From Julie’s Desk …. My First Year as Executive Director
Thank you all for being here!
I am thrilled to be celebrating my first anniversary as Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee (WFET), I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve this organization. Although I had spent several years volunteering with WFET—including serving as Chair of the Annual Luncheon Committee—and joined the Board before accepting this role in July 2025, nothing could have prepared me for the pace and excitement of this first year. Together, we’ve accomplished more than I could have imagined.
One of our first major successes was launching WFET’s first primarily media-based fundraising campaign, the Circle of 100. We not only reached our goal of 100 donors giving $1,000 each, but an anonymous donor matched those gifts, helping us raise more than $200,000. That success gave us tremendous momentum heading into 2026!
Another significant achievement was a significant upgrading to organizational records including consolidating donor records dating back to our founding in 2011 into one modern CRM system. With the support of the East Tennessee Foundation, we preserved nearly all of our historical data while creating a stronger foundation for future fundraising and stewardship.
This Spring, we hosted our second free Tax-Wise Giving Seminar and celebrated a major milestone with our 15th Annual Luncheon ~ Celebrating 15 years of Impact. The luncheon was a great celebration that exceeded expectations, surpassed last year’s fundraising total, and marked another exciting chapter in WFET’s continued growth.
I‘m also thrilled to welcome Mary Grace Isaacs as our new permanent Program Director after serving as our intern earlier this year. From managing our growing grant portfolio and communications to strengthening our technology and online presence, she has already become an invaluable member of our team and a key part of continuing our organizational growth.
In recent months, we’ve focused on grantee visits, expanding grants through the Self-Sustainability Fund, completing the current Strong Women Strong Futures Network grant cycle, selecting our 2027–2028 Network, and preparing for this fall’s second Circle of 100 campaign and Legacy Dinner. I hope you’ll join us as we continue working toward our vision of Every Woman Self-Sustaining.
You’ll also notice photos of our new office at Perkins Place, the East Tennessee Foundation’s beautiful new home. As a supporting organization of the ETF, we were honored to be invited to have this opportunity after several years of working remotely since 2020 and from shared spaces, having a permanent office has been a tremendous asset. We’re grateful and hope you’ll stop by and visit us soon.
Thank you for your generosity and your belief in the mission of WFET.
To our Board of Directors and Executive Committee, thank you for your confidence, partnership, and support throughout this remarkable first year. I’m excited to see what we accomplish together in Year Two!
