A blog series where Moms at Work Founder Allison Venditti (AL) answers questions about work, motherhood, life, careers and everything in between.
QUESTION: Did you always know you wanted Moms at Work to be an advocacy group?
Short and long - Moms at Work the way I envisioned it was an advocacy group first and all the other things later.
So short story - after my brain injury I was told I couldn’t work anymore. I decided to see if I could handle one or two HR contracts and that is what I did for years. Then they asked me to do coaching which I was REALLY good at so I took on private clients who turned out to be all mothers.
As I was working with these women all I was doing was 2 things 1) Referring them to networking groups - which they came back and told me they hated 2) I referred them to each other. These amazing smart kind women didn’t need me they needed each other.
So I picked Moms at Work as a name because all the other names were taken. I started a FB group and told myself that if it didn’t work I would just shut it all down.
But as I grew it I was very very intentional about what I would and would not do as a women’s organizations
So here is my list:
- I would not run a business based on the backs of volunteers (women’s unpaid labour)
- I would NOT be a nonprofit and spend 90% of my time begging for money
- I would not run a business that relied on sponsorship/funding
- I would use Moms at Work to make changes for its members. Canadian women. Other women’s groups push mentorship, galas and talking about issues. No one was fixing anything. I love policy, advocacy, education and collaboration. I love advocacy.
- I believed that if I had 400 women paying me to be a part of the Collective I could do this. And I did it.
I will also say this - advocacy is REALLY REALLY hard. I am REALLY REALLY good at it. I have the receipts to show it. But what it requires is all of me. That has been the most difficult part. Baking in advocacy into your business means that you are running 2 separate businesses 1) a very large women’s organization with staff, clients etc and 2) an advocacy business where the work is all done by our team and is relentless.
I am glad I make it look easy but it is in fact very very very hard. So no I don’t think everyone could do it. I don’t think everyone should do it. I am thankful that people support Moms at Work and I get to keep trying my best.
FAQ
It focuses on advocacy, policy change, and collective power instead of relying on unpaid labour, sponsorships, or surface-level programming.
Because those models often require significant time spent fundraising instead of creating change. Moms at Work was designed to be sustainable and member-funded.
It includes pushing for policy changes, improving workplace standards, and addressing systemic issues like parental leave and employment protections.
Everything we do—from community to advocacy—is powered by the Collective.
If you want to support this work and be part of it, that’s where to start.
