There’s a question we’ve been sitting with as International Women’s Day approaches: What’s the difference between celebrating women and actually advance them?

This year, the UN answered it for us. Their 2026 theme isn’t about empowerment or inspiration. It’s about “Rights, Justice, Action for All Women and Girls.”

And as a woman-owned brand, marketing and communications consultancy, we wanted our response to be practical, not performative.

So, we asked ourselves: Where’s the real gap between what we’re good at and what’s actually needed?

The problem we keep seeing

Here’s what we know from years of working with founders: the businesses doing the most important work for women and girls often have the weakest marketing.

Not because the founders lack passion or capability. Because they’re making impossible choices with impossible budgets.

A legal advocacy service for domestic violence survivors, run from a dining room table. An employment programme for women exiting the prison system with no marketing budget. A menstrual health education initiative that’s never had strategic communications support.

The statistics bear this out. Female founders in the UK receive approximately 2% of venture capital funding. For women of colour, it’s less than 1%. For those running social impact businesses supporting women’s rights, safety, equality and opportunity? The numbers are even grimmer.

No funding means no marketing resources. No marketing resources means your transformative work reaches a fraction of the people who need to know about it.

What we’re calling the narrative gap

Here’s what happens when you’re deep inside mission-driven work: you become fluent in the language of your sector.
You understand the policy landscape. The systemic barriers. The data behind your approach. The lived experiences of the women and girls you serve.

To you, it’s crystal clear why your work matters. You see the impact daily.

But to someone encountering your business for the first time? They need translation. They need context. They need to understand not just what you do, but why it matters to them, to their community, to the world.

The businesses doing the most important work for women and girls often have the weakest marketing. Not because the founders lack capability. Because they’re making impossible choices with impossible budgets.

That gap between your expertise and their understanding? We call it the narrative gap.

When businesses supporting women and girls cannot clearly articulate their value, growth slows. Partnerships are harder to secure. Investment conversations take longer. Opportunities to reach new audiences are missed. Over time, this places additional pressure on founders and teams who are already balancing commercial sustainability with social impact.

Our International Women’s Day action

This year’s IWD campaign introduces a concept we’re taking seriously: “Give to Gain.”

The principle is simple: when you’ve built something valuable, you share it with those who need it most.

For us, what we’ve built is expertise in brand narrative and experience working with female founders. We understand how to help businesses find their story, clarify their messaging, and communicate in ways that create real connection with audiences.

We’ve spent years developing these skills. They have significant value.

And the female founders working for women’s rights, justice and action deserve access to them.

So here’s what we’re doing

We are offering one female founder a practical programme of strategic brand foundations, at no cost.

The selected business will receive:

• Brand Narrative: purpose, positioning, value propositions, narrative and messaging hierarchy
• Customer Journey Mapping: personas, journey stages, touchpoints, friction points and opportunities
• Messaging Framework: core pillars, audience messaging, tone of voice and proof points

This work is collaborative and requires active participation from the founder and team. We are selecting a business at the right stage to benefit from and implement this work.

Who we’re looking for

We are inviting applications from UK or Ireland based female founders or female-led founding teams who:

• Support women and girls through legal rights, economic access, safety, education, health, or representation
• Have been trading for 12 to 24 months
• Have paying customers or clients
• Have a product or service already in market
• Have a team in place
• Demonstrate growth potential
• Align with our values and could benefit from an ongoing relationship

We’re not looking for:

• Perfect applications with polished marketing speak
• Businesses that already have it figured out
• Founders who just need a logo refresh

We are looking for:

• Honest applications that show us the real challenge
• Businesses actively working to address injustice facing women and girls
• Founders who need strategic narrative support but can’t currently afford it

How to apply

Applications are straightforward. No lengthy forms or complicated requirements.

Tell us in 500 words or less:

• What you’re building
• Who you’re serving
• Why your voice matters
• What would change if your story could reach the right people
• Where you are on your growth journey

That’s it.

Key dates:

• Applications open: Now
• Applications close: 3rd March 2026
• Winner announced: 8th March 2026 (International Women’s Day)

PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

Rights, Justice, Action for ALL Women and Girls

The UN’s theme asks for all three. Rights that are owed. Justice that addresses what’s been denied. Action that closes the gap between the two.

For us, action looks like giving away what we’re good at to someone fighting for what matters.

The businesses working for women’s equality shouldn’t have to become marketing experts while also dismantling systemic barriers. They shouldn’t have to choose between delivering their service and telling their story effectively.

That’s not sustainable. And it’s certainly not just.

Your turn

If this is you, if you’re fighting for justice but struggling to tell your story, we want to hear from you.

If this is someone you know, please share this with them. The applications that matter most are often the ones people hesitate to submit.

And if you’re not a founder but you’ve gained expertise that someone working for women’s advancement needs – legal support, financial planning, operations, technology — maybe this International Women’s Day is your prompt to ask: What can I give?
Because rights, justice, and action aren’t abstract concepts. They’re the daily work of people who deserve support.

Apply now:

Applications close 3rd March and the winner announced 8th March.

PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

Let’s make this International Women’s Day mean something.