Question 1

Who Are We?

Accepted Answer

We are women from many countries, who are English-speaking and live in Cyprus, in or around Limassol. We have a Board of Directors and other officers who help organise CIWOT on a voluntary basis.

At the end of the CIWOT financial year, a portion of the balance remaining may be apportioned by the Members voting, to the two charities we support.

Every year we hold Elections for the Board of Directors and other Officers and at the same time we select a new Children’s/Youth charity to support, and we undertake a variety of projects according to the interests of our members. 
In 2024, our members voted to make Room of Hope (http://www.roomofhopecyprus.com/)our permanent Adult charity.

Question 2

Members Meetings

Accepted Answer

These take place every two months. We encourage all members to attend if possible. (It is a great way of getting to know Board Members/Coordinators and Team Members and also other Members). We always look forward to seeing new Members. Please see the section ‘Getting the Most Out of Your Membership’. This will tell you more about taking part in meetings.

We encourage members who have a specific personal goal or ambition to achieve something or learn something new to please share this with us and we will do our best to offer you our support.
Please see Appendix II to find out who is who on the current Board, Administrators and Teams List.

Question 3

Our Mission Statement

Accepted Answer

CIWOT exists to help our local community, to help empower women to become better leaders, strengthen individual talents and provide friendship through networking, thereby connecting women in their communities and with their neighbours. 
We volunteer to raise money or donate time to local charities, we offer courses in personal growth, and we organise social events to get to know each other better, try new things and enjoy ourselves.

Question 4

The History of Our Organisation

Accepted Answer

‘Women of Today’ is an organisation which began in the United States and has existed under various names since 1950. There are many branches (or chapters) all over the US and it has many thousands of members.

Our First President, Trish Powell, originally from Minnesota, came to live in Limassol and she decided to set up a similar organization here in Cyprus. The Minnesota branch encouraged and helped her in the first year. They helped with our original Constitution, gave support and ideas for events, and to this day they still follow us on Facebook!

Here is a timeline:

1950, in the USA, Mrs. Jaycees organisation began and changed name to Jaycee Women in 1979.

1985, they became an independent organisation, The Women of Today.

2008 they agreed to sponsor a chapter in Cyprus, founded by Patricia (Trish) Powell.

2009 Our official birthday is 16 April 2009.

2012, Cyprus Women of Today became Cyprus International Women of Today (CIWOT) to reflect the international character of the  organisation.

2014 – Held our first ever ‘Art of Giving Exhibition’.

2015 - Second ‘Art of Giving Exhibition’.

2017 (August), CIWOT registered its Constitution at the Municipal offices of Limassol.

2018 January organised our First ever Dance-a-thon. July 30th recognised as an Official Club. Club no. 05733.

2019 April - CIWOT celebrated its 10th birthday with a Gala Dinner at the Londa Hotel, Limassol. CIWOT’s first president, Trish Powell, joined us for the celebrations.

Reached over 1000 ‘Likes’ and ‘Followers’ on our Open Facebook page.

June - rewrote our Constitution in English and Greek.
August– Submitted new Constitution in Greek, with Members’ signatures and AGM/Financial records to Limassol Municipality.

2020 April – Set up ZOOM meetings due to COVID – 19 
Set up Whatsapp groups for all Members run by Members of the Board and Team Members 
September – Set up new Facebook page – Cyprus Women of Today Charity Auction page
New look to our Website, recipes moved to our Website
Added new links to our events on the Website 
Set up our Instagram account – Cyprus Int’l Women of Today
#cyprusinternationalwomenoftoday

2021 Submitted paperwork for 2020 and other relevant documentation to Municipality
Voted in New Board Members at the AGM in June 2021

Cyprus Women of Today/ Cyprus International Women of Today Presidents:

Each President chooses a theme for her term of office.

Trish Powell 2009-2010 (Passion and Purpose)
Mary Dryden Fakir May 2010 – 2011 (Mentoring and Motivation)
Viki Michaelides May 2011 -2013 (The Goddess Within)
Christine Keeble Watson May 2013 – 2019 (Power Up the Team)
Linda Rich June 2019 – 2022 (Empowered Women Empower Women)
Christine Keeble Watson 2022 - 2023 (Harmonise your World)
Linda Rich 2023 (Together We Grow)

Question 5

What We Offer

Accepted Answer

Involvement in Cyprus International Women of Today is a very fulfilling way to achieve service to your community, grow as an individual and gain the friendship of women who share similar interests. These friendships forged within CIWOT continue on even if you move to pastures new!

