Thank you for supporting us for 4 years!

This month, sometime between holding interviews for new team members and organising meetings with universities to see how we could work together, Women in Foreign Policy turned four.
 
When I launched WiFP, I was channelling two angers: how unrepresentative the foreign policy workforce and decision-makers still are; and the fact that no one in the industry was taking my experience seriously as a potential employee because of my background in luxury fashion marketing. I also couldn't find a space gathering the career advice I needed to figure out my next step. So I took stock of my skills and decided to create my own space, guessing that if it was missing for me, it was also missing for other people. This is a recurrent theme in feminist organisations that I’ve had the chance to work with.
 
As the cliché goes, WiFP has exceeded my expectations. Sure, a small part of me hoped that I would end up delivering a talk at the FCO, or meet the Queen along the way, but I never thought it would actually happen.
 
Obviously, running this organisation in addition to my day job isn’t all spotlight and royals. But for every evening and weekend I get home and find the task ahead daunting and stressful, there is an email waiting in my inbox that reminds me that our content does indeed provide you with the advice and support you need to succeed in your career.
 
It doesn’t get much better than one of you telling me that you left a networking event “more at ease and with new-found determination”. There was a lot of fist pumping involved the first time one of our website readers told me WiFP interview advice had helped her to get into the Foreign Office. It turns out that pride and happiness don't fade and this has carried me through many doubts and tough times.

As we are planning for the next four years and how to best inspire and support your career, we have developed a quick anonymous survey. Completing it takes 5 min and you will be in with a chance to win one of two £15 Amazon vouchers.
 
Wondering how else to wish us a happy birthday? Donate to us to cover our running costs, which are currently 70% self-funded by my full-time job. If you have experience in business development, email me so we can brainstorm. Make some noise about us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Transfer this newsletter to your friends so they can sign up. 

Thank you for reading us, supporting us, feeding back and spreading the word over the past four years. Onwards!

Lucie Goulet
Women in Foreign Policy founder