NICOLE SIMMONS TO SERVE AS SOROPTIMIST MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

September 17, 2009
Contact: Kamali Brooks, Public Relations Manager
215-893-9000 x130

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Soroptimist International of the Americas, an international volunteer organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world, recently hired Nicole Simmons, of Phoenixville, Pa., to serve as membership director.

Simmons comes to Soroptimist with a diverse professional background of more than 10 years' experience in membership and marketing. Her previous positions include serving as a membership development manager for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pa., and as a donor resource representative for Miller-Keystone Blood Center, where she was responsible for educating, recruiting and coordinating existing and new blood donor groups. She has also worked as the assistant director of college relations at Mary Baldwin College. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

In this position, Simmons will oversee Soroptimist’s membership and recruitment functions. Responsibilities include gathering and analyzing membership research and statistics; creating and implementing recruitment and retention strategies; tracking trends; presenting at meetings; serving as the liaison with Soroptimist members and leaders; and functioning as part of a larger membership marketing team.

“We are pleased to welcome Nicole to our organization,” said Executive Director Leigh Wintz, CAE. “Her experience in membership marketing, development and recruitment will be invaluable in helping Soroptimist become a thriving, dynamic and progressive organization of members committed to our mission of improving the lives of women and girls.”

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., Soroptimist offers programs that improve the lives of women and girls through three distinct platforms: economic empowerment, elimination of violence, and gender equality. Its major program, the Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards, provides cash grants for women seeking to improve their lives with the help of additional education and training. Each year, more than $1 million is disbursed to deserving women through this award-winning program. Soroptimist, a 501(c)(3) organization that relies on charitable donations to support its programs, also sponsors the Live Your Dream campaign in recognition of the power of women and their dreams. Visit the campaign’s online home at: LiveYourDreamCampaign.org. For more information on Soroptimist, visit Soroptimist.org.                                                      

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