Staff Spotlight: Rachel Woodhouse

This month we are pleased to introduce you to our Interim Executive Director, Rachel Woodhouse (she/her). Rachel has spent more than a decade of her career in philanthropy, supporting a variety of non-profit organizations in Central Iowa and beyond. She comes to the YWRC after more than six years as a Program Manager at Principal^® Foundation and community relations. Her experience includes donor relations, fund development, grantmaking, volunteer management, and non-profit governance.

Rachel has been a committed volunteer, advocate, and supporter of the YWRC for more than 10 years.

“In 2012 I joined the YWRC’s then newly-formed young professionals (YP) board. We supported the YWRC’s fundraising efforts, including the creation of a new fundraising event – Fun in the Sun – for YPs and young families. We also facilitated other types of support, such as meal donations and volunteer recruitment. I have also served on the YWRC’s fundraising committee, volunteered in childcare, and been a Server and attendee at the annual Celebrity Servers Night event.”

Several YWRC volunteer roles and dream jobs have led Rachel to the role of Interim Director:

“The through lines of my 11+ years in philanthropy are my desire to work in spaces that are personally meaningful to me and that positively impact community; having the exceptionally good fortune to work alongside with, and learn from, some of the most talented non-profit and community impact professionals in this and other communities; and finding great reward in roles that are oriented to people, equity, and service.

These will be no less relevant at the YWRC, the fourth in a series of “dream jobs” that began at Des Moines Performing Arts. After three years in its development department, I cut my teeth as a funder at Bravo Greater Des Moines the Regional Arts Council. When I was ready for the scope of my grantmaking work to broaden beyond arts and culture, I moved to corporate philanthropy and spent six fulfilling years building purpose-driven relationships with hundreds of non-profit agencies around the world.

Coming home to direct services non-profit administration is thrilling and still driven by my desire to make positive community impact. With such a generous community supporting us, and talented staff and board members, I’m confident the YWRC will continue to do just that.”

Rachel’s drive for positive community impact throughout the past decade carries through to her new role with the YWRC.

“As I step into the role of Interim Director, I am most excited about helping the YWRC effectuate tangible, self-led outcomes for girls and young women that help them achieve and sustain their long-term goals. As the YWRC continues to engage community to support these young women, we have the opportunity to come together, roll up our sleeves, get innovative, focus on impact, and deliver the caliber of programming the community expects, participants deserve, and the organization demands.”

As someone who has gained an inside perspective through a variety of volunteer roles, we were interested to learn what specific YWRC component Rachel is most passionate about.

“I admire all of the YWRC’s work, but a specific component I feel most passionate about is the Young Moms program. The resources a young mother needs are unique from the needs of her peers and from those of moms who are self-sufficient adults. The program addressing those unique needs equips young moms to be great parents, empowers them to set and achieve life goals, and creates long-term benefits for their children.”

Rachel, second from the left, at the YWRC YP’s first Fun in the Sun event in 2014.

Knowing that Rachel’s daily encounters with the word “empower” were going to be swiftly on the rise in her new role, we asked her what this YWRC-mainstay word means to her.

“When I hear the word “empower” I think of confidence, capability, resources, and knowledge. I personally feel most empowered when I know what tools I have at my disposal and I believe in my ability to use them to achieve the goals I set for myself.

I also think of obligation. I believe that those who are empowered are obliged to empower others. When we are empowered, we know our rights, we control our lives, and we meet our personal definitions of success. I want that for everyone, and so – as an empowered individual – it is my responsibility to foster it in others.”

Rachel had several empowering forces influencing her life growing up that have carried through into adulthood.

“My role models growing up were the women in my family – my mom, aunt, and grandmothers – and Princess Ariel from The Little Mermaid. They all exhibit curiosity and a love for learning, tenacity, a strong sense of justice and fairness, independence, confidence, and ambition. They all also found things they were passionate about leaned into them, trailblazing, innovating, and making a positive difference for others.

These women are all still my role models today – even Princess Ariel (she’s on the back of my phone case). And that’s in-part because these characteristics are no less inspiring to me today than they were when I was a child. It’s also because, as an adult and mother myself now, I can see how incredibly hard all these women worked to create homes for families and work hard in their chosen fields, all the while continuing to grow as individuals. Their grit and talent have influenced me and – most importantly – empowered me, then and now.”

Rachel’s advice for youth strongly aligns with one of the key protective factors we incorporate to increase participant resiliency (having a trusted adult).

“My advice for youth today is simple: find one adult you trust and can be vulnerable with. I even tell my own daughter to know who her “trusted adults” outside of family are. Adults can’t relate to the realities of a teenager these days, and sometimes that makes it hard for kids to open up about their needs with those to whom they’re closest. But even one trusted adult in a young person’s life can be an outlet for youth to express themselves without judgment, a source of advice, and a zealous advocate on their behalf.”

In addition to prior volunteer work with the YWRC, Rachel has shared her time and skills with several organizations.

“I have a multitude of philanthropic interests but focus my personal resources on the arts, women, and community-building. Currently, I’m completing my first three-year term on the Des Moines Film/Varsity Cinema Board of Directors, where I most recently chaired its Major Gifts Committee. I have also served on the Great Outdoors Foundation and Des Moines Social Club boards, the YP boards of the Des Moines Art Center and the Young Women’s Resource Center, and on fundraising committees, including for the Easter Lake North Shore project.”

Three things you may not know about Rachel:

• She is a fraternal twin. Her brother, Tom, is two minutes older than her.
• She has a small pin collection that is steadily growing. She started it after a friend gifted her one that says, “Feminist with a to do list.”
• She loves 1970s and 80s sitcoms and mystery shows: The Golden Girls; All in the Family, Three’s Company; The Love Boat; Barney Miller; Murder, She Wrote; and Matlock are a few.

Please join us in welcoming Rachel as our Interim Executive Director. We are excited to have her as a member of our team and look forward to working alongside her. Welcome, Rachel!