What Happens When We Invest in Women: Advancing Equity, Opportunity, and Economic Power with Renee Ferrufino

Today, Kami Guildner is joined by her dear friend Renee Ferrufino, the President and CEO of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado and the first Latina to ever lead this statewide force for gender, racial, and economic equity. Renee stepped into this role at a moment when women’s progress is both advancing and under real pressure. And she’s rising to meet that moment with a grounded vision, a powerful voice, and a fierce commitment to what’s possible when women thrive. This is a powerful, hopeful conversation about leadership, equity, and the ripple effect we create when women are fully supported. In This Episode: Why the mission of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado matters now more than ever and what it means to have a statewide foundation boldly championing gender, racial, and economic equity for women. How WFCO is leaning in during a national pullback by increasing Women & Girls of Color Fund grants by 40 percent, expanding unrestricted funding and cash assistance, launching a Catalyst Fund, and strengthening cornerstone community partners women depend on most. The powerful shift in donor behavior and how women are rethinking their giving strategies through donor-advised funds, bundled gifts, and legacy-aligned tax planning to invest more intentionally in women’s economic futures. Inside the Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle, where women become investors in women entrepreneurs through low-interest, values-driven capital that fuels sustainable, women-led businesses. How WFCO’s unique approach to restructuring and renegotiating loans keeps women entrepreneurs supported, steady, and able to grow even when the economy makes it hard to stay afloat. Renee’s leadership lessons on community, courage, growth, trusting your intuition, and why self-care is a strategic advantage for women leading change. Why Colorado remains one of the most powerful places to be a woman and how circles of women are rising together, supporting one another, and shaping the future of business, leadership, and economic opportunity. Renee Ferrufino was named a 2025 “Outstanding Women in Business” winner and a 2024 “Who’s Who in Impact Investing” honoree by the Denver Business Journal, as well as a 2024 “Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business” honoree by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the board of Philanthropy Colorado, is a member of the Women’s Funding Network Gender & Capital Leverage Strategy Design Council, and is an alumna of the Institute for Leaders in Development at the University of Denver. Her vision centers on evolving WFCO’s community impact by leveraging all assets to create lasting change for Colorado women and their families. About the Host: Kami Guildner believes women’s voices matter. She is a connector. A storyteller. A business coach for high vibe women entrepreneurs helping them #RaiseUP their Voice, Vision and Visibility for Impact and Business Growth. Kami helps her clients build businesses they love with more time prosperity and more wealth prosperity. She weaves soulful-inspiration into mindful business strategies, and this Soul+Strategy™ approach to business helps her clients succeed in business and worldly impact. Her clients scale and grow their businesses with a more feminine, abundant approach. Her community of entrepreneurs is creating a new paradigm of entrepreneurship, helping each other raise up in a ripple effect of impact. Her clients have gone on to reach extraordinary heights as consultants, coaches and leaders – achieving exponential revenue growth, landing on big stages, starting software companies, launching new professional organizations, transforming corporate cultures and transforming lives. They are influential and they are changemakers. Kami is the founder of the Extraordinary Women Ignite Conference and host of the award-winning Extraordinary Women Radio™. She is the best-selling author of Firedancer: Your Spiral Journey to a Life of Passion and Purpose and was named to the 2020 Twenty-Five Most Powerful Women in Business List by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “There is no smarter investment than investing in women.” ~Renee Ferrufino To learn more about Renee, visit her website and connect with her on LinkedIn. Renee Ferrufino’s Show Notes