WEV’s Impact

Return on Investment

For every dollar WEV raises, $15 is returned to the community and local economy through increased income for business owners, higher wages paid to employees, and local tax revenue.

2100
Businesses assisted

Through WEV’s programs in the last 5 years.

6000
Estimated jobs created or sustained

By WEV-assisted businesses. On average, each of these businesses supports 3 jobs.

WEV invested
$4.4M

In local small businesses through WEV’s loan and grant programs.

WEV Businesses Generated
$15.5M

In estimated local tax revenues. On average, each business brings in $197,000 in annual revenue.

Fueling the Local Economy

Small businesses are powerful engines of economic development. In the last five years alone, businesses started or expanded by WEV clients have made enormous impacts, creating hundreds of new jobs and generating millions in local community revenues.

In the last five years,
81%

of the clients WEV assisted identify as women.

People of color made up
47%

Of WEV’s total client population.

26%
Of WEV’s clients

Are immigrants to the United States.

28%
Of WEV’s clients

Are over 50 years old when they come to WEV for assistance.

Empowering the Community

WEV is dedicated to the economic empowerment of women. To achieve this mission, we believe that we must work together to uplift and support historically marginalized communities to identify and address barriers to achieving economic success.

65%
Of WEV’s clients

Increase their household income.

80%
Of WEV’s clients

Experiencing poverty at intake move out of poverty.

Improving Financial Security

Entrepreneurship is a proven strategy for achieving greater earning power. Clients surveyed in WEV’s Annual Assessment consistently report increases in household income and move out of poverty after receiving services from WEV.

WEV Stories

"WEV helps business owners by facilitating space, connections, and guidance to further develop their business. WEV also gives you the opportunity to be empowered by a community of other mighty women business owners! I have learned a lot from my peers."

Ana Guerrero, FirstGen_Resilience

WEV Stories

"WEV taught me how to track spending, create budgets, network, and how to be professional. I started to feel like a real businesswoman, instead of just a lady with an idea...I became part of a large community of women who were focused on helping and supporting one another."

Lizzy Lewis, Simple Wealth

WEV Stories

"I love the concept of WEV and all of the people with whom I met. There is not another program that I have encountered that tops all that WEV has to offer in terms of guidance, support, opportunity, and ongoing relationships."

Matthew Berger, Matthew I Berger Law Group, A Professional Corporation

WEV Stories

"Many external obstacles continue to challenge women as they work to grow their businesses and achieve financial security… WEV will continue to meet those challenges with the kinds of innovative programs and strategies for which we have become nationally recognized."

Marsha Bailey, WEV Founder

Measuring Impact

WEV believes measuring impact is critical to the organization’s success and highly values the ability to continuously improve programs as well as communicate our impact to stakeholders. To do this, WEV collects robust baseline information from each client when they enroll in WEV’s programs and then we systematically measure changes multiple times after program completion. This robust and sophisticated approach to data collection and analysis allows WEV to track and confidently report detailed client outcomes.

 

WEV’s 2022 Impact Report

WEV’s annual Impact Report illustrates the organization’s growth and adaptation to meet the needs of the community in 2022, drawing on WEV’s robust outcomes tracking, outside research, and community members’ stories.

 

2021 WEV Client Outcomes Research Report

Each year WEV publishes a report summarizing the key findings of its research on client outcomes.

 

Past Reports

2021 Impact Report

2020 Annual Report – Changing the Face of Business

2020 WEV Entrepreneurial Research Report

2019 Annual Report – Changing the Face of Business

2019 WEV Client Outcomes Research Report