There are various key questions that people wish to know about our organisation.  Hopefully we have answered these below but please email us if you have a question not already answered.

• Why are you called Soroptimists?
• How big is the Soroptimist organisation?
• What is a "Federation"?
• So which Federation is Western Australia in?
• Where are your world headquarters?
• What is a "Region"?
• How many clubs are there in Western Australia and where are they?
• Where are your Federation headquarters?
• How do I become a member?
• Do clubs work together on projects?
• How many members do you currently have?
• I am a journalist and am interested in doing a story on Soroptimists - who can I contact?

Why are you called Soroptimists?

The Word Soroptimist is related to two Latin words, soror meaning sister and optima meaning best. We say Soroptimists are 'women at their best helping others to be their best.'

How big is the Soroptimist organisation?

We are part of a worldwide organisation with over 100,000 members in 121 countries. Whilst we don't support particular political parties or religious groups, Soroptimist International (SI) encourages all members to be aware of and involved in the issues of society which have political implications, take positions of advocacy and to act through its own Programme Focus to influence the legislation and official policies in areas into which the Programme relates.

What is a "Federation"?

A Federation represents a geographical sub-section of the Soroptimist organisation.  Soroptimist International is composed of 4 Federations: 

• The Americas
• Europe
• Great Britain and Ireland 
• South West Pacific 

The organisation is then split down into countries and in some cases, regions to further simplify and help co-ordinate efforts.

So which Federation is Western Australia in?

The South West Pacific - which consists of Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peoples Republic of China, Samoa, Singapore and Solomon Islands.

Where are your world headquarters?

These are in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Further details can be obtained by visiting their website.

What is a "Region"?

A group of clubs in one geographical area - usually a country or a state - can combine into a "region" . In our case, our Region covers the state of Western Australia.

How many clubs are there in Western Australia and where are they?

Visit our region page for further information. 

Where are your Federation headquarters?

The headquarters of the Federation of South West Pacific is located in Sydney, Australia. Further details can be obtained by visiting the home page. 

How do I become a member?

Visit our Membership page for further information. 

Do clubs work together on projects?

Yes, we have several combined region projects. Visit our Projects page for further information. 

How many members do you currently have?

In Western Australia, we have approximately 380 members.

I am a journalist and am interested in doing a story on Soroptimists - who can I contact?

Contact our Publicity Convener via e-mail with Soroptimist Publicity as the Subject.