Women in Franchising
Formed in 1996, the Women's Franchise Committee (WFC) is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging women in franchising by creating a network of business professionals dedicated to strengthening the success of women in franchising. The WFC has created a number of programs and resources in order to achieve this goal, ranging from "how to" guides and conferences to local networking chapters.
MISSION
The mission of the Women's Franchise Committee is to promote women's participation in franchising by providing international networking opportunities for the exchange of ideas, resources, and experiences.
VISION
The Women's Franchise Committee is committed to providing resources for women seeking career growth opportunities in franchising.
Click here for a list of committee members. To learn how to join the committee, contact Anne Poodiack at apoodiack@franchise.org.
2012 WFC Leadership Conference
February 11, 2012 ** Marriott World Center Orlando (during the IFA Convention)
Dare To Be Bold: Taking Risks for Rewards
It's been said that "If you don't risk anything, you risk even more." The great recession caused many organizations to drastically change the way they look and operate. Some organizations simply cut staff and reorganized, but many stepped much farther out of their comfort zones and took daring risks in hope of achieving a new vitality for their organization. Join some of franchising's top leaders as they share stories of bold decisions they made that would forever change the shape of their brands. You will take away valuable lessons that will help you create your own recipe for implementing bold changes in your organization! Click here for the Preliminary Program and speakers information.* An additional fee of $100 is required to attend this event which is open to fully registered IFA convention attendees. For more information, contact the Conferences Department at 202-662-0763.
* Subject to change.
WOMEN'S FRANCHISE NETWORK (WFN)
A network of local chapters that are designed to develop relationships with women franchising professionals and to address issues, share ideas and offer solutions related to franchising. The first chapter was launched in May, 2002 in Denver and now includes the following markets: Chicago, Denver, San Diego, the Twin Cities, Southern California, New York/New Jersey, Washington, DC/Baltimore, Seattle, Toronto, Miami, Connecticut, Richmond, and Dallas. Look for more chapters such as Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Pittsburgh to pop up across the country soon! Click here for a listing of chapters and corresponding planning chairs. For a calendar of 2011 WFN events across the country, click here.
WFC GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHING A LOCAL CHAPTER WITHIN THE WOMEN’S FRANCHISE NETWORK AVAILABLE
The success of the Women’s Franchise Network continues to grow, and we have taken “lessons learned” into consideration to revise and add to our Guidelines for Establishing a Local Chapter. This comprehensive manual provides in-depth information on how to set up your own local chapter, host your first meeting, and keep the energy level high at all your meetings throughout the course of the year. We’ve included ways for customizing your chapter to meet the needs of your particular market including sample budgets, sample agendas, ideas for topics of discussion, sample handouts, and more! If you are interested in starting a chapter in your area, please contact Anne Poodiack, IFA Director of Meetings, at 202/662-0773 or apoodiack@franchise.org to obtain your own copy of the Guidelines.
GUIDE TO ESTABLISHING A MENTORING PROGRAM FOR WOMEN AVAILABLE!
Women’s mentoring programs are an important component in any franchise organization that can assist in developing career growth opportunities and building professional networks that women can rely on to continue to be successful in today’s marketplace. The WFC has recently created a Guide to Establishing a Mentoring Program for Women. Click here for more information and order your copy today.