We take a girl-centered and anti-oppressive approach to all we do.
Committing to anti-racism and anti-oppression work is a lifelong process for both individuals and organizations. We will be transparent with our inclusive practices, our progress, and where we fall short. For accountability, this page will be updated at least once per year. We invite all members of the She’s the First community to engage in a conversation with us about our values. We welcome your questions, ideas, and concerns via info@shesthefirst.org and will always respond in a timely manner.
Our Commitment to Anti-Oppression and Anti-Racism
Oppression is the use of power to disempower, marginalize, silence or otherwise subordinate one social group or category, often in order to further empower and/or privilege the oppressor.
As a feminist organization, She’s the First commits to anti-oppressive and anti-racist practices, including centering marginalized voices and actively working to create a more equal world. As an international NGO founded in the United States, we acknowledge the necessity of breaking traditions of white supremacy and imperialism in the international development space. In order to achieve our vision of a world where all girls are educated, respected, and heard, we must recognize the intersections of power and privilege and actively work to ensure a safe and ever-more-equal environment for all of our community members.
Our work is grounded in understanding the dynamics of oppression, power, and privilege and the ways they intersect for girls and community-based organizations around the world. We amplify girls’ voices, reduce or eradicate barriers to their participation and action, and increase access and opportunity for all. We welcome anyone who is passionate about girls’ rights and agency to join the STF Community, and we commit to creating an inclusive, respectful, and dignified space.
We apply our anti-oppressive and girl-centered lens to four areas: partnerships in the Global South, power pathways for girls, advocacy and communications, and our staff and HR policies.
Partnerships in the Global South
Key practices:
We pay attention to power dynamics. We provide long-term flexible funding to community-based organizations (CBOs) and trust their expertise in executing the most effective programming for girls. We use participatory methods of setting agendas for trainings and conferences.
We partner with CBOs on advocacy campaigns and conferences to ensure a diverse set of voices and bring relevant local expertise into the leadership of our initiatives.
Progress made in 2022-2023:
Fully shifted leadership of our CBO Programs to women from the Global South, so that our team is working in the same regions as our partners.
Met partners where they are by using communications platforms they are already on, versus ask them to join new ones as we had in the past.
Created a stronger feedback loop with partners, by opening up more flexible office hours and hosting meetings in Spanish for Latin American practitioners to more comfortably engage with STF.
Conducted a salary survey among grassroots girls’ organizations in the Global South and circulated findings, to help leaders ensure their teams are being paid fairly and to aid them in conversations with funders
Areas of improvement:
We recognize that practitioners in our network share similar backgrounds with the girls they serve and often relive trauma through the girls’ experiences, in addition to often being targeted with discrimination for their own gender, race, or class; this contributes to severe burnout. We would like to explore ways to better support our partners’ coping, healing, and mental health.
Power Pathways for Girls
Key practices:
We’re inclusive in the term ‘girl.’ Anyone who identifies as a girl is welcomed and encouraged to participate.
Girls have real power. Girls are represented at every level of the organization, from staff and interns to our Board of Directors. Girls are also consulted on major organizational decisions via the Girls Advisory Council.
Girls in our leadership cohorts (Girls Advisory Council and Girl Activist Fellows) are representative of the girls we serve across our programs in many respects; many identify as the first in their family to go to school, immigrants, Indigenous, a racial/ethnic minority, a religious minority, or from a crisis affected region.
Progress made in 2022-2023:
Launched a “For Girls” section of our website to make pathways to leadership clear to girls.
Offer data stipends to ensure that girls can easily attend meetings and interact with each other.
More than doubled the size of our Girl Activist Fellowship and Girls Advisory Council cohorts to increase representation, and record meetings so that if girls miss one due to a family/school/work obligation, they don’t fall behind.
Increased representation of girls in our leadership cohorts who openly identify as LGBTQ+ or disabled, and we are committed to continue to grow our community inclusively.
Started our strategic planning process with focus groups with girls and ended with their official sign-off of The Power Plan before the Board of Directors could approve it.
Onboarded a new celebrity Ambassador who identifies as a girl.
Areas of improvement:
Girls deserve compensation for their time. This may be in money, certifications, or training, but there should be an equal trade for their time. We want to document a policy for this.
Advocacy & Communications
Key practices:
Ethical storytelling matters. All communications and campaigns prioritize the agency and dignity of the subjects involved, and girls have control over their image and words in the content creation process. Read our Values-Based Communications Checklist here.
We organize necessary and relevant campaigns. STF taps local leadership to select campaign subject matter and shape messaging. We listen first to find out how we can add value and amplification to grassroots efforts.
We’re big on sustainable action. Participants are equipped with toolkits and resources that educate and empower continued advocacy in their communities.
Progress in 2022-2023:
Implemented the Girl Engagement Policy, which among other protections puts specific rules in place for photography and content involving girls.
Launched our Girl Activist Fellowship, which puts girls in the driver's seat to create and produce our annual advocacy campaigns with support from our staff.
Overhauled our STF Campus resources to align with our updated girl-led advocacy curriculum.
Translated toolkits into more languages; previously, they were only in English.
Captioned all videos for accessibility.
Areas of improvement:
Address anti-racism in our resources for Campus Chapters.
Meet campus chapters where they are by hosting more regional and virtual events, and dedicate more attention to training them on how to engage in local advocacy for girls’ rights, not just in philanthropy.
Our Staff & HR Policies
Key practices:
Transparency creates trust. Salaries are transparent and based on a scale to reduce bias and ensure competitive, fair pay; all team members know the financial position of the organization, and all budgets are available to staff.
People-first policy: We offer a flexible work culture (flexible hours, remote work, generous vacation policy). Team members can and should take time off when they need it (whether an afternoon or a week) to protect mental health and take care of pressing life issues. We recognize that flexibility is not the enemy of productivity.
Inclusive hiring practices: A college degree isn’t required for work; potential team members meet with staff to determine fit; salary ranges are always listed on open positions; and we value experience over credentials.
Feminist family leave policy: We provide all staffers with 3 months of paid family leave and a flexible return-to-work schedule.
Progress in 2022-2023:
Achieved registration status as an NGO in Kenya, so that banking and governance can happen directly in the Global South
Provided part-time contractors working above 20 hours a week with holidays, paid time off, and health insurance coverage
Increased power-sharing in the organization by building a diverse Senior Leadership Team who have decision-making authority in their realms of expertise.
Initiated our Pay Equity Project; clearly defined salary bands with responsibility levels that are standardized across departments to help remove personal bias from the promotion process.
Increased STF’s coverage of healthcare costs in the U.S. from 70% to 80%. (Non-U.S. full-time team members already receive 100% coverage due to the greater affordability of the plans.)
Provided every employee with a remote working stipend when they joined the team to help set up an at-home office space.
Provided each employee with a professional development stipend and invested in coaching for their growth on an as-needed basis; the 2023 budget includes a higher investment in professional development for all full-time team members.
Areas of improvement:
Achieve 50% non-U.S. Board Member representation by end of 2024
Publish our Compensation Philosophy, as an outcome of the Pay Equity Project, on our website.
Offer dependent health care coverage for full-time employees.