Advancing Women-Owned Business in Corporate & Government Supply Chains

WBENC Corporate & Government Members help to set the national agenda for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) by providing equal access to procurement opportunities.

WBENC offers members a variety of benefits, including exclusive access to our online database of certified WBEs.

Ready to become a member? Download the application and contact us to get started.

Eligibility

Corporations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations that have a supplier diversity program or are in the process of starting one are eligible for membership. Your organization must proactively seek out Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers.

An active supplier diversity initiative means you have at least one individual dedicated to supplier diversity who proactively promotes WBE product and service capabilities to your supply chain management or purchasing organization. The initiative must have the tools to track and record spend that will allow the supplier diversity lead to knowledgeably set spend goals and determine capacity development needs.

Benefits
  • Exclusive access to 18,000+ certified WBEs through WBENCLink2.0, our fully-digitized, password-protected, searchable database created with our Corporate & Government Members needs in mind.
    • Search for procurement needs based on NAICS code or keywords.
    • Pull certification and business information for thousands of potential suppliers.
  • Access to a nationally-recognized, stringent certification program for your non-certified women-owned suppliers to assist you in identifying legitimate WBEs within your supply chain for accurate reporting.
  • Assistance with the development or expansion of your Supplier Diversity program by:
    • Utilizing the WBENC Ambassador Program, to help educate you on the role WBENC can play in helping to achieve your supplier diversity goals, share best practices, and connect to other Corporate Members who have world-class supplier diversity programs.
    • Participating in our regular Supplier Diversity education and idea-sharing series addressing the critical issues that these professionals face on a daily basis in a solutions-based format.
    • Participating in our Industry-Specific Programming and Advisory Councils, which serves to educate WBEs on the distinct differences of the industries they are seeking to do business with for overall best alignment, and to provide insight on best practices to our Corporate Members within those industries.
    • Providing access to other WBENC Corporate Members for mentorship and sharing of best practices.
  • Internal support and championship of supplier diversity efforts:
    • Training for procurement and commodity buyers on best practices on identifying women-owned businesses for upcoming RFPs.
    • Leadership development and speaker opportunities on the importance of a top-down approach to D&I.
    • Connections with other leaders in diversity in business.
  • National recognition as a member and supporter of WBEs:
    • Eligibility for national awards, including our prestigious America’s Top Corporation for Women’s Business Enterprises award.
    • The ACTIntentionally initiative promotes the support of corporations that support women-owned businesses through our network. We actively challenge our network to ACTIntentionally while making their own purchasing decisions – every decision, every day.
    • Corporate Members are listed on the WBENC website and in WBENC marketing materials. Additionally, Corporate Members have the opportunity for cross-promotion and recognition through the various WBENC communication channels regarding pertinent business information.
    • Use of the WBENC Logo on your marketing materials and website showing your support for women entrepreneurs.
    • Recognition as subject matter experts and leaders in D&I during events, programs, media opportunities, and public awareness campaigns.
  • Opportunity to lead and/or sponsor game-changing business development programs for WBEs to help develop, increase scalability, enhance growth, provide access to funding and mentorship, and connect WBEs with valuable resources to grow their business.
  • Discounted conference registration and exclusive participation as an exhibitor, and/or sponsor at WBENC national events, as well as our national procurement opportunity programs, including our 1:1 MatchMaker program where corporate members choose eligible WBENC-Certified WBEs for pre-scheduled meetings based on their current or possible future needs.

 

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Dues

Member Dues Structure

Corporate Member dues are based on global revenues of the entity. WBENC Membership runs the calendar year, January 1 – December 31, and WBENC will prorate new members for the quarter in which they join.

  • $70B+: $31,000
  • $35B – $69.9B: $26,000
  • $25B – $34.9B: $21,000
  • $13B – $24.9B: $16,000
  • $6B – $12.9B: $10,500
  • $1B – $5.9B: $8,500
  • <$1B: $6,500

Government agencies and nonprofit entities pay a flat rate of $2,500 annually.

Questions about membership eligibility or benefits?
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FAQs
What are the mission and goals of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)?

WBENC is dedicated to advancing the success of certified Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs), Corporate Members, and government agencies, in partnership with its Regional Partner Organizations.

WBENC works to foster diversity in the world of commerce. Our programs and policies are designed to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in the marketplace for women business owners. WBENC works with corporate representatives to encourage the use and expansion of Supplier Diversity programs.

Learn more about WBENC.

Who are WBENC Corporate Members?

