Women are more likely to support causes that make the world better, and they tend to give more of their income. In fact, a recent report shows that 84% of women say giving is an important part of their lives, compared to 81% of men. This an increase from before the pandemic, when 75% of women and 69% of men said the same.
“Women educate themselves and then they keep doing it,” says Tanaha Hairston, founder of RISE The Movement, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based digital platform and community with a mission to connect and empower women investors worldwide through education, collaboration and impact investing. “They take those returns and put them back into their family and community.”
Tanaha’s own impact journey began in corporate America where she put her college degree in computer science to work as an engineer. She left after having three children, and later returned to school to earn an MBA in finance. While at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, she also began running a private investing network. She’d grow the investor base and then find highly scalable start-ups for them to invest in.
“It was like Shark Tank, but without the drama,” she says. The investors were also all white males.
Soon, Tanaha began thinking about entrepreneurship for herself. She was divorced and busy juggling work with the demands of her children’s school and sports. Building a lifestyle business that capitalized on the digital ecosystem would give her both stability and flexibility. “I had financial autonomy and control and was thinking about what would be best for me and my kids,” she explains.
Tanaha used her technology and investment backgrounds to successfully launch and grow a consumer product—a health and beauty subscription box well before it was a popular concept. While the business was doing great, Tanaha experienced a huge personal loss of a loved one and no longer had the heart or motivation to run it, so she sold it.
When the time came to determine her next step, Tanaha reflected on the work she did over a decade prior to connect investors with opportunities. She had learned that men don’t care as much about transforming their wealth into purpose and profit, so with RISE The Movement, she decided to actively focus on women.
Today, Tanaha and her team bring private investment opportunities in areas like clean energy, real estate, community revitalization, healthcare and even debt aggregation for first responders to women investors through their online community and education platform and monthly virtual impact circles led by experts.
“Not everyone is ready to invest in a start-up or venture capital fund,” says Tanaha. During their last meeting, for example, they shared a water and sanitation fund to help bring water and sanitation to underserved communities. “What change do you want to make in the world is the first question we ask. Then, we show opportunities that help you affect change at whatever level you can.”
Investing in the Women of NAWBO
Earlier this year, Tanaha discovered NAWBO Phoenix after a neighbor recommended it, and she is already serving as chapter president. “I have always seen how men come together and do deals and really want this for women,” she says about her leadership. “So at NAWBO, I focus on connection and education.”
She’s doing this through monthly in-person events called WealthWise Women: Building Assets and Legacy Through Entrepreneurship that are free to members and open to non-members for a cost. The women who attend are treated to lunch and education from a community expert on growing their businesses and assets, so they can turn around and invest in their families and communities and make an impact.
The topics include:
- Capital Confidence
- Managing Money
- Strategic Life Management
- Elevating Your Brand
- Maximizing Business Value
- And more…
They also do monthly happy hours and will do a policy trip to Arizona’s state capital in January.