Women's Right and empowerment Network

What Women's Right and empowerment Network does

Women's Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN) is a 501(c)(3) gender justice advocacy organization founded in October 2016 and headquartered in South Carolina. It serves women, girls, and gender-diverse people across all 46 South Carolina counties (population base above 5 million), operating as a statewide policy, research, and convening body rather than a direct service provider. Its programmatic portfolio includes the annual Status of Women and Girls research report series, an Advocacy Toolkit, the annual WREN Summit, webinars, a Resource Library, and, following the June 2026 acquisition of South Carolina Women's Intercollegiate Leadership, the MatchBoard civic engagement digital platform.

The core products are content- and platform-based rather than technology-native: research and policy publications derive from WREN's proprietary state- and county-level evidence base, including the Our Voice 2020 survey of 1,450 respondents; the Advocacy Toolkit packages policy methodology for external use; and MatchBoard adds a software layer for civic engagement and leadership development. No proprietary AI/ML components are identified; the technology surface is conventional web-platform and event management infrastructure. The organization holds GuideStar Platinum Transparency (2025) and operates with an approximately 9-person staff.

WREN's revenue model is a standard nonprofit blend: individual and institutional donations, foundation grants, and event registration fees ($100 early bird, $150 regular for the Summit). The organization is governed as a member-supported 501(c)(3) and is led by CEO Dr. Amalia Luxardo, appointed in 2026, with a leadership bench that includes a Chief Strategy Officer credited with recent legislative victories. The 10-year anniversary in 2026 coincides with the SC WIL/MatchBoard acquisition, positioning WREN to evolve from a pure advocacy nonprofit toward a hybrid advocacy-and-civic-technology organization.

Name

Women's Right and empowerment Network

Legal name

Women's Rights & Empowerment Network

Website

https://scwren.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WREN is a South Carolina-based 501(c)(3) gender justice advocacy organization founded in 2016 that serves women, girls, and gender-diverse people across all 46 state counties through policy advocacy, research, the WREN Summit, and the MatchBoard civic engagement platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Gender justice advocacy
• Policy advocacy services
• Civic engagement platform
• Community organizing
• Women empowerment research

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals who support gender justice and racial equity advocacy work in South Carolina.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from annual Summit registration fees, including early bird pricing ($100) and regular pricing ($150), plus Welcome Reception tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WREN is a nonprofit gender justice advocacy organization that advances economic justice and reproductive freedom for women, girls, and gender-expansive people in South Carolina through policy advocacy, research, education, and community convening. It also operates MatchBoard, a digital platform acquired in 2026 that helps local governments administer boards and commissions while connecting citizens to public service opportunities.

Product overview

WREN is a gender justice advocacy organization offering a portfolio of programs, platforms, and educational resources rather than a traditional tech product. The core offerings include MatchBoard (a civic engagement platform for board and commission management acquired from SC WIL), comprehensive advocacy toolkits and resource libraries with policy briefs and guides, annual research reports on the status of women and girls in South Carolina, the WREN Summit (annual conference), webinars, and community storytelling initiatives. The organization focuses on policy advocacy, education, research, and community convening to advance economic justice and reproductive freedom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MatchBoard: Digital platform that helps local governments administer their boards and commissions while connecting citizens to public service opportunities.

