“SCORE RESOURCE BLOG“ By Rieva Lesonsky
“Supporting women entrepreneurs has long been a mission of mine, so I’m always searching for organizations that share my passion. In alphabetical order, here are 26 of my favorite online resources for women entrepreneurs. Some have membership fees, but even without joining, you can get a lot of information from their blogs and newsletters.
American Business Women’s Association (AWBA) holds over 5,000 business/networking meetings nationwide. Membership also includes access to online courses available 24/7. AWBA’s blog is free to read on its website, or you can subscribe using an RSS reader. The membership fee is $115.
Association of Women Business Centers (AWBC) is a public-private partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and over 100 nonprofit entrepreneurial development organizations nationwide. WBCs help women succeed by providing training, mentoring, business development, and financing opportunities to over 150,000 women entrepreneurs annually. Membership for organizations is $400 per year.
Committee of 200 (C200) is an international nonprofit organization of more than 500 of the most successful and influential women business leaders who run companies. Members serve as mentors and advisors to empower the greater C200 community of all women in business, including current and rising leaders. To join, you must be an entrepreneur or C-suite executive.
eWomenNetwork connects over 500,000 entrepreneurs through 118 chapters. Each year, the eWomenNetwork hosts more than 2000 networking and training events, both online and in- person, which includes an annual women’s entrepreneur conference. Membership is $19.95 a month and includes two VIP coaching sessions plus exclusive content.
The Female Founder Collective (FFC) started in 2018 to support, develop, and elevate the founders of female-owned and led businesses. Based on member feedback, it has pivoted and launched The 10th House, a membership platform offering exclusive connections with mentors, sponsors, investors, and investors and skill-building programs. There are three membership levels, free, $425 a year, and $649 a year.
ForbesWomen provides news and content to help professional and executive women succeed. Its website offers information-packed articles, how-to posts, and profiles of successful women in business.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women provides the education, opportunities, and access to capital women need to grow their businesses. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women online classes are free, practical business courses covering Growing Your Business, Sales and Marketing, and Business Finance. Once all ten courses are completed, learners will be invited to join the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women global alumni community.
Hello Alice, founded by two women, is designed to guide and support entrepreneurs offering tools, resources, workshops, and access to its Financing Marketplace, which connects business owners to over 90 lenders and financing companies.
Ladies Who Launch (LWL) is a nonprofit organization offering access to free educational resources, capital opportunities, networking with peers and experts, and an active, close community. LWL’s “Small Business Grant & Mentorship Program” is a six-month cohort-based grant and mentorship program dedicated to helping women-owned small businesses grow and sustain their businesses.
National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is a nonpartisan federal advisory council created to provide advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the SBA on economic issues of importance to women business owners. The Council’s priorities are to promote access to capital, women in STEM, and rural women’s entrepreneurship.
The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is a dues-based organization with 60 chapters and 5,000 members. Chapters of NAWBO are in nearly every major city and 60 countries. NAWBO supports women entrepreneurs by building strategic alliances, transforming public policy, and bringing members together at events and meetings. Membership fees vary by chapter.
The SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership oversees a network of Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) which provide free to low-cost counseling and training and focus on women who want to start, grow and expand their small businesses. The WBC program is a national network of more than 140 centers that offer counseling, training, networking, workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs.
She Owns It is a website packed with helpful articles for and by women business owners. So if you’re looking for a solution, you’ll likely find it here.
The Story Exchange. The Story Exchange is a nonprofit media organization that elevates women’s voices. The Story Exchange provides inspiration and information through videos, articles, and podcasts. In 2021, the company launched an annual Women In Science Incentive Prize—a grant program for female scientists addressing climate change.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of all small business owners. The website offers a wealth of information and advice about starting, growing, and funding a small business.
Small Business Currents is my company’s website. We post relevant articles daily to help you start and grow your small businesses, covering new ideas and trends and offering inspiration, insights, and relevant, actionable information.
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are a program under the SBA that provides free, professional, and individualized counseling and training to small businesses. SBDCs help small businesses in their communities access capital, develop and exchange new technologies, improve business planning, and more. There are 62 Lead Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs)—at least one in every state—with a network of more than 900 service locations.
The Tory Burch Foundation empowers women and women entrepreneurs by providing access to capital, education, and digital resources. Launched in 2009 by Tory Burch, the iconic lifestyle entrepreneur, the Foundation offers grants to women of color, access to an affordable loan program in partnership with Bank of America, a fellowship program that includes digital education, access to interest-free loans via Kiva, a peer network, a business plan builder, events, webinars and informative articles for women who want to start, operate, and grow their businesses.
The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce uses a “platform of influence, innovation, and opportunity to help our members grow successful businesses.” The Women’s Chamber supports women’s business growth, retirement security, education, and employment opportunities. Membership fees vary by membership type; however, there is a complimentary option. Check out their full calendar of events and workshops.
Walker’s Legacy aims to support entrepreneurial Black and Brown women with the tools to level up their businesses and the business playing field. To meet their goal of equipping 10,000 entrepreneurial women of color to be “capital ready” by 2025 through highly customized programming and educational content.
The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) supports women business owners through workshops, one-on-one coaching, and training programs. Check out their upcoming class schedule offered in English and Spanish. Classes are free or low-cost.
The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the U.S. The WBENC is a nonprofit organization and partners with 14 “Regional Partner Organizations” to provide its national certification standard. WBENC also sponsors programs and events to help advance women-owned businesses.
Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) is a national, nonpartisan organization that advocates for women entrepreneurs. Their mission is to create economic opportunities for women and impact public policy. After surveying members about their biggest concerns, WIPP relays them to Congress. The group provides members with benefits such as advocacy training, assistance getting federal contracts, educational opportunities, and access to events. Annual membership fees vary from $125-$1,000.
The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO) is a nonprofit membership organization for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies. Members of the WPO meet monthly to take part in advisory groups and grow their businesses to the next level. To be a member, women must run their company’s day-to-day management as the CEO/President/Partner and have an ownership interest in the business. In addition, the company must be privately-held and reach at least $2 million in gross annual sales for a product-based business or $1 million for a service-based business. Membership fees vary.
Women’s Startup Lab is a startup and leadership accelerator for women entrepreneurs “who have the bold vision to lead the wave of innovation and change required for growth and competitiveness in today’s economy.” The Silicon Valley-based organization, founded in 2013, has graduated 16 cohorts, has over 150 alumnae and is an active global community of over 20,000 women entrepreneurs, investors, industry experts, and active supporters.
And, of course, SCORE, is one of the most valuable resources for any business owner. Whether your business is in the startup or growth phase, the SCORE website has the content and connections to help you. Some personal insight: My small, two-employee company and my friend’s multi-million dollar retail business have both received valuable advice from the same SCORE mentor.”
Find your SCORE mentor and get free, expert business advice that will help you solve your business challenges.
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