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Greetings to all,
It’s an exciting time to be an Impact Austin member! Despite our organization’s relatively slower pace during the summer months, your board and several committees have been busy working on new ways to connect with one another, expand our impact in our community, and strengthen our organizational resilience and sustainability.
A high priority focus has been membership because we fulfill our mission through the generosity of members who fund our grant pool. The Board of Directors developed the first phase of a new membership strategy, focused on intentional messaging, strategic outreach, and member-to-member connection rooted in our values. Twenty of us met in early July to talk through the strategy and develop an action plan to bring it to life in the coming months. We are energized and motivated to increase awareness about Impact Austin and invite many new women to support our mission. Watch our Events page that will fill with a wide range of opportunities to connect with other members. Bring friends to give them an opportunity to learn how they can be part of our collective giving movement.
We look forward to sharing thoughtful details of our new membership strategy on September 30, 2025.
I look forward to seeing you soon!
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Claudia Barlow
President, Board of Directors, FY 2026
| | Did you ever write a back-to-school essay on “what I did on my summer vacation”? Well, how was your summer? Did you travel? Or schedule a local staycation? Were you visited by friends or family? Perhaps you took time to tackle a project that’s been waiting for your time? However you spent the recent months, we’re so glad to reconnect with you now as we move into FY 2026 together. | | Member Connections Events Coming Your Way! | | |
Our Member Connections team has been thinking creatively about fun events to connect members socially and as volunteers. Registration is open for our first event on Sep 14: a Lunch and Stroll at Springdale General. The venue is a fabulous combination of maker spaces, dining options, galleries, and more. Let's check it out together! Bring a friend!
Next, is a Virtual Happy Hour for Impact Austin members on Sep 25. What fun to deepen our Impact Austin friendships. Then we’ll gather on Oct 7 for a volunteer shift at with 2021 Community Partner Austin Diaper Bank (ADP). This ADP registration link will include you in Impact Austin’s shift of 6-10 members; please register by Sep 30 and note ADP requirements. How great it will be to connect again!
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Quick-Start Guide and Volunteering
| | For new and returning members wondering how and where to get involved with Impact Austin, here is an easy guide for you to consider. Click on the image for the interactive guide. | And volunteer opportunities? They’re here. EVERY committee and event would welcome your hands-on help! 2026 Grant Review Committees (GRCs) will invite registration during November for service that will run February to May; more details will come in the fall. | | Impact Austin's Board of Directors | | Impact Austin’s board welcomed four new members for FY 2026, thanked four members who retired, thanked four returning directors, and announced the board’s officers. It’s all here on our blog. Before concluding FY 2025, the board acted alongside our D.E.I.B. Committee to re-affirm our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging with this eloquent statement. | | Philanos Offers Learning Opportunities to Impact Austin Members | | Because Impact Austin is one of 105+ affiliate members of the Philanos Network, you – as an Impact Austin member – can be also! Simply register on the Philanos Member Subscribe page, naming Impact Austin as the Philanos Affiliate, and you’ll have access to their library of webinars, upcoming events, Affinity Group meetings, and more – like the 2026 PowerUP! Conference! Read below for more on that. | | PowerUP! Texas 2026 Opens Early Registration Sep 1 | | Impact Austin is the host for the 2026 Philanos National Conference! Our members can take advantage of two discounts, saving $300 for the 3-day Philanos conference that runs Feb 8-10 at the Hilton Austin. The first discount derives from Impact Austin’s affiliate status with Philanos, which confers affiliates status to you once you’ve registered with Philanos. Second, the early bird discount runs through Nov 15. Starting Sep 1, you’ll find details and registration link here. | | | Girls Giving Grants Registers New Members through Sep 21 | | | | |
Since they launched in 2006, collective classes of Girls Giving Grants (g3) have awarded $131,600 to Austin-area nonprofits serving youth. Their 2025 grant of $6,500 went to Saint Louise House. We’re so proud of our g3 members!
Now g3 is registering new members for the 2025-2026 year. Spread the news and share this website that is the portal to all things g3. Meetings will be held at The Girls School, 2007 McCall Rd., Austin, TX 78703.
| | The g3 grant application portal will be open Sep 29-Oct 24; their grant size will be determined by g3’s membership enrollment. | | Community Partner Spotlight | | |
Sep 14 – Member Connections: Lunch and Stroll at Springdale General. Register here.
Sep 25 - Members' Virtual Happy Hour: 6:30-7:30 PM. Register here.
Oct 7 – Member Connections: Volunteer at Austin Diaper Bank. Register here.
Oct 25 – Tree Walk & Picnic. Details and registration pending.
Nov 3 – Town Hall Meeting. Save the date while details develop.
Nov 17 – Impact Austin Book Club. Details and registration pending.
Dec 1 – Holiday Social: tasty nibbles and book exchange. Details/registration pending.
Dec 31 – Last day to #JoinImpactAustin or renew to fund 2026 grants.
| | Get Social, Stay Connected | | |
Social media is an important tool to reach potential members and grant applicants. Your photos and video snippets help to tell our Impact Austin stories. Here are two ways you can help.
- If you’re at an Impact Austin gathering or meeting an Impact Austin friend socially, take a photo or grab 20 seconds of video and text to Impact Austin at 512-553-6083.
- Your own social media posts will reach a new audience for us. Write a post of your own and share what you value about Impact Austin in general or about a particular event or grant. Tag us! Or share one of Impact Austin's posts with a sentence or two of your own commentary.
| | Impact Austin Member Hub Facebook Page | | The Membership Committee championed a Facebook group for members, and here’s how to join: From the “Search Facebook” field, type Impact Austin Member Hub. Request to join the group and answer three quick questions. Once you’ve answered those questions, your request should be approved by one of the group moderators within 48 business hours. This group is for members only – to strengthen connections, share ideas, get together socially, and stay updated. Posts may be generated by anyone in the group! | | | | |