Products and services

• MatchBoard A digital platform that helps local governments administer boards and commissions while connecting citizens to public service opportunities. It streamlines appointment management and improves transparency in civic engagement.
• WREN Summit Annual statewide summit bringing together advocates, changemakers, and leaders for keynote sessions, panel discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities focused on women's leadership and gender justice. Registration includes early bird ($100) and regular ($150) pricing, plus an optional Welcome Reception ($100).
• Advocacy Toolkit A comprehensive educational resource explaining how the legislative process works in South Carolina, with step-by-step guides on how bills become laws, creating advocacy plans, contacting legislators, writing letters, and preparing testimony. Available in English and Spanish.
• Status of Women and Girls in SC Research Report Annual statewide research report assessing obstacles facing women and girls in South Carolina, featuring county-specific data profiles covering healthcare access, economic stability, childcare, housing, and maternal health indicators.
• Invite WREN to Speak Service allowing organizations to request WREN staff members to present on topics including the Status of Women and Girls report and various gender justice issues.
• Webinars Virtual educational sessions covering topics including abortion access, legislative updates, the CROWN Act, and various gender justice issues in South Carolina. Free for attendees.
• Share Your Story Campaign Platform for collecting personal stories from South Carolinians about issues including abortion access, childcare, paid leave, workplace discrimination, and reproductive freedom to inform advocacy efforts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully defeated Senate Bill 323, a near-total abortion ban, in 2025
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Women's Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership on the Our Voice 2020 survey, which surveyed 1,450 South Carolina women and LGBTQ people to understand their lives, issues, and policy priorities. Also collaborated on the Barriers to Gender Justice report.
• League of Women Voters of South CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on breaking down South Carolina's redistricting battle through educational content explaining redistricting and its impact on representation.
• Abacus Planning GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor for the #WRENThisTogether Virtual Summit in 2020, a six-week virtual series.
• Indie Grits LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on the Seen & Heard: Women and Girls in the Midlands photovoice project aimed at elevating stories of women and gender minorities.
• Historic ColumbiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-launched the Columbia City of Women initiative with the goal of recognizing women's contributions to the capital city and advocating for their inclusion in public spaces.
• Palmetto State Teachers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner advocating for paid parental leave for families experiencing stillbirth and supporting school safety legislation.
• The Harper ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in advocacy for paid parental leave policies and family support initiatives.
• ACLU (South Carolina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner supporting Senate Bill 385 (Women's CARE Act) and eviction sealing legislation, and working on intersecting social justice issues.
• S.C. Housing Justice NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner supporting eviction sealing legislation (H.4270) to help families build stable futures.
• Appleseed Legal JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner supporting eviction sealing legislation (H.4270) for housing justice.
• WholespirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner leading efforts to expand school meals, eliminate meal shaming, and reduce hunger. Also partnered on SNAP restriction opposition.
• Palmetto Teachers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting House Bill 3258 school panic alert safety legislation.
• South Carolina United for Justice & Equality CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWREN is a proud member of this coalition which advocates for LGBTQ protections and opposes anti-LGBTQ legislation while working on intersecting social justice issues including racial justice, reproductive justice, voting rights, and healthcare access.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Women's Law Center: National gender-justice legal and policy organization; WREN is the SC implementation partner for NWLC's Our Voice survey and Barriers to Gender Justice report, making it both a peer (gender-justice advocacy) and a co-developer. Comparable in mission, donor model, and federal-state advocacy posture.
• ACLU of South Carolina: State affiliate of the ACLU operating in the same geography and the same state-legislature arena as WREN, with overlapping bills on reproductive rights, LGBTQ protections, and eviction sealing. Directly comparable as a 501c3 state-level civil-rights advocacy organization.
• Ms. Foundation for Women: National women's foundation funding gender-justice and women-of-color-led organizing. Highly comparable as a 501c3 women's foundation, although it operates at a national funder scale rather than as a state-level direct advocate.
• National Organization for Women (NOW): Long-standing national feminist advocacy organization with state chapters. Comparable as a gender-equity advocacy and lobbying organization, although older and structurally different (membership-driven vs. foundation-funded).
• State Innovation Exchange (SiX): Network that supports state legislators and state-level progressive policy advocacy. Highly comparable as a state-legislature-focused advocacy organization, although SiX is a legislator-facing network rather than a constituency-mobilization org.
• Equality Federation: State-based LGBTQ advocacy federation with state member orgs across the U.S. Comparable in mission (state-level civil-rights advocacy), structure (federation of state orgs), and donor/grant model, and intersects with WREN via shared coalition work in SC.
• Feminist Majority Foundation: National feminist advocacy and research organization active on reproductive rights, gender equity, and women's leadership. Comparable in advocacy focus and 501c3 nonprofit model, though at a national rather than state scale.
• Women's Foundation for the State of Arizona: State-level women's foundation and prior employer of WREN's CEO; structurally analogous to WREN (state-wide women's foundation/advocacy org with research, grantmaking, and policy work). Closest analog to WREN's likely target state-level operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC): Large, established civil-rights organization operating in the American South, including South Carolina, with overlapping concerns on reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and women's rights. Comparable in scale, geography, and advocacy posture but operates much more broadly than WREN's gender-justice focus.
• Center for American Progress (CAP): Large progressive policy think tank that frequently partners with state-level advocacy organizations on gender, reproductive, and economic-justice policy. Comparable in policy domain but operates at a national, multi-issue scale rather than WREN's focused SC model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wrenetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/WomensRightsandEmpowermentNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scwren
• Instagraminstagram.com/wrenetwork
• Xx.com/WRENetwork

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women's Right and empowerment Network