Becca Zanatta Knows Firsthand How Important the Work Circle of Sisterhood is for Changing the World
In 2006, Becca Zanatta took a year off to travel to 25 countries on five continents learning about the developing world. During her travels, she saw girls and women not being treated equally every step of the way. Knowing that girls and women bring families and communities together, she came back from the trip even more dedicated than ever to ignite change.
Four years later, when she met CofS founder, Ginny Carroll, she accepted Ginny’s offer to become a founding board member of the Circle of Sisterhood because this allowed her to combine her passion for exploring developing countries, philanthropy, and making the world better for girls and women. Becca served on the CofS Board for two years and led the charge for fundraising as the first development team lead.
She continues to be an active donor, a big cheerleader, and trusted advisor who provides insight into how to continue moving CofS forward as a strategic planning consultant. Becca was involved in the early planning of the virtual celebration (it was her idea to have one) on September 30th, which has opened up an opportunity to involve many stakeholders and includes being able to feature Pulitzer Prize winner, Sheryl WuDunn, during the event. She will also lead the Board of Trustees in a strategy session in October as we begin the next decade of giving.
“This year allows us to take a minute to reflect and celebrate the accomplishments over the last ten years, and then imagine what CofS can look like in the future,” Becca said. “Ginny is obviously an amazing leader who has done a great job of building a foundation and a Circle that will continue to grow over the next ten years.”
Some of the moments that Becca cherishes during her time with CofS are around being able to award the dollars that were raised through the grants program. And, with the help of campus partners, the School Builds specifically make her smile.
“You can go to these countries and find a school built by the Circle of Sisterhood and know that they truly care about the education of girls,” Becca said. “ The School Builds are a true legacy left on the world.”
With the impact CofS has made in only ten years, Becca sees great opportunity over the next ten years to make CofS a household name in philanthropy because of that legacy the organization is already leaving behind. One of those opportunities is educating the world about how just a small donation can go a long way in the developing world. Just $7 gives a young girl a set of textbooks to call her own, $29 provides a uniform so she can confidently go to school and $53 equates to sending a girl to school for one year with everything she needs in some parts of the developing world. Becca hopes this anniversary year will show people how easy it is to make an impact that is bigger than themselves.
If you would like to join Becca in donating on CofS’ Day of Giving September 30th, please donate here. And/or to be part of the 10th Anniversary virtual celebration featuring best-selling author Sheryl WuDunn, please click here to receive the official invite to this Zoom event on September 30th at 7pm ET. As CofS shares more stories like Becca’s leading up to its Day of Giving, be sure to join the conversation by telling us what personal expense you are going to give up to make a donation this year. Is it a cup of coffee? A pair of shoes? Dinner out? Be sure to tag CofS on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter, as well as use #BeHerHero to come together as we work to leave a legacy on the world.