October is an important month for women, it’s Women’s History Month in Canada.

Women’s History Month includes two important commemorative dates for women and girls.

• October 11 – International Day of the Girl, since 2012, October 11 has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The goal of the day is to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting empowerment and the fulfillment of human rights
• October 18 – Persons Day, on October 18, 1929, the historic decision to include women in the legal definition of “persons” was handed down by Canada’s highest court of appeal – the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of Great – Britain. This gave women the right to be appointed to the Senate of Canada and paved the way for women’s increased participation in public and political life

Every year the Government of Canada picks a theme for Women’s History Month, this year it’s #MakeAnImpact

In honour of Women’s History Month, FinanciElle wants everyone to make an Impact in the #Sheconomy.

We are the Sheconomy, we all work together to create the economy – from the decisions we make about where to work, which products and services to purchase, and where to invest our money, each decision,  no matter how seemingly small, creates a ripple effect.

Given the time we find ourselves in, it’s time to re-think how we do things – the systems and frameworks by which we operate and how we define success:

• The frameworks created by Jennifer Armbrust of Sister – Proposals For The Feminine Economy, were developed to create a new vision for entrepreneurship. This month a 3 month experiment will be launched called the Feminine Economics Department – it will be a co-learning community for radical entrepreneurship.
• Doughnut Economics, by Oxford Economist Kate Raworth, shows how a healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow.

With these new frameworks and theories to inspire you, spend time this Women’s history month to #MakeAnImpact in the #Sheconomy and remember to read my L.I.P.S

Learn: Learn about financial literacy to build your confidence

• FinanciElle –learn about female founders, funders, women in finance making an impact and learn from them about financial literacy
• Know your numbers
• Stnce.ca – The place to build financial confidence
• What the Elle (by Ellevest Investment Platform) – “Your Money, Your Power, One Newsletter”, and please read – The Ellevest Guide to Dominating Your Financial Future
• Encourage and help support programs that will give girls the skills and tools to be future founders and funders – RadGen, AmbiSheous, Rock The Street Wall Street.

Invest: Support female lead and run businesses by investing in them

• Become a SheEO Activator – whether individually or together with girlfriends in a group, for $1,100 you can be part of creating a $1B perpetual fund that will fund 10,000 ventures annually for forever.
• iFundWomen – help fund startups, business, projects through Crowdfunding
• Female Funders, Portfolia, Plum Alley, The Helm, The Vinetta Project – find out more about becoming an Angel Investor **
• Gender Lens Investing – consider using a gender lens when looking at investments ex. BMO Women in Leadership Fund,  RBC Vision Women’s Leadership MSCI Canada Index ETF, PAX Ellevate Global Women’s Fund **

** (These are not investment recommendations, any investments you make should be made with the help of your financial advisor, taking into account your individual financial situation and risk tolerance) **

 Promote: Promote female founders and funders

When someone says, “I can’t find female founders to invest in!” send them this list.

When someone says, “I can’t find female funders to connect to!” send them this list.

When someone says, “I can’t find qualified women to serve on my board!” send them this list.

When someone says, “Nothing great is happening in Canada!” send them this list!

When you want to do something add to this list, then send it to your friends to do the same

Spread the word about Women Deliver – Economic Empowerment and Building Sustainable Financing and Partnerships for Girls and Women

Join UNWomen’s Empower Women Movement.

Shop: Support female run businesses by shopping

• She Shops – Ottawa’s premiere guide to woman-owned shops, services, and goods
• femmebought – Empower the purse
• WorldWideWomen – The first-ever global resource centre for women
• Give Opportunity – for as little as $10.00 change a life by supporting income-generating projects like financial literacy and entrepreneurship training