New Members

Rebecca Day
Sarah Paris
Tina Trabucco

Member Referrals

Abbie Baynes
Mary Gallivan
Linda H. Martin

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Mentor-Mentee Monday

Mentor/Mentee Monday will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 2 at Dean and Deluca at Phillips Place. All mentors, mentees and individuals who are interested in becoming a mentor are invited to attend.

Any questions? Contact Christy Durbin at mentors@womensimpactfund.org

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Please take a moment to like the Women's Impact Fund page
on Facebook. Invite your friends to "Like" it too!

If you are on LinkedIn, please ask to join the

Women's Impact Fund Group by clicking on the "Join Group" button.

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Women's Impact Fund Apparel

WIF being honored by Playing for Others

Our Women's Impact Fund is being honored during this year's Playing for Others Arts Festival.

Playing for Others allows teens -- via service and the arts -- to increase their self-awareness and become young philanthropists by giving of their time, talent and treasure.

For the third year, the organization is honoring non-profit partners by bringing their stories to life through dance, music, slam poetry and visual art in its HeARTbeat event.

WIF is one of the 12 honorees. Also included are past WIF grantees McClintock Partners (McPie) and The Relatives.

The event will be held at 7 p.m. on March 6th and 7th at Booth Playhouse. WIF has reserved 60 seats for the March 6 event. If you'd like to attend, please contact Lea Johnson directly at leajohnson@mvalaw.com no later than Monday, 2/23. Tickets are $20/adult, $10/student.

Prior to the performance on March 6th, WIF members are invited to join Board Chair Carolyn Meade at Aria for some social time. Please RSVP directly to Carolyn at carolynmeade@mvalaw.com no later than Monday, 2/23. Appetizers will be provided; please plan to purchase your own beverages.

Here's a sample of a Playing for Others performance. Lucy Murrey's poem, honoring WIF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-QXi3zLHyc

Wine & Wisdom Draws Sell-Out Crowd

By Pam Johnson

Kay Ethridge, Jeanette Sims, Deborah Bosley

One of WIF's strategic goals is to provide bold leadership on community issues. This year's Wine and Wisdom event provided just that.

A sell-out crowd of 150 gathered at Wake Forest University's

Charlotte Center to discuss "How Do We Measure Nonprofit Effectiveness?"

Forty percent represented nonprofit organizations as this is an issue for both funders and grantees!

Tom Lawrence, Chris McLeod, Karla Williams, Carolyn Meade, Ron Lamberth

Chris McLeod, WIF board member and chair of our development committee, moderated an all-star panel. It included Ron Lamberth, CPA & partner, Cherry Baekert; Tom Lawrence, executive director of the Leon Levine Foundation; and Karla Williams, organizational consultant, author and faculty member at Indiana University's Center for Philanthropy.

Kenneth Schorr, LuAnn Ritsema

A 2009 article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review warned of cutting "non-program" dollars so tightly that nonprofits are stifled and cannot achieve their missions. Last October, Dan Pallotta spoke at Spirit Square about investing in the mission of nonprofits instead of forcing them to spend as little as possible. (http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_nonprofit_starvation_cycle/)

After Pallotta's speech, several WIF members started asking: "What measurements truly reflect the effectiveness of an organization?" That discussion was the catalyst for this Wine and Wisdom program.

Meet Chris McLeod

Two words describe long-time WIF member Chris McLeod: courage and commitment.

Chris is a well-regarded professional in Charlotte's philanthropic community. She co-founded the Institute for Philanthropic Leadership, which trains nonprofit leaders, and worked at the Foundation for the Carolinas. In 2012, she embraced the ambiguity of having no "long-term plan" by starting her own business, Giving Matters, Inc. Chris advises individuals, families, foundations and companies that want their charitable giving to make a meaningful difference.

One small story helps illustrate Chris's commitment. Last winter, she awoke to find that someone had broken into her car, smashing a window. Rather than missing a breakfast meeting where she was to speak, Chris drove her window-less car from Dilworth to Huntersville in 28-degree weather. While the car was repaired, she found unexpected pleasure driving the only rental available: a large, black Dodge Ram 1500 Truck. Chris says piloting that truck not only made her feel more confident but also helped her understand the "guys and their trucks" thing.

Chris is joined our organization 10 years ago when WIF was in its infancy. She promptly volunteered for two committees, Grants and Education, and now serves as Development Chair.

Do you have a favorite quote?

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently." -- Maya Angelou

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