Mission,Constituency, Structure:
Mission
Our mission is to build a movement to achieve economic justice, by engaging directly affected women to improve working conditions.
For 35 years, since 1973, 9to5 has worked to build a movement of low-wage women to achieve economic justice. We are a multi-issue, multi-racial organization with a membership directly affected by the policy issues we work on everyday ? low-wage jobs, family-flexible policies, nonstandard work, welfare and discrimination. Our work is national in scope, in order to promote a national policy agenda and create an effective movement, as well as local in scope to promote state and local policy agendas. All of our work is grounded in local grassroots organizing through which we involve women in campaigns to improve public policy, and which we combine with advocacy, public education and leadership development to accomplish our goals. Our program stems from being on the front lines, seeing the needs and trends from women most affected by injustice.
Constituency
The community affected by these issues forms 9to5's constituency and includes women between the ages of 16 and 70 who work in low-wage jobs, are directly affected by TANF/welfare, unemployment, employed in traditionally female jobs, and/or experiencing any form of discrimination. Our work is community-wide and constituent-led.
Structure
Members of our community join 9to5 and become activists, leaders, Board members; they?re involved in strategic planning, goal setting, program development and implementation, membership recruitment, outreach, budgeting/fundraising; they oversee and evaluate the effectiveness of our efforts; they plan, participate in and lead campaigns, actions, events, meetings, trainings, focus groups, other activities; they represent and speak on behalf of the organization in public, media, legislature and coalitions.
9to5?s Board is made up of women who are directly affected by the issues the organization works on. 9to5?s Board is made up of representatives elected annually by the members of each large chapter, smaller chapters grouped together, and the Activist Network. Activist Network representatives can serve on the National Board for up to 3 years.
Decision-making process
Board members decide what kind of work we will do using a consensus model and in collaboration with staff, activists and members; they plan, participate in and lead campaigns, actions, events, meetings, trainings, other activities; they represent and speak on behalf of the organization in public, media, legislature and coalitions.
We engage in yearly strategic planning and campaign planning. We are currently wrapping up an 18-month organization-wide strategic planning process that engaged all Board, staff and active leaders.
