2018's Impact Report: We Are Resilient

resilience (n.): the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. 

We are creative risk-takers. Strong and capable decision-makers. Bold and powerful makers. Which means we bounce back. We push forward. And when we fail, we try again.

Throughout 2018, our programs centered women and nonbinary thought leaders, artists, creatives and business-owners who demonstrated a soft power—an unmatched toughness—in both their failures and successes. Together, we learned from their stories and redefined what it means to recover, reclaim and remain standing.


Whenever it comes time to write this end-of-year impact report, I’m always left without words. It still amazes me that we exist. We have been through so much (this nonprofit started with $100 and sheer force of will), and the odds have been against us more often than not, so thank you for being resilient alongside us this year.

Read on for a bite-sized synopsis of #bbat'x 2018 Impact Report (and feel free to bump this playlist I made as you read).

In 2018, #bossbabesATX hosted 47 events, with more than 17,000 attendees, providing low-cost, affordable exhibition and educational opportunities to 1500+ women and nonbinary creatives, entrepreneurs and community organizers.

By the numbers, we hosted:

  • 21 showcases featuring work by emerging women and nonbinary interdisciiplinary artists and makers (providing 25% more opportunities than we did in 2017)

  • 19 workshops and dialogues exploring personal and professional curiosity, creative entrepreneurship and collaboration (providing 50% more educational programming than we did in 2017)

  • 10 community meet-ups for women and nonbinary artists, creatives, thought leaders and entrepreneurs to share resources, information and learn more about how to support each other’s initiatives

  • 15 workshops and dialogues on strategies and tactics to create systems that better support gender equality, intersectionality, diversity, inclusivity, anti-racism and anti-abuse in the workplace and in our communities

  • 4 cultural exchange events, facilitating relationships between our Austin community and abroad, (including partnerships within our program BABES FEST, as well as a distinct exchange with Women Sound Off in Oakland, California)

Through these events, our consulting services for institutions and businesses interested in inclusivity and diversity, as well as our digital programs, we accomplished the following:

In 2018, we also had some major wins.

  • We hosted the first year-long iteration of our programming committee and welcomed 15 incredible people from the community as ongoing collaborators, curators and leaders on our programs.

  • We expanded craftHER Market, exceeding our attendance record, as well as introducing two additional pop-up markets around the program. We now estimate that this program brings in $200,000 in additional revenue for the artists, makers and small business owners involved.

  • We moved into our first-ever headquarters at 916 Springdale Blvd. This 1300-square-foot space will be open to the public and home to many of our programs in 2019, which will in turn increase our capacity and lower our overhead costs for each program.

  • We began sustained research and community organizing around anti-sexual harassment and sexual assault initiatives, as well as research around barriers to creative entrepreneurship, with the help of our committee. This research will be published in 2019 for community use.

  • We officially became tax-exempt! Although we have been a registered 501c nonprofit for two years, we are now officially a 501c3 and all donations to our nonprofit are now tax-deductible.

  • Through strategic partnerships and support from our sponsors, we increased our annual operational budget from $100,000 in 2017 to $140,000 in 2018. This allowed us to hire our Executive Director (that’s me) part-time, as well as a part-time Projects and Operations Coordinator, which in turn allowed us to better support our programs and accomplish some of the capacity increases listed above.

IN 2019, we're saying hello to a world of new opportunity.

With our new headquarters and a better grip on the operations required around our programs, we have a lot to look forward to in the New Year. We plan to introduce:

  • sustained creative entrepreneurship workshops that provide low-cost financial wellness and leadership education within our HQ

  • low-cost and affordable community space via our HQ for women and nonbinary organizers

  • a leadership summit for community organizers invested in intersectionality

  • a membership program for community members invested in #BBATX (stay tuned!)

  • additional education, including practical and emotional trainings, guides and materials, around gender-equal initiatives, diversity, anti-racism, intersectional feminism

  • at least 25% more financial opportunities for women and non-binary creatives, entrepreneurs and community organizers through our exhibitions, showcases and residency program

Although we have so much to celebrate, this year has certainly also had its fair share of struggles due to our nation’s polarizing political climate, as well as the shifts in culture of conservatism in Texas. As a primarily earned income nonprofit, we are grateful and lucky to have a community that supports our work. Thankfully, our programs are not dependent on governmental financial aid or grants that are dependent on political moods and faces of power. We appreciate every single person who supports our programs as a partner, purchases a ticket to an event, volunteers, buys a T-shirt, or makes a donation. This helps us maintain our independence and ensures that our programs are consistently sustained, no matter what.

So, thank you. We have grown, evolved and risen to the occasion because of you. We have continued to create the gender-equal world we’d like to see because of you. And the work is, of course, not finished.

Gratitude is the attitude this holiday season. Thank you for contributing to our resilience.

We’re ready for you 2019,
Jane Hervey (Founding Executive and Creative Director) and the #bbatx team

Photo by 1778 Photographie for craftHER Market Spring ‘18

Photo by 1778 Photographie for craftHER Market Spring ‘18

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