Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Irene O’Neill, CSJ, EdD. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Irene thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea for Sisters Rising Worldwide, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, began in 2016 when I was in conversation with yet one more person who said, “If I knew where the Sisters were, I would fund them.” I believed I knew where Sisters were living and serving around the globe, and I believed that each Sister knew the root causes of the poverty around them. To test my assumptions, I gathered what I called my Merry Band of Visionaries–three other Catholic Sisters–who were also big thinkers and had international Sister contacts. We each had spent years leading and working in education, social service, healthcare, and serving communities facing poverty. We also knew there were thousands of Sisters just like us around the world (650,000, I later learned!), deeply embedded in their communities, running schools, clinics, shelters, and programs that address the root causes of poverty, human trafficking, hunger, violence, and displacement, etc.
I knew Sisters were deeply trusted in their communities and held the knowledge, experience, and solutions to address these issues in lasting ways, but much of their work remained unseen and therefore also under-resourced. I knew if we could match donors to Sisters’ ministry needs, we could harness the power, intelligence, resourcefulness, work ethic, and wisdom of Sisters across the globe. The impact could create real systemic change and reduce poverty around the globe.
I began looking for an aggregate database of Sisters and their congregations, so we could bring them together to share best practices and request resources. I soon learned that Sister Congregations were siloed, working within the parameters of their own Congregations, but not really sharing ideas or resources across Orders. A comprehensive list of all the Sisters worldwide did not exist. The largest pro-bono workforce of women was powering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian problems, but they were not connected to one another. The insight was clear. What was needed was a connection to each other as a global support system, sharing best practices, gaining visibility, and therefore, access to funding.
What excited me most was the possibility of creating a bridge. What if we could bring the 650,000 Sisters together, and what if the world could see what we see? What if we could give them a direct view of the amazing impact these women are making across the globe with very few resources? That question became the seed of Sisters Rising Worldwide.
We could solve these problems with modern technology. I began envisioning what a technology platform could look like to bring Sisters together and overcome the challenges of geography, language, and silos, enabling them to share ideas and strategies effectively and to seek resources to help the most vulnerable. I began sharing the concept with my network and key funders. One of the Merry Band, Sister Patty Johnson, said we needed to talk with her cousins, Kelly Mallon Young and Kathryn Mallon, who had years of successful leadership experience in national organizations. I explained my vision, and they helped further develop the concept and work with specialists to bring the technology platform – the PeaceRoom – to life. We secured funding from a small group of major funders to develop and launch the platform in 2021. Today, the PeaceRoom connects Sisters globally to share ideas, programs, access resources, and invite the world to support their work directly. Just last month, we launched a public-facing version of the PeaceRoom to amplify and provide a direct, transparent funding pathway for Sister-led initiatives in more than 50 countries.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am Sister Irene O’Neill, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and my life’s work has centered around education, service, development, and empowering others.
Before founding Sisters Rising Worldwide, I spent many years in leadership roles within education and development. Those experiences shaped my belief that real, lasting change happens when people are trusted, supported, and equipped to lead within their own communities.
Sisters Rising Worldwide brings that belief to life on a global scale.
At its core, we are a global nonprofit that operates with a systems-thinking, entrepreneurial mindset. We connect, equip, and amplify Catholic Sisters around the world who address the root causes of injustice through locally led solutions. In just 5 years, we’ve reached approximately 20,000 Sisters in 50 countries and aim to connect the world’s 650,000 Sisters across 190 countries.
Through our one-of-a-kind PeaceRoom technology platform, we have created a first-of-its-kind global infrastructure that connects Sisters across Orders, countries, and languages—something that did not exist before. Sisters Rising Worldwide provides visibility into Sister-led projects around the world, direct pathways for funding and support, and a trusted, scalable model for community-level impact.
The problem we solve is both simple and profound. There are extraordinary solutions already in motion from knowledgeable and trusted Sisters on the ground in their communities, but they are often disconnected from the visibility and resources they need to achieve maximum impact. We amplify Sister-led solutions, believing that those closest to the problem are closest to the solution, and we accelerate impact to create a more efficient, trust-based model of philanthropy.
What I am most proud of is that we have built something that honors the dignity, leadership, and wisdom of Sisters while inviting others into that work in a meaningful way.
If there is one thing I would want people to know, it is this:
Through the support of a small group of dedicated backers, Sisters Rising Worldwide’s operational costs are fully covered so that 100% of all public donations go directly to Sister-led projects. Sisters are already on the frontlines in the world’s most vulnerable communities. They know what to do. They just need you. Anyone interested in supporting a Sister-led project can visit us at www.srw.org.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
In the beginning, like many mission-driven efforts, we started with relationships and belief. We shared the concept, told the Sisters’ stories, and invited people into something that felt both deeply human and highly practical. We identified friends, individuals, and foundations in our network who already trusted the Sisters and believed in the vision, and who were willing to take a first step with us. We first focused on funding to build the PeaceRoom platform itself and were fortunate to receive in-kind support as well.
Early funding came from a small group of committed supporters who saw the potential for scale. They understood that if we could build the right infrastructure, we could unlock resources for Sisters around the world in a much more efficient and transparent way.
Now, with $3.2 million in Sister-led project funding needs currently, our needs have grown, and our strategy has evolved into a layered approach of engaging a broad audience of individuals, foundations, donor-advised funds, and congregational support through major gifts, grants, Sister champions (monthly recurring donors), and peer-to-peer funding strategies.
Our backers model to fully fund operations so that 100% of all gifts from this point forward can go directly to Sister-led projects has been critical. It allows us to operate with integrity and clarity, while also building trust with a broader community of supporters.
In many ways, our funding story mirrors our mission: it is built on relationships, trust, and a shared belief that all gifts can lead to significant impact.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I believe our reputation has been built on four things: authenticity, trust, results, and humility.
First, authenticity. We are amplifying real, lived experiences and impact from Sisters who are embedded in their communities. That authenticity resonates with people.
Second, trust. We have been very intentional about building a model where donors know their support is going directly to meaningful work. Transparency through the PeaceRoom has been key to that. Sisters submit impact reports every six months that allow us to share results, photos, and videos with investors.
Third, results. When people see that one project is changing hundreds or even thousands of lives, such as when a school is built, a woman is empowered with job training, or a healthcare clinic is equipped, that creates meaningful momentum and reinforces authenticity and trust all over again.
Finally, Sisters Rising Worldwide operates with humility. We do not position ourselves as the solution; rather, the Sisters are the solution. We position ourselves as a connector and bridge between those who want to help and those who are already making the most difference. Most importantly, our strong reputation is due solely to the incredible work of the Sisters themselves. Their credibility, commitment, presence, and impact in communities around the world speak more powerfully than anything we could say.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.srw.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sistersrisingworldwide/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SistersRisingWorldwide/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irene-o-neill-587ab2a9/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SistersRisingWorldwide
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