Boston Webgrrls strike out on their own

by Michelle Chihara

The best-known networking organization for women, Webgrrls International, happens to be run by a man. It also happens to be a for-profit corporation, unlike most of the high-technology trade associations in Boston. But now the Boston chapter's leader has changed all that. Despite serious resistance from Webgrrls' parent company, Cybergrrl, she has spun off a good chunk of the Boston chapter of Webgrrls into a new nonprofit organization.

Webgrrls is the nation's largest networking, training, and mentoring organization. It's designed to encourage and support women in the tech sector. In a world where at least 70 percent of New England technology companies still have no women on the board of directors, according to an informal survey by Mass High Tech, such organizations are vital. "It doesn't make sense that it was a for-profit, when all of us were volunteering," says Diane Darling, who has headed up the Boston chapter of Webgrrls since the fall of 1999. "The cause is Kevin's pocket as a for-profit." ("Kevin" is Kevin Kennedy, Cybergrrl/Webgrrls' New York City CEO.)

When Darling began posting questions to Webgrrls members on their e-mail listserv asking whether they would be interested in becoming a nonprofit, Kennedy cut off her access to the mailing list. He then sent an e-mail to the group saying that Darling had "stepped down" -- before Darling had sent in a letter of resignation. She says she finds Kennedy's behavior "unfortunate." "Let's just part ways and wish each other the best!" she says.

Kennedy says there are "other details" having to do with "leadership and corporate stuff" that influenced his decision to boot Darling from the list. Kennedy says that the corporate structure allows Webgrrls more flexibility, and that "we're a mission-led company. We encourage women and girls to embrace technology. All these leaders are free to set up their own organizations. If they feel empowered to do that, then we encourage them."

Darling, for her part, did feel empowered to split from Webgrrls. Provisionally named Boston Web Women, her new organization already has 350 members. "Given that it took Webgrrls five years to build up about 1000 members, and it took us five weeks to get 350, I'm pretty happy," Darling says.

Boston is following in the footsteps of San Francisco and Washington, DC, which also have Webgrrls chapters that spun out into independent nonprofits under new names (Webgrrls was under different management at the time).

Kennedy's Boston Webgrrls chapter still exists. Both he and Darling are hoping that when it comes to women's organizations in the booming tech economy, this town will be big enough for two.