Question 6

Our Goals: Three Pillars of Purpose

Accepted Answer

Community Service

Members can contribute to their communities by raising funds for worthy-causes and by providing services or education, not just in their communities but Cyprus as a whole.
We organise events and projects to raise funds for our chosen charities and some of us choose to offer ‘Volunteer Hours’ to those charities (and for other projects).

Personal Growth

Members are encouraged to develop and to foster skills and talents related to becoming successful individuals, interacting well with other people and becoming capable leaders.
We offer workshops and lectures – calling on the expertise of individual members or visiting experts. These cover a wide range of subjects.

Fun and Friendship

Members can develop friendships and find personal support within the organisation. Working towards common goals forges friendships and sharing skills creates bonds. We hold social events like ‘Share Your Light’ in which a member shares a passion, interest or hobby with fellow members.

Question 7

Choosing our Community Service Projects

Accepted Answer

Every two years we vote on the charity we plan to support as the ‘Children’s/Youth Charity’ for our fundraising efforts, some Members choose to do voluntary work – either for CIWOT’s chosen charities or for a charity of their own choice.

Our fundraising is on-going, with most events aiming to raise funds for our two chosen Charities, but we also organise at least one big fundraising event each year. For these events, we appoint a Committee made up of volunteers from our membership.

Question 8

How does CIWOT manage finances and funds?

Accepted Answer

At CIWOT, we strive to provide value for money to our members while raising funds for our chosen charities. We balance fundraising with offering great experiences for our members. Some events are free, others cover operational costs, and some charge an entrance fee for fundraising. Each event has an 'Event Bookkeeper' to collect fees. After the event, the Organiser and Bookkeeper complete an 'Event Report Form'. Collected funds are handed to the President, who informs the Treasurer and deposits the money. This system helps us track funds and reimburse members promptly. We use Quickbooks for accounting, and all charity funds are recorded there. Periodically, we deliver these funds to our chosen charities, often organizing a mini event and photo call for donations.

Question 9

Events

Accepted Answer

We offer regular events which are relaxed and geared to having fun.

Many of our events achieve several goals at once, combining Community Service, Personal Growth and Friendship.

We also encourage our Members to organise ‘Pop up’ events and ‘Casual Coffee Mornings’.

Pop up events are generally when a member finds a film they would like to go and see and posts it on our Members Only page to see if any other members would like to join them; these events are in addition to those on our normal Calendar.

Casual Coffee events can be morning, afternoon, evening events or weekends, where a member has a favourite coffee shop (or invites members to their homes), they like going to and would like to share the experience with other members. We encourage members to organise one event each month on a date and time of their choosing. These events are included on our Calendar.

Question 10

CIWOT Ethos

Accepted Answer

At CIWOT our activities encourage women to excel at communicating, organising and leading. Members are encouraged to contribute to society and help make the world a better place while, at the same time, making good friends and having fun. We aspire to build our confidence and skills. The best way to achieve this goal is to provide an atmosphere of friendship, collaboration, support and teamwork.

CIWOT members represent many different nationalities with different languages, cultures, religions, politics etc. This great variety makes us a very interesting group and we enjoy exchanging our huge range of experiences and different perspectives on life.
We are mindful that English is not the first language of most of our members. Sometimes it is a struggle to understand or to express yourself in a language that is not your mother tongue. If someone comes across as aggressive or argumentative this may cause offence to others from a different culture. So, we simply do not do it! We do not take things personally; rather, we focus on fostering understanding between our varied members.

We are VERY careful not to be argumentative or critical in our discussions! Instead we choose words of encouragement, friendliness and support. We NEVER criticise, judge or talk down to another member. We NEVER gossip in a negative way about another member – either behind her back or to her face.

We have procedures in place in our Constitution to protect Members in the event of a misunderstanding.

At a meeting, if someone suggests an event or action that we have not heard about before, we refrain from comment and negativity as there may be other members who are very enthusiastic about the idea. A negative response might put off the woman who made the suggestion and kill the activity. New members may feel anxious about presenting an idea to a group of women they do not know well. Therefore, it is very important that members create and maintain a safe, supportive environment for each other where ideas will be encouraged rather than shot down or criticised.

