Dear Members and Friends,
Welcome to the first e-newsletter of Impact100 Philadelphia, an exciting philanthropic endeavor launched this year. Impact100 Philadelphia unites women from across the region to support non-profit organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area.
We invite you to browse the newsletter and contact us with your questions and comments. This issue includes news, articles on recent events and upcoming dates. Also, please visit our new website at www.impact100philly.org.
Members of Impact100 Philadelphia are committed to making a difference. Working together, we can make a bigger one.
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From the Presidents
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Dear Members and Friends,
Since introducing Impact100 Philadelphia in May, we
have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic support for this concept. Like many who give smaller contributions to several organizations, neither of us is able to make a major donation to any one
organization.
After learning about the first Impact100 group in Cincinnati, we were inspired to launch our own Impact100
to provide women an opportunity to make a significant contribution to a
nonprofit in the Philadelphia
region. By the end of this month, we will unite a minimum of 100 women, each
donating $1,000, and in June 2009, we will award a $100,000 grant to an
organization collectively chosen by our membership through a formal grant-making
process.
For the two of us, volunteering and working in the nonprofit
community for over ten years has been incredibly rewarding. Our experience, including
time spent as grant-writers for local nonprofits, has made us aware of the
tremendous financial challenges faced by organizations with limited access to
funding sources.
Giving as one, we hope to make a significant impact. In addition, our members will learn about the good
work of local organizations, which may
lead to their personal involvement as volunteers, board members and
donors. We look forward to seeing the
ripple effect generated by uniting a large group of women in a common
philanthropic effort.
Beth Dahle and Mary Broach
Founders and Co-Presidents, Impact100 Philadelphia
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Impact100 Philadelphia has been granted federal tax-exempt status from the IRS. Contributions to Impact100, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, are fully tax-deductible. We thank attorneys at Duane Morris in Philadelphia for assisting us pro bono.
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About that Grant
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The crux of Impact100 is giving a grant. Many non-profit organizations in our area rarely have the chance to acquire grant funding on a large scale.
While members will not choose a grant recipient until next June, finalizing the grant process is well underway. In November, our Grants chair Anita Lockhart held a meeting with the chairs of our five Focus Area Committees (FACs) -- Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Family, and Health & Wellness -- to discuss the grant proposal evaluation process. (Interested nonprofits must provide services in one of these five areas, and cannot have an annual operating budget exceeding $5 million.)
At that meeting, participants drew up a timeline, proposal evaluation forms and guidelines for making the process as thorough as possible. Each focus area needs volunteers to help with this process. Please email members@impact100.org if you are interested and have not yet signed up for a FAC. FAC meetings will be posted and updated on our website, www.impact100philly.org so please check those dates to confirm you can attend. FAC members will review proposals and choose the grant finalists who will make presentations at the annual meeting in June. All volunteers must attend one training session (see dates below, and visit the website for details) and two to three meetings in late March, April and May. Additionally, FAC members will have the opportunity to make site visits in late April.
Key dates for FAC members:
Now: Volunteer for a FAC.
February 25: Training session, noon-1:30 PM, Center City.
March 2: Training session, 7:30-9 PM, Lower Merion. Doors open at 7:15 PM; meeting begins promptly at 7:30 PM.
(Members must attend only one of the two training sessions.)
March 7: Proposal review starts.
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| Welcome Reception
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On October 17, Impact100 held a reception to welcome members and their guests at the Radnor home of Jacquie Kelly, Impact100's Recruiting chair. More than 80 women turned out to share drinks and food, meet board members and hear Sue Baggott, past president of Impact100 Cincinnati, speak about her role in the founding of that organization seven years ago, the first of its kind in the country. It helped to galvanize the philanthropic community, resulting in several Impact groups, including those in Pensacola, Fl., Austin, Tx., and now here in Philadelphia.
Pictured above (left to right) are Impact100 Philadelphia Secretary Ellan Bernstein and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek,an Impact100 member. We thank Fred Morganstein of Infinity Caterers at Beat Street Station and The Wine Merchant for generously catering the event.
