Exceptional Women in Publishing

What Exceptional Women in Publishing does

Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1998 by a group of women working primarily in magazine publishing. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area (with a listed Oakland, CA mailing address at 2008 Curtis St.), EWIP operates under a dual mandate to educate, empower, and support women in publishing, and to educate, empower, and support women and girls through the power of publishing. Its core offerings are the annual Women's Leadership Conference held in the Bay Area, the biannual Our Stories | Our World conference, the publication of shades Magazine (Celebrating All Women of Color) as its official media arm, and the annual Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award program, which has honored industry leaders from Gloria Steinem (1998) through Kara Swisher, Susan Goldberg, Mother Jones' leadership, and Janice Min. The organization is led by President Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig (also Publisher/Founder of shades Magazine), with founding figures Linda Ruth and Thea Selby in the lineage and a volunteer Board of Directors overseeing operations.

EWIP's products and content assets are predominantly event-based rather than technology-based. The Women's Leadership Conference features an all-female speaker roster and has historically drawn capacity crowds or ~200 attendees (as in 2013 and 2015 respectively). shades Magazine operates through standard magazine distribution channels. The organization does not maintain a proprietary software platform, public API, or SDK; its distribution relies on its WordPress-powered website (ewip.org), Eventbrite registration, and social profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter/X, and Meetup. The company has no patents, no proprietary technology stack beyond standard off-the-shelf web infrastructure, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

EWIP's business model is a hybrid of four revenue streams typical of small membership non-profits: (1) recurring annual membership dues at three tiers — Full ($30), Associate ($20), and Student ($15); (2) conference and event revenue with early-bird member discounts (e.g., $139 for members vs. $199 for non-members at the 2011 conference); (3) corporate sponsorships, anchored by a 15+ year founding sponsorship from Brown Printing Company along with Zinio, Quad/Graphics, Publishers Press, Coast to Coast, and others; and (4) tax-deductible donations plus passive income through AmazonSmile (0.5% of eligible purchases). Customer segments are horizontal — individual women working in or adjacent to publishing (entrepreneurs, digital content creators, businesswomen, media executives, magazine and book publishers, writers, editors, producers, bloggers, comic creators) — with no enterprise concentration. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on word-of-mouth, social media presence, and the gravity of the annual conference to drive membership recruitment.

Name

Exceptional Women in Publishing

Legal name

Exceptional Women in Publishing

Website

https://ewip.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1998 that supports women in publishing and media through annual Bay Area conferences, the Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award, and shades Magazine serving women of color.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association / Membership Organization

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Career Networks (BPAMABAB)

Keywords

• Women in publishing
• Professional networking events
• Leadership conferences
• Membership associations
• Media industry awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees at three tiers: Full ($30), Associate ($20), and Student ($15) providing access to conferences, networking, and programming.
2. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations accepted year-round to support programs and activities that empower women. EIN #94-3327462 for donor verification.
3. Conference and Event Revenue: Ticket sales for annual Women's Leadership Conference and awards dinner celebrations. Early bird discounts available for members.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsorships for annual conferences and programming. Sponsors receive recognition and access to attendees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates a tiered membership program, hosts annual women's leadership conferences, and publishes shades Magazine. The organization provides professional development, networking, mentorship, and industry recognition through its membership tiers ($15-$30 annually), signature conferences featuring all-female speaker rosters, and the annual Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award.

Product overview

Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP) is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 that operates as a platform offering membership, events, and publications. The core offerings include the annual Women's Leadership Conference and Our Stories | Our World conference with all-female speaker rosters, the publication of shades Magazine celebrating women of color, the Exceptional Woman in Publishing Award program, and a tiered membership program ($15-$30 annually) providing professional development and networking. EWIP does not offer a software product or digital platform; its services are primarily in-person events, publication content, and membership benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• shades Magazine: The official publication of Exceptional Women in Publishing, celebrating all women of color.