Life throws pressures, challenges and problems at all of us. We may have time, financial, family, and/or work pressures, etc. CIWOT is a safe haven from these. We can leave these problems at home. We do not bring them to meetings; we come out to enjoy ourselves. There are no such pressures
at CIWOT. There is no competition, no judgement nor appraisal and no pressure to perform. Therefore, we are careful to suggest rather than criticise and very quick to praise and encourage! We pour high praise on the member who will go the extra mile for her CIWOT team.

So, bring your best smiles and your most optimistic viewpoint – and see how your positive attitude and positive energy will multiply and flourish in good company!

We welcome you to our Organisation, and hope that you find fulfilment, empowerment and friendship with us, whether it be for a short time or forever!

Question 11

Our Structure – Board, Administrators, Coordinators and Teams

Accepted Answer

Every year we ask our Members to elect and appoint a Board which meets monthly to plan the general direction of CIWOT. The Board’s proposals are presented to Members every other month at the regular Members bi-monthly Meetings from September to June. The Board meets  before the Members meeting in the month where the members meet. The Annual General Meeting date is generally the last social event in June.

In addition to the Board, there are Coordinators or Teams responsible for helping Members to take part in activities and projects. We also have Administrator roles to look after specific jobs, such as the Webmaster, Social Media Administrator, Newsletter Editor, Public Relations Officer, etc.

In this way, we all share the workload of running an efficient organisation and we can enjoy collaborating and working in small teams. This structure also offers scope for our Members to take on individual challenges and improve their personal skills (This has previously helped Members to enhance their Resume/Curriculum Vitae to help them advance their careers).

Members are encouraged to add their own ideas and together we plan forthcoming events and projects.

Question 12

Membership Fees

Accepted Answer

Our  annual membership subscription fee is €35 per year which covers a portion of the administrative costs for such things as promotion, printing, name tags, stationery, Website, ZOOM etc.

Please note that our operational year runs from January to December, with a summer break.

• Annual Membership €35 
 • New member: €45 (€10 admin fees included)
 • New member joining in November: €45 (enjoy membership through December next year!)

Question 13

Organising Events – CIWOT Teamwork

Accepted Answer

If you would like to organise an event - but you are unsure how to set about it - please raise your idea as a proposal at the Members Monthly Meeting or, alternatively, contact any member of the Board or one of the Coordinators to discuss your idea. The Coordinators are there to help you get your project off the ground and they may team you up with other like-minded Members to work as a collaborative team.
Once you have decided on an event that you would like to volunteer to organise, or help with, we will send you the CIWOT Manual for Event Organisers via email.
If your event needs publicity you can discuss this with the Public Relations Officer.

Question 14

Communications / Notifications

Accepted Answer

Email

When emailing, please start the subject line with ‘CIWOT’ then indicate the project you are writing about. (This helps Board members who may receive many emails).
BCC to be used when emailing ALL members to protect privacy of members.
TO:  to be used when emailing a small group involved in a particular project, e.g. the Board, or members of a team or committee. 
Please check your junk / spam folder regularly in case an important email from a CIWOT member finds its way there.

CIWOT App:
 Stay connected on your phone with our CIWOT app. Install it by following the instructions here: CIWOT App (http://wix.to/gEDKBq8?ref=mam)

WhatsApp CIWOT Announcements 
If you prefer receiving announcements directly on your phone, join our WhatsApp group through this link. Whatsapp Announcements ( https://chat.whatsapp.com/D1HrQEPPGMNBRPhNJ4kPek   )

Instagram
Follow us:  https://www.instagram.com/ciwotlimassol/  (https://www.instagram.com/ciwotlimassol/  )

Facebook and Facebook Guidelines

The ‘Official Page’ is open to the public.
https://www.facebook.com/cyprusinternationalwomenoftoday (https://www.facebook.com/cyprusinternationalwomenoftoday)

The ‘Members Only Facebook Group’ is open only to Members of
CIWOT only. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ciwot/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ciwot/)

The 'Business Club Group is also open for only members. Join here: FB Business Club (https://www.facebook.com/groups/192421938029326)
Both pages are closely monitored to keep in line with our ethos and goals as laid out in our Constitution.

We notify our events through email, social media, WhatsApp, and the website.

Question 15

Business Club Facebook group for Members

Accepted Answer

We ask that you post once every two weeks (this is to give all our Members an opportunity to post about their businesses in a fair manner). All members are eligible to join our Business Page to take full advantage of what CIWOT has to offer. You never know what you will discover about our members who have businesses or what could be useful to you in your daily life!

