Summer 2010 - Baldwin School

BY L I S A A M E I S E N ‘ 7 6
After graduation in 1995, our Young Alumna
Award winner, Amanda Birnbaum Steinberg,
left Baldwin to complete a bachelor’s degree
in urban planning at Columbia University.
Since graduating in May of 1999, Amanda has worked
for diverse institutions ranging from CitySoft, Inc., a
web services firm that develops websites and web-based
systems for non-profit and government organizations,
to the American Civil Liberties Union. However, she is
best known today as the founder and CEO of not one
but two highly successful web-based companies. The
first, Soapbxx, is a strategic website consulting firm with
clients as varied as the Joseph Papp Public Theater,
Harlem Children’s Zone, Society Hill Synagogue, and the
City of Philadelphia. The second, DailyWorth.com, was
launched in January 2009 and is a free personal finance
site that seeks to “empower women to recognize their self
worth, earn higher salaries and grow their net worth.”
When discussing either of her companies or what
their missions are, Amanda’s dedication is obvious.
When asked why she founded Soapbxx she replied, “I
am passionate about the web’s ability to create authentic
connections free of physical
boundaries and limits. I
cannot think of anything
more exciting than helping
groups as diverse as wine
lovers, teachers, activists,
recyclers – you name
it—create community
online.” Her vision and
determination are seen
even more clearly when she
discusses what drove her
A w a r d W i n n e r s
2010 DISTINGUISHED YOUNG ALUMNA AwARD wINNER
Amanda Birnbaum
Steinberg ’95
She knows you’re worth it!
This year’s winners, Amanda
Birnbaum Steinberg’95,
Christina Giannini ’55 and
Lindsay Carroll Farrell ’75
visit before the Alumnae
Awards ceremony on April
30. Behind them is Lisa
Ameisen’76, chair of the
Alumnae Awards Committee.
to create DailyWorth, which was launched within the
same week she gave birth to her second child, daughter
Maya. “No one is going to fix financial inequity for
women. We have to recognize our own self-worth, ask for
higher salaries, invest more aggressively and build our
own wealth.” Even more than unfair compensation, the
pet peeve that really gets Amanda going is the constant
apologizing women do. “Women apologize for their
questions and concerns, and discount their words before
even articulating their thoughts and ideas. That has got to
stop!” she insists.
Amanda’s message is clearly working as the site
gains 20 new members daily. Within the first six months,
her membership had exceeds 1,000 users. Her long-term
goal is to attract 100,000 members.
Articles highlighting Amanda’s work have been
written for magazines such as Forbes, Self, and Inc. to
name a few. Her success was most recently described in
a featured article on Entrepreneur.com. In addition,
Oprah Winfrey just bought a sponsorship in one of her
daily emails.