessible and affordable to a wide range of people. We recognise that sponsoring a woman, at £22 per month, is not financially possible for many committed and passionate supporters, especially during these uncertain economic times. Keeping the minimum amount under £10 per month (or £2 per week – less than the cost of a cup of coffee) was important to us in terms of maximising accessibility. At £7, the minimum threshold for joining the Power Up Club is roughly a third of the cost of sponsoring a woman.
Q: How are my monthly donations taken?
When you sign up to the Power Up Club online, you will be asked to set up a monthly donation to Women for Women International via Direct Debit. Direct Debits authorise us to take a fixed amount of money, chosen by you, from your bank account each month. You’re in control of how much you give, and you can change your gift amount or cancel at any time. The Direct Debit Guarantee protects your money from being taken in error, providing an additional layer of security.
Q: Can you claim Gift Aid on my monthly donations?
Yes, if you are a UK taxpayer, we can claim Gift Aid on your donations, which is currently 25p for every pound you donate. If you did not tell us to claim Gift Aid when you set up your donation or are no longer a UK taxpayer, please email us at sponsorshipuk@womenforwomen.org to update your status.
Q: How long does the membership last?
Your Power Up Club membership will be active for as long as you continue your monthly donation to Women for Women International. Regular monthly donations provide an invaluable source of funding that makes our work in conflict affected countries possible and sustainable. We hope you will be inspired to continue your commitment for the long term.
Q: Can I cancel my membership?
We hope you will enjoy being a part of the Power Up Club and making a life-changing contribution to Women for Women International’s work with women survivors of war. However, if you decide to end your membership and monthly gift, you can do so at any time. Please contact us at sponsorshipuk@womenforwomen.org and we can arrange this.
Q: I’m a sponsor and already donate £22 per month – can I join? / Why don’t sponsors get these benefits?
As one of our dedicated sponsors you can join the Power Up Club for just £3 per month (compared to £7 or more for non-sponsors). This lower amount recognises the generous commitment that sponsors already make towards our work and the women we serve, whilst also retaining a distinction between Power Up Club membership and sponsorship.
Through the Power Up Club, we wanted to create a new and distinct virtual space for our supporters to come together, share ideas, build knowledge, and take action – similar to the experience of our Stronger Women, Stronger Nations programme. It allows supporters who cannot afford sponsorship to invest and connect with our work in a different way. Club members are not matched with a sister and do not have the personal, direct connection of sponsoring someone. Instead, they receive specific benefits tailored to the Power Up community:
- A monthly Power Up email, including recommendations submitted by fellow members for What to read, What to watch, What to do, a Member Spotlight and an Action of the Month.
- A quarterly Power Up impact report showing how your donation is making a difference for women living in some of the world’s most dangerous places and sharing stories and insights from our programmes
- Free virtual Power Up events (every six weeks) with a speaker sharing their expertise on topics linked to the Stronger Women, Stronger Nations programme.
- The chance to connect with other members on an ongoing basis via a private Power Up Club Facebook Group – a space to share ideas, spark discussion about the issues you care about, and build a network of changemakers.
By topping up your sponsorship by £3 per month, you can receive these additional benefits of being a Power Up Club member as well as being matched with a sister.
Q: I’m already a monthly regular giver – can I join?
If you already make a regular monthly gift of £7 or more - and have given us permission to contact you via email - you will automatically become a founding member of the Power Up Club. You will be notified by email when Power Up Club launches and will start receiving the additional benefits and communications from us.
If you make a regular monthly gift of less that £7, you can top up your donation amount to become a Power Up Club member. Please contact us at sponsorshipuk@womenforwomen.org to arrange this. As one of our dedicated regular givers, we would love to welcome you to the club!
Q: I’m already a monthly regular giver (over £7) but don’t want to become a Power Up Club member.
If you already make a monthly donation of more than £7, but for whatever reason you prefer not to become a Power Up Club member and receive the additional benefits and communications listed above, please let us know by contacting sponsorshipuk@womenforwomen.org. We will remove you from the membership list and you won’t receive any additional emails. You can continue to make a regular monthly donation to Women for Women International without being a club member and we are deeply grateful for your commitment.
Q: Do I have to be on Facebook to join the Club?
No, the Facebook Group is only one part of the Power Up Club experience and participation is entirely optional. If you prefer not to use social media, you will still receive our monthly Power Up emails and quarterly impact reports, as well as invitations to online events hosted on Zoom.
Q: Will my details will be shared with other members?
No, Women for Women international will never share your personal data with any third party. You can read our Privacy Policy for more information on how we protect your data in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law. If you would like to interact with other Power Up Club members, you can do so in the private Facebook group. We have community guidelines to ensure this is a safe, welcoming space for all.
Q: Will you be organising in-person events for Power Up Club members?
For the foreseeable future, all our Power Up Club events will be hosted online. This makes them more accessible for people living all over the UK and globally. We hope this will also help to remove some of the other attendance barriers associated with in-person events, such as lack of time, financial resources, and health issues – so that more people can take part.
We record our online events, so you can watch the video in your own time if you can’t join live. We plan to create an online hub where Power Up Club members can access archived video content from all our previous events.
Q: Will I get free tickets to all Women for Women International UK events as part of my Power Up Club membership?
As a Power Up Club member, you will get free access to a series of virtual events. These include film screenings, panel discussions, ‘In Conversation with’ events featuring inspiring guests, and Q&As with colleagues who deliver our programmes in countries affected by conflict.
Women for Women International also organises a smaller number of larger-scale fundraising events throughout the year for the key purpose of raising critical funds for our work. These include our #SheInspiresMe Car Boot Sale and #SheInspiresMe Wellness event. Normally, these events would be held in-person, however during the pandemic we adapted them into online events where possible. These larger scale events incur key costs (such as venue hire or virtual conferencing services) and are carefully budgeted to ensure a strong return on investment. Where appropriate and feasible, we may be able to offer Power Up Club members and sponsors special offers to attend these events – such as discounted or early bird tickets – however we cannot always offer guaranteed free entry.
Q: Are Power Up Club virtual events accessible for the deaf and hearing impaired / for people with other disabilities?
We’re committed to making our events accessible and inclusive for all. If you require any accommodations, such as closed captioning, please let us know in advance and we will do our best to ensure these are provided wherever possible.