Question 16

Book Club Facebook Group

Accepted Answer

This is a group for those who regularly attend the CIWOT Book Club. This is open to all members, let us know if you would like to join and we can send you the book details and the when and where of the next meeting.

Question 17

Booking Events

Accepted Answer

Events are listed on our website, where bookings of official CIWOT events occur.  We encourage all members to register for all events on our Website, this helps with catering and booking of venues.

Please take the time to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ our events on our Open Facebook page (this is our Window to the world) – this helps boost event attendance, which in turn may reduce costs for everyone.Please ‘Like’ our posts on our Members/Business page and groups. Please do not place negative remarks on Facebook.

If you plan to attend an event which is not bookable on CIWOT.org please click ‘GOING’ on the event, but if you are unable to attend please do not comment as this may congest the post and put off other members.

Please refrain from placing advertisements or promotion of your own products or services on our page / groups as this is strictly against CIWOT’s non-commercial policy. You may publicise an event or activity if it relates to any of CIWOT’s goals – e.g. community service, culture, health, personal growth, etc. If in doubt about this, please contact the Social Media administrator or Secretary who will advise you.

Please be thoughtful and concise since too much ‘chat’ may make people miss important messages. Please be thoughtful about photos - we all like to be seen at our ‘best camera angle’!
Please caption photos to aid the Facebook Administrator and Newsletter Editor. A photo without a caption is frustrating for people who could not attend.

Question 18

CIWOT Events information for publication

Accepted Answer

To help save time for our Secretary and Webmaster - please send information in the same format and presentation as that which appears below.

Font: Verdana
Cover photos: JPG or PNG – we use Canva.com, square is preferred. 
Date & Time (Start Time, Finish Time if needed)
Venue
Title (Event Name & Presenter if one)
Description & Cost
How to register & deadline. 
Organiser (This could be a coordinator/team Member or Member) 
Type of event – Community Service/Personal Growth/Fun & Friendship

Here is an example entry: 
Date and time: Friday, 14 July 10:00-12:00, Venue: R Place,  Fasoula Title Dr Patricia Torres presents: Women and the Feminine Principle in Pre-Hispanic Culture. Description: In this illustrated lecture, Dr Torres, expert in the ancient wisdom of Mexican culture, shares her research on social structure and the balance between women and men. Cost: €8 for CIWOT members, €12 for guests. Registration: RSVP Please register on our website following this link. Organiser: Christine Keeble-Watson Type: Personal Growth
We now do many events via ZOOM.
If you wish to organise and event via ZOOM contact the coordinator responsible for your event to help with setting up the ZOOM meeting.

Question 19

CIWOT Newsletter

Accepted Answer

Please send stories and captioned photos directly to the Newsletter Editor (also copied to President & Secretary). The Editor will appreciate your input.

Question 20

Roster of Members and Emailing

Accepted Answer

The Membership Coordinator maintains an up-to-date list of all members showing their email address and telephone number. This information is confidential and should not be used for any kind of commercial promotion or enterprise. If you are liaising with other members, please be thoughtful about sharing information. For instance, it is tempting to cut and paste email addresses from one email to another but please check that you are not targeting people unnecessarily or their busy emails may get clogged.

Please note under new EU Legislation GDPR, we do our utmost to keep our Members information as Confidential as possible.

Question 21

Getting The Most Out Of Your Membership

Accepted Answer

Here are some tips

Regular attendance at Member Meetings is encouraged. Attendance keeps you informed about activities and projects.
Whatever your level of involvement, we are glad to have you! Every member is important to CIWOT.
Explore new avenues of programming or projects that interest you. Get involved – join a committee or try chairing a project.

Ask questions. We want to ensure you feel welcomed and appreciated.

Spread your wings. Try something new. Challenge yourself.

Use the Newsletter, Website, Facebook Pages or WhatsApp. There may be more information here that was not shared at the meeting on pages. Remember to click ‘GOING’,’ Share’ ‘Follow’ and ‘Like’ items.
Bring up new ideas at a meeting in the form of a motion. Begin with “I move that...” and go on to state your idea. Someone else will need to second your motion before it is brought for vote.

Bring a friend to an event or meeting. They are always welcomed. Please note that non-members may attend 3 CIWOT events only as a non- member.

Question 22

How can we ensure our meetings run smoothly?