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Spreading the Word
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In addition to choosing a grant
finalist, members are working hard to get out the word about Impact100
Philadelphia. Recruiting and keeping members is critical. To that end,
Mary Brown, chair of the Environment Focus
Area Committee, held a wine and cheese evening in November at her
Washington Square home in Center City. Friends, board members and
several new contacts who were interested in learning more about
Impact100, attended.
Another Impact member, Georgie Noll,
hosted a recruiting luncheon at the Philadelphia Cricket Club Dec. 10.
We are very grateful to Mary and Georgie for hosting these events.
Coming up in 2009: On Monday, Feb. 9,
Impact100 will host a social event in Center City. Howard Taylor,
owner of Carmine's in Bryn Mawr and the new Les Bons Temps in Center
City, has offered his Center City restaurant for hor d'ouerves and cash
bar. At that event, the board also will announce the number of
nonprofit organizations that have submitted Letters of Inquiry to apply
for the 2009 grant.
Impact members pictured above (left to right) at the luncheon December 10: Rhonda Mordy, Ellen Sisle, Cheryl Haze Luehrs (Treasurer), and Margie Patches.
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Thanks for reading, and more importantly, thank you for showing such tremendous support for Impact100 Philadelphia since its inception. Thank you in particular to two volunteers, Karen Nathan and Nancy Librett, for their help in getting out this newsletter.
All of us at Impact100 Philadelphia wish you a safe and happy holiday season. Looking forward to seeing you in 2009.
Sincerely,
Beth Burrell
Communications Chair
Impact100 Philadelphia
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| Featured Article |
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Sue Baggott, past president of Impact100 Cincinnati,
the
first such group in the country, spoke at our Welcome Reception in
October. In her message, which was in turn both informative and
inspiring, Baggott described the efforts of Cincinnati women seven
years ago to combine their single donations to make one large
contribution to their community.
By pooling their dollars, they made
one large, high-impact grant -- $100,000 -- to a dental clinic serving the
homeless. Baggott said members were struck by the debilitating nature
of dental disease, which can cause severe pain and disfigurement, and
in some cases, lead to substance abuse and unemployment. The grant
allowed the center to buy new equipment for the first time in 20 years
and to treat thousands of homeless people who visit each year. The
center estimates that in the five years following the grant, it
provided more than $6 million in free dental care.
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SAVE THE DATE
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Dec. 31: Last date members can contribute toward 2009 Inaugural Grant
Jan 5: Impact100 Philadelphia announces 2009 Inaugural Grant amount
Feb. 9: Members' social evening at Les Bons Temps in Center City
Feb. 25: Training session for Focus Area Committee members from 12-1:30 PM, Center City
March 2: Second training session for FAC members 7:30-9 PM, Lower Merion
(Members need attend only one training session)
June 1: Annual Meeting to vote on 2009 Grant Recipient
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Our Members
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At the time of publication, our membership had grown to 89 paid members. Members live throughout the area, in and outside Philadelphia, and span six decades in age. Please look for a membership list in January.
Impact100 has received $3,870 in donations, as well as $1,000 from Bryn Mawr Trust, all to help cover our operating expenses.
Above are members and friends mingling at Impact100's first event, a Welcome Reception in October.
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Impact100 joins Delaware Valley Grantmakers
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Impact100 Philadelphia is now a member of the Delaware Valley Grantmakers Association, an organization that serves as a network for grantmakers and as an educational resource. Please visit www.dvg.org to learn more.
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Impact Board of Directors
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Co-President: Beth Dahle
Co-President: Mary Broach
Treasurer: Cheryl Haze Luehrs
Secretary: Ellan Bernstein
Grants: Anita Lockhart
Educational Programs: Wendy Peck
PR/Marketing: Charlotte Schutzman
Recruiting: Jacquie Kelly
Communications: Beth Burrell
Focus Area Committee Chairs
Arts & Culture: Fay Trachtenberg
Education: Deborah Fedder
Environment: Mary Brown
Family: Julie Morgan
Health & Wellness: Kate Carp
Annual Meeting Chairs: Barbara Gross
Claudia Williams
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