Membership is open to corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations that have a demonstrated interest in supplier diversity programs. See the current list of Corporate Members. WBENC’s 18,000+ Certified WBEs are not classified as members.

Who is eligible to join?

Corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations that have a supplier diversity program or are in the process of starting one are eligible to join. They must proactively seek Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) suppliers.

What is the value of a WBENC Corporate Membership?

National Membership with WBENC provides you not only with unlimited national access to 17,000+ Certified WBEs and WOSBs to fulfill your contracting needs, but you will also work directly with us to receive the tools and resources needed to build the type of Supplier Diversity Program that best fits your company’s needs. From a strong traditional program, to an advanced or world class program, the programs and services offered through your National Member Benefits will help you achieve this goal. As a new Corporate Member, your company joins the 350+ major corporations and government agencies that have discovered and are recognized for the bottom line value of adding diversity to their vendor pool.

Is Supplier Diversity or WBE utilization training provided?

Yes, training is provided on an informal basis. For companies seeking to start a new program, WBENC refers an experienced consultant or connects you to a Corporate Member who is a national leader in Supplier Diversity. Many of these Corporate Supplier Diversity leaders either serve as WBENC Board Members or in our Ambassadors’ program. These leaders can be an invaluable resource in providing support and advice.

Support and information is also provided through research such as the benchmarking survey, through workshops, live meetings on a variety of topics, online services such as WBENCLink2.0, plus tools such as the balanced scorecard that assists member companies in self-assessing their programs.

How can my company participate?

WBENC offers many high visibility opportunities for corporate participation. Two-thirds of WBENC’s Board seats are held by corporations, and corporate representatives are eligible to serve on standing committees of the Board. Involvement in the Ambassadors’ program or providing event sponsorship and support are additional ways for companies to participate.

Are corporate sponsorship opportunities available?

Sponsorship of events and programs such as our annual Summit & Salute held in March every year during Women’s History Month; annual WBENC National Conference & Business Fair, the largest conference for WBEs in the country, held each year in June; various WBENC programs and opportunities; the Dorothy B. Brothers Executive Scholarship Program; WBENC publications and many others are significant sponsorship and branding opportunities. In addition to the events and programs listed above, WBENC also undertakes research and other special projects each year, each with well-established benefits and attractive outreach opportunities.

Please contact valuedsponsors@wbenc.org for more information.

What is the certification process and how do I know it is reliable?

WBENC provides a national standard for the certification of women-owned companies. Our 14 Regional Partner Organizations implement this standard utilizing professional staff and trained volunteer certification committees. The process begins when a woman applies through the WBENCLink2.0 website. After completion of the online application, she must then submit the required documents to complete her file and send it to the designated Regional Partner Organization. A regional Certification Review Committee reviews the file and directs the next step, a site visit, be conducted.

The Certification Review Committee outlines specific questions for the site visit, and the result of the site visit is reported during the next monthly Certification Review Committee meeting. If the file review and site visit have led the committee to determine that the business meets all of WBENC’s criteria, certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) will be issued. While approximately 23% of applications are denied, an appeal process is in place that provides a review at both the regional and, if appropriate, the national level.

Corporate Members can track a WBE through the certification process, access, and download a PDF version of the WBE certificate via WBENCLink2.0, the WBENC online database of WBEs. The national Board of Directors’ Certification Committee maintains the standards. WBENC oversees the standards and training for Certification Committee members and Regional Partner Organization program staff. WBENC staff conduct an annual audit of each Regional Partner Organization’s processes to ensure that each is following the WBENC certification standards.

How many Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs) does WBENC have and what is the profile of these businesses?

As of January 2021, there are more than 17k+ Certified WBEs in WBENCLink2.0. As the Certification process addresses extensive criteria, many applicants do not meet WBENC’s thorough requirements and do not complete the process.

Where are the Regional Partner Organizations located? What is their relationship to WBENC?

There are 14 Regional Partner Organizations located around the country. Together, they cover the 50 states. The following is a list of the states covered by WBENC’s Regional Partner Organizations. Click here to view an interactive Regional Partner Organization Territory map. 

A detailed listing of presidents/executive directors of the organizations is included on the Regional Partner Organization webpage. In addition to conducting WBENC certification, many of the Regional Partner Organizations offer separately funded programs designed to help women establish and grow businesses. Others only handle certification, provide local Women’s Enterprise Leadership Forums, and host events to connect buyers and WBE suppliers. WBENC has a Designation Agreement with each Regional Partner Organization that details the relationship and the territory covered.