Accepted Answer

To ensure our meetings run smoothly: - Be punctual - Respect the speaker by avoiding side conversations - Let the speaker finish before asking questions; your answer might be addressed - Follow the agenda - Email new agenda items to the President at least 24 hours before the meeting - Make a motion to table items needing further discussion - Avoid referring back to previous items unless crucial - Stay positive! Our meetings should reflect our optimistic and constructive nature. If you're not enthusiastic about an item, try not to discourage others. New ideas are welcome; write them down and discuss them later with the appropriate person.

Question 23

Procedures

Accepted Answer

Complaints – If you have a complaint about a member related to a CIWOT event or meeting, the first step is to put it in writing to the Membership Coordinator, CC’ing the President and Vice President.
If the issue is a private one outside of CIWOT or any CIWOT activities, we ask that you not discuss it with other Members during CIWOT activities. This is a core aspect of our Ethos. Members who depart from this core part of our Ethos will be contacted by the President to discuss the issue. Hopefully, this can be resolved, and no further action will need to be taken.

Facebook – Business Club rules are stated on this page, we ask that all members adhere to them. The Facebook team will contact any member not adhering to the rules for this page.

Meetings – Any complaints about meetings should go through the Parliamentarian and Secretary for follow up.

Complaints about a Board Member, (for example the President) then the complaint goes to the Vice President/Membership Coordinator and so on.
The Board Member whom the complaint is about will be contacted by the relevant Board Members to whom the complaint has been sent to and hopefully the issue will be resolved without any further action from the Board.

Question 24

Duties Of Our Officers

Accepted Answer

Please see the summary below to learn more about how our officers dedicate their time (on a voluntary basis) – not only to CIWOT and its members but also to the wider community and the charities we support.

Summary of Officers and Teams and their main functions

President – Plans and runs the meetings. The President is there to assist ALL Members/Board Members/Coordinators and Teams when organising events for CIWOT. The President is Cc’d or Bcc’d into ALL emails regarding organising throughout CIWOT generally. She is available to Members who just wish to have a general chat or need help anything CIWOT related if the Coordinators/Team Members or Board are unable to help.

Vice President – Supports the President in her duties. The Vice President also steps in for the President when she is not available.

Secretary – Arranges meetings, records the minutes of the meetings and handles correspondence. and assists the President and Vice President.

Membership Coordinator - Provides support for CIWOT’s membership & processes new memberships & renewals.

Treasurer – Manages CIWOT’s finances.

Parliamentarian - Assists on Constitution and policies. Keeps order at meetings. Advisor to the President.

Community Services Coordinator – Coordinates fundraising for charities, volunteering and community projects.

Personal Growth Coordinator – Coordinates seminars and workshops on a wide range of topics.

Friendship Coordinator - For social gatherings with an emphasis on fun.

Immediate Past President - Advises the Board. Aids election of officers.

Webmaster - Maintains the website. – Advisor to the Board

Facebook Administrator – Maintains the Facebook Pages.

Public Relations Officer - Oversees the image & promotion of CIWOT & media liaison. Advisor to the Board

Newsletter Editor – Produces the Newsletter.

Share Your Light Team - Encourages members to organise events and presentations around their own interests.

Business Club Team - Creates a program of business-related events.

Health Quest Team – Creates events to encourage Members to lead a healthy lifestyle.

CIWOT TechnoWomen – Organises workshops for computer skills.

Question 25

How Do I Volunteer?

Accepted Answer

Volunteer to be part of a team or organise an event with the help of a coordinator. Periodically we will request your help by asking you to volunteer to support an event, be it for charity or a social occasion.
What if I have a skill or idea to offer?
Look at the list of activities that we cover and see if you can contribute – or maybe you can suggest something new? Let us know that you would like to be involved – either at the monthly meeting or by emailing a board member or team leader. If you need help with this, then the Membership Coordinator will be glad to point you in the right direction.

Question 26

Do You Do Activities For Children And Teenagers?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Historically we have chosen to support both children’s charities and adult charities. We aim to offer family activities and excursions. Some of our fundraising has involved inviting local schools to take part.

Question 27

Does CIWOT Have Any Religious Or Political Affiliations?

Accepted Answer

No. The great diversity of our membership means many cultures are represented. We are an organisation built on understanding, personal growth and service to our local community.

Question 28

Is CIWOT Only in Limassol, Cyprus?

Accepted Answer

At present, we are mainly Limassol based. This may change in the future, depending on what our members request. Our organisation is modelled on a larger organisation based in the USA called ‘Women of Today’. This organisation helped us to set up in 2008 but we run independently.

Frequently asked questions.