As we wrap up our 20^th anniversary celebrations and look ahead to the next 20 years and beyond, I couldn’t be more thrilled to kick-off Impact Austin’s fiscal year and my first year as Board President! I am humbled by your trust in me and look forward to learning and serving alongside all our members and community partners.

Collectively we have accomplished so much. Our community is counting on us to continue our efforts. I’m excited to work alongside our Executive Director Demetria George Caston, as well as the Board of Directors, Committee Cabinet, volunteers, members, and those in the community to make this possible.



I spent much of this summer caring for my grandmother, who turns 100 later this month. Our time together was rewarding, inspiring, taxing, and emotional in so many ways. As an orphan who survived four marriages, outlived all three of her children, worked full time until 96, and still lives independently at 100, she’s taught me so much over the years. The greatest lesson I’ve learned is to never underestimate the power of a determined woman.



As I look to the next fiscal year, I plan to channel my grandmother’s ambition and motivation with a focus on sustainability. Together we can ensure our organization is able to continue making the greatest impact in serving both our members on their philanthropic journeys and our community through our grantmaking. There are three easy ways you can be part of this effort:

1. Invite your friends and colleagues to join Impact Austin. Refer your contacts to our website and stay tuned for informational sessions and other recruiting events this fall!
2. Stay engaged in ways that are most meaningful and rewarding for you, such as volunteering at the Central Texas Food Bank, joining a Grants Review Committee, volunteering for a committee, recruiting new members, socializing with members at Zones events, or enjoying a glass of wine at a “coffee”. 
3. If you haven’t done so already, renew your membership. Your financial contributions allow us to create meaningful, inclusive programming and quality grantmaking experiences that benefit our members, nonprofit community partners, and the Central Texas community.

Finally, please join me in extending a warm welcome and my appreciation to our three new board members: Ami Kane, Claudia Barlow and Risé Candelaria. Welcome, ladies!

With gratitude,

Deanna DeHaven

Impact Austin Board President

The end of summer means it’s time to actively bring new members to Impact Austin. Let’s introduce more women to our giving circle and to the community impact we can only make collectively. To build our organization to a size that offers larger, even higher-impact grants, we must each get involved. 

Stay tuned for a big announcement from the Zones team in September. Until then, see below two very special activities they’ve organized for us. Members, guests, and prospective members are all invited to participate. Members were sent an email in July about these upcoming events.

Board of Directors

With the new fiscal year that started July 1, Impact Austin’s Board welcomed new President Deanna DeHaven and three new members as well. Read their introductions on our blog.  

Committee Cabinet

We took an unofficial hiatus in July, but most committees kept working at some level. First, let’s thank outgoing co-chairs Sue Breland and Linda Yang for many years of leadership. Both continue to support their committees. A big thank you goes to returning Committee Chairs Val Kirk, Sara Pantin, Lauren Lewis, Karen Davenport, Judi McCarthy, Karen McLinden, Michelle Rankin, Audra Morris, Robin Krumme, and Tonya Netzley.

The Committee Cabinet welcomes these new Co-Chairs:

• Maddy Compogiannis – Advancement
• Lisa David – D.E.I.B.
• Summer McAfee – Girls Giving Grants

Two committees need a second co-chair - Advancement and Membership. All committees would welcome more womanpower!

Meet our Philanthropy Operations Manager

Welcome to Alyssa (Ah-lee-sa) Reyna, M.S., Philanthropy Operations Manager at Impact Austin. Reyna has a background in executive administration, management, and finance. For the last eight years of her career, she has focused on optimizing internal workflows, managing teams and projects, and developing and implementing efficient business systems that enhance productivity in businesses of all sizes. Learn more about Alyssa here.

Fall Grant Season Begins

The Grants team is back to work! Grants leaders have confirmed eligibility among all the applications received. We have 16 applications for Equity Grants and 50 (a near record!) for Health & Well-Being Grants.

Fall Grant Review Committees (GRCs) begin work next week! Thank you to 18 member-volunteers for the Equity Focus Area, including GRC leaders and advisors Gloria Hughes, Roberta Rincon, Elaine Jensen, and Fernanda Bressan. Thanks also to the 27 member-volunteers for the Health & Well-Being Focus Area, including leaders and advisors Erin McCord, Catherine Barry, Margaret von Flatern, and Natasha Bowen.

Health & Well-Being GRC: in-person meetings on Monday evenings, 6:30-8:30 PM

August 14, August 28, September 18, and October 16

Location: Tarrytown United Methodist Church, 2601 Exposition Blvd.

Equity GRC: virtual meetings on Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8:30 PM

August 16, August 30, and September 20

An in-person social and vote will be held October 18 in a member's home.

All GRCs will conduct site visits between October 5-7. Attendance is optional but highly recommended! For the Health & Well-Being GRC, the site visits will be in-person or virtual. For the Equity GRC, all site visits will be virtual.

Girls Giving Grants Recruiting Class of 2023-2024

Until Sep 15, registration for Girls Giving Grants is open to young women in grades 8-12. All the details are on our website. In June, g3 surpassed $115,000 in grants supporting Austin-area youth. Read about g3’s $115,600 impact here.

Seeking Adult Advisors to Support g3

Girls Giving Grants Co-Chairs Karen Davenport and Summer McAfee are recruiting a few new Advisors to support the 2023-2024 program. We reached out to past g3 leaders to learn why they valued their time with the g3 program. Their words are inspiring!

We have a team of amazing individuals working hard to keep you up to date with what is happening at Impact Austin.

Visit our blog to find event info, press releases, member profiles and so much more! Plus, don't forget to #JoinImpactAustin on your favorite social media sites!

Please "like" and "share" our posts! You'll help to promote Impact Austin to a wider audience and potential members. We would love to hear from you...what do you want to learn more about? What type of information is useful for you?

Contact us at contact@impactaustin.org.