The Giving Chair
A Seat at Every Table
"Great training should never be a privilege. The Giving Chair is our commitment to making sure it isn't."
Ngunan Adamu, Founder of iWoman
What Is The Giving Chair?
The Giving Chair is a pro bono place reserved on every iWoman Media corporate training programme for a woman who would not otherwise be able to access high-quality leadership or media coaching.
Every time an organisation books iWoman to deliver a programme, a seat at that table is given completely free to a woman from outside that organisation. She receives exactly the same world-class training, the same coaching, the same experience as every other participant in the room.
No reduced version. No separate session. The same chair, the same room, the same opportunity.
Why We Do This
Leadership training changes lives. We see it every single time the moment a woman realises her voice matters, her story is worth telling and her presence commands attention. That moment should not be reserved for women who happen to work for organisations with training budgets.
The women who most need this training are often the furthest from it community leaders running grassroots organisations on no budget, women returning to work after a career break, entrepreneurs building businesses alone, activists creating change without corporate backing.
The Giving Chair brings those women into the room.
Who Receives a Giving Chair Place?
Every Giving Chair recipient is nominated or selected from outside the commissioning organisation. Priority is given to women who are:
Working in the voluntary, community or charity sector
Running early-stage social enterprises or micro-businesses
Returning to work after a career break, redundancy or illness
From Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds who face a double visibility gap
In community leadership roles without access to professional development budgets
Recipients are selected by iWoman in partnership with our community network, charities and partner organisations.
What The Giving Chair Recipient Receives
A full place on an iWoman Media training programme
Access to all course materials, exercises and frameworks
One-to-one feedback from Ngunan or a lead iWoman trainer
An iWoman Academy follow-up resource pack to continue their development
An invitation to join the iWoman alumni community
The Impact So Far
Since The Giving Chair was established, it has provided:
Free world-class training to women from grassroots, community and voluntary organisations
Access to the same coaching as senior corporate executives
A direct bridge between the corporate world and the communities it serves
A network of Giving Chair alumni now leading, speaking and creating change in their fields
Voices From The Chair
"I never imagined sitting in a room with senior executives receiving the same coaching. It changed how I see myself as a leader and what I believe I deserve."
Giving Chair recipient, community organisation leader
"The training gave me language for what I do and confidence in how I say it. I've since secured two speaking opportunities I would never have gone for before."
Giving Chair recipient, social entrepreneur
"This wasn't charity. It was equity. And it made all the difference."
Giving Chair recipient, charity sector professional
For Organisations: Why Your Investment Reaches Further
When you commission iWoman Media to deliver a training programme, you are not just investing in your own team. You are making it possible for a woman outside your walls to access the same opportunity.
This is what genuine corporate social responsibility looks like not a badge on a website, but a seat in a room.
Every iWoman corporate client becomes part of a chain of impact that stretches far beyond their organisation.
Nominate Someone For The Chair
Do you know a woman who deserves a seat at the table? A community leader, an aspiring changemaker, a woman rebuilding her confidence or her career?
Nominations for Giving Chair places are open to individuals, organisations, charities and community groups.
To nominate someone or to find out more get in touch:
For Organisations: Commission a Programme
Every corporate programme you commission creates a Giving Chair place. To discuss a bespoke leadership, EDI or media training programme for your organisation: