|
Sharon Mitchell
|
As I begin writing the March Newsletter - I find myself dreaming of spring. Imagining wildflowers springing up, envisioning trees bursting into bud, and thinking about Reds Spring Training Games. Even though we are currently experiencing below zero temperatures and several inches of snow, I know Spring is right around the corner because Impact 100 has completed the review of Letters of Intent, and has sent out Grant Application invitations. Our wonderful non-profit agency partners have again amazed us by submitting 109 Letters of Intent addressing a broad range of community needs. We are very fortunate to have such creative and committed agencies - all seeking transformational ways to serve our community. The Grant Focus Area Committees have completed the very difficult job of reviewing the Letters of Intent, and have narrowed the field to 29 Agencies who were invited to submit a full Grant Application. The Committees are now in recess while the invited agencies work hard to prepare their Grant Applications.
This next step provides all members with an excellent opportunity to
join a Grant Focus Area Committee. When the committees resume work in April, they will begin with training and will welcome new and old members. If you are interested, please review the choices of Committees, times and locations (posted in the "Join Us" -> "Join A Committee" section of our Web-Site -http://impact100.org/join-us/join-a-committee/, and fill out the form to let us know which Committee you would like to join. All Impact 100 members are welcome and are encouraged to join a committee. This year we will expand the number of Finalists presenting their proposals at the Annual Awards Celebration. We have traditionally had 5 Finalists - one from each of the 5 Focus Areas. Because we will award 4 grants this year, we would like to have 6-7 Finalists from which to choose. This year, each Focus Area will identify a Finalist, and will have the option of identifying a second strong Finalist candidate. The Impact 100 Board will select 1-2 additional Finalists from these candidates (Wild Card Finalists). The Finalists will all be recognized simply as "Finalists" irrespective of whether they were a Focus Area Finalist or a Wild Card Finalist. We welcome our new Impact 100 members - all 144 of them - into the Impact 100 organization. And we welcome back a large number of our loyal, committed members from prior years. The Impact 100 organization is larger and stronger than ever! Many members are already participating in committees - both Grant Focus Area Committees and standing Committees like Recruiting, Communications, Marketing and Membership. The new Impact 100 Board had a planning Retreat in February, and the Board Members set a goal of awarding 5 grants of $100,000+ each in 2016. This goal is a stretch for the organization - yet very achievable, and the entire Board is committed to reaching this goal. We know for each new grant the organization can fund, there is one more very deserving non-profit agency able to create a community impact via a transformational grant. We hope all our members will help us reach this goal by building awareness of Impact 100, by telling friends and colleagues about the organization, and by helping us to retain current members and recruit new members. For those who find a payment plan helpful, we offer a monthly installment payment plan - and all are encouraged to use it. Please check out the calendar of Upcoming Events. The Membership Committee has created a broad range of activities that should appeal to the interests of our diverse members. We look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you at an upcoming Impact 100 event. Warm Regards, Sharon Mitchell President, Impact 100 |