Products and services

• shades Magazine

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Brown Printing CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2013Founding Sponsor of EWIP - has supported women in publishing (WIPP/EWIP) for fifteen years. Recognized during the 2013 conference.
• ZiniocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2013Strategic sponsor for conferences. Zinio is the world's newsstand and bookstore with digital products and services for discovering published content.
• Quad/GraphicscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 March 2013Conference sponsor providing wine & cocktail reception at the 2013 conference. A leading global provider of print and multichannel solutions.
• Publishers PressminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 March 2013Conference sponsor - a leading content distributor with expertise in the magazine industry offering digital editions and email marketing.
• Coast to CoastminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 March 2013Provided breakfast for the 2013 conference. One of North America's leading National Periodical Distributors.
• Knight Digital Media CenterminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 February 2011Donated a multimedia reporting workshop valued at $5,000 as a door prize for the 2011 Women's Leadership Conference.
• WebucatorminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 February 2011Donated InDesign CS5 with Adobe Digital Publishing Suite for iPad training course valued at $425 as a door prize for the 2011 Women's Leadership Conference.
• shades Magazine - Celebrating All Women of ColorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnershades Magazine is the official publication of EWIP, covering and highlighting the concerns, issues and stories of ALL women of color, including African American, Hispanic, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native American, and underserved groups within these communities globally.
• Women's Media CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's Media Center is an EWIP partner - a non-profit organization with a mission to ensure women's stories are told and women's voices are heard. They initiate media advocacy campaigns, create their own content, and train women to participate directly in media.
• La CocinaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLa Cocina catered the 2018 Awards Dinner, providing food for the event.
• MixioteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMixiote catered the 2018 Awards Dinner, providing food for the event.
• Nia SoulminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNia Soul catered dessert for the 2018 Awards Dinner.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS): JAWS is a non-profit supporting women in journalism through an annual conference, mentoring (CAMPS), and educational resources. It is a direct counterpart to EWIP with the same women-in-media mission and conference-led engagement model.
• Women's Media Center: Co-founded by Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan, WMC is a non-profit advocating for women in media through training, content creation, and campaigns. It is already an EWIP partner, shares the same women-in-media mission, and competes for the same audience and sponsor dollars.
• International Women's Media Foundation: Global non-profit supporting women journalists through grants, training, and the Courage in Journalism Award. It is the most prominent international women-in-media professional network and directly overlaps EWIP's mission to elevate and support women working in journalism and publishing.
• Women's National Book Association: WNBA is a non-profit professional organization for women in the book industry, with local chapters, networking events, and awards. It is the closest direct peer in book publishing specifically, sharing EWIP's women-in-publishing mission, membership structure, and event-led engagement model.
• Native American Journalists Association: NAJA serves Indigenous journalists through training, scholarships, and an annual conference. It mirrors EWIP's mission model (underrepresented group in media, conference-driven engagement) and connects to shades Magazine's coverage of Native American women.
• National Association of Black Journalists: NABJ is the largest professional organization for journalists of color, providing networking, training, and an annual convention. It is comparable in form (membership non-profit, annual conference, awards) and overlaps EWIP's audience through women journalists and women of color in media.
• Asian American Journalists Association: AAJA is a membership non-profit supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander journalists through professional development, mentorship, and an annual convention. It is structurally identical to EWIP — women/minority-focused professional network in journalism — and intersects with EWIP's shades Magazine readership.
• Women in Communications: Women in Communications / The Communications Network is a professional association focused on women across communications disciplines, offering networking, mentoring, and awards. It is a direct peer along mission, member-based structure, and career-advancement programming.

Broad incumbents

• Color Of Change: Color Of Change is a large racial-justice media advocacy organization running campaigns against media misrepresentation. It is a broader incumbent overlapping EWIP's mission to amplify women of color in publishing/media and competes for the same donor and grant dollars.
• Investigative Reporters and Editors: IRE is a larger, established membership non-profit for investigative journalists offering training, conferences, and the IRE Awards. It is a broader incumbent in the same journalism professional-network category where EWIP competes for the same member attention and conference sponsorship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ewip_tweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExceptionalWomenInPublishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/1923370
• Instagraminstagram.com/shadesmagazine.ewip

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Exceptional Women in Publishing