A Message from Nicole
December is upon us and that means a busy season of making lists and checking them twice before 2022 ends. In the spirit of the season, I want to share my own holiday wish list for you to consider.
- Take time to meet an Impact Austin friend for lunch or happy hour or coffee. Just for fun! Catch up and say hello.
- Share a post on social media from your favorite Impact Austin event or grant in 2022.
- Invite someone to join Impact Austin.
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Review the See Our Impact page to remind yourself of the grants that YOU helped to make possible in 2022 with your membership.
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Save the dates for our upcoming Discovery Days.
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Think about ways you might be able to share your talents with Impact Austin in the new year. Fill out our volunteer interest form.
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Add to your holiday shopping list a year-end gift to Impact Austin’s Annual Fund.
- Consider ways that you might support our Community Partners. Check out Amazon wish lists, volunteer, or share a social media post about their work with your network.
- Find a moment to put up your feet and know how much you are appreciated as an Impact Austin member!
Wishing you holidays that are merry and bright,
Nicole
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Celebrating 20 Extraordinary Years | | |
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Our blog continues to highlight our 20th anniversary year with the MEMBER VOICES series. For the next few months, we’ll shift to a series called SOCIAL IMPACTS, with stories about our Community Partners and grant impacts. Stay tuned for the first one highlighting Partnerships for Children and the Heart Gallery. | |
The Gifts of Membership
The last quarter of each calendar year is a busy time for Impact Austin recruitment. This is because the member count as of 12/31 will determine the size of Community and Education Grants awarded in June. More members = bigger grants. Our community nonprofits need more support, not less! JOIN. RENEW. INVITE.
And GIFT. Invite a friend or colleague to join our collective giving. If a gift membership fits within your budget but not hers, consider a gift of membership, paid at once or in monthly installments.
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DEIB Definitions for Impact Austin
The Board of Directors of Impact Austin strongly believes in the fundamental principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and fully endorses a set of DEIB definitions. You'll find these posted on our blog.
These definitions are designed to guide Impact Austin’s operational and intentional goals around key focus areas. DEIB work should not live only in one committee; instead DEIB values and principles are the foundation for all Impact Austin policies and operations, both because they aim toward justice and fairness and because they make us a stronger organization. Lastly, DEIB work is never done or fully achieved; we recognize it as an ongoing process and the most important aspect of this work is putting it into action.
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Volunteering Returns the Favor
Members of the Marketing and Grants committees shared personal stories of how volunteering has benefited them personally and inspired them philanthropically. Among the comments were these: a wonderfully rewarding growth experience.…. feeling more a part of Impact Austin….learning leadership skills…… an amazing way to support the next generation of changemakers …..the work is fun and incredibly rewarding …… hands-down the BEST way to get a deeper look at what IA is all about ….I’ve gained indescribably more through the friendships….. I’d have missed all this if I hadn’t given my time and taken a chance to learn something new.
Check out our blog for the stories from Grants and Marketing. See where you can get involved on our website.
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Our Zones team is on hiatus for winter holidays, but expect new activities and dates with the New Year. Enjoy these photos from October and November gatherings. | |
We celebrated National Pizza Month in multiple locations across Greater Austin. | |  |
Volunteering at Central Texas Food Bank is always popular with our members. | | |
Town Hall Meeting 2022
We had a warm and happy energy in our Town Hall gathering at Temple Beth Shalom. What were the best parts? Greeting old friends…..making new friends…..awarding grants…..hearing how past grants made a difference….capturing photo memories….catching up on Impact Austin news….thanking the Grants team. If you missed the event, catch up with our recap blog.
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Discovery Days 2023
Discovery Days will again be a virtual format and held on multiple days in January and February. Sessions will air from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM on Jan 27, Feb 10, and Feb 24.
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Annual Meeting 2023
Save the date and location: June 5 at the Long Center. How exciting to gather in a new location for our 20th Anniversary Meeting!
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Grantmaking and Community Partnerships | |
$188,400 in Fall Grants Awarded at Town Hall
Welcome to our newest Community Partners, whose specific grant amounts were announced at Town Hall. For all the details, see our news release.
EQUITY GRANTS
$75,400 to AVANCE-Austin (to expand their Parent-Child Education Program to Pflugerville)
$18,800 to Girlstart (unrestricted funding)
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Girls Giving Grants
The 52 members of Girls Giving Grants (G3) kicked off their grant review process last weekend. They’ve received 25 applications for the $8,400 award they will ultimately announce in April.
The G3 syllabus includes team building, a community needs panel, training in social justice, a service activity, training in public speaking and presentation skills, multiple rounds of evaluation, and site visits.
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Volunteers Needed : Grants Committee and Girls Giving Grants
More than any other Impact Austin committees, Grants and G3 have leadership “pipelines.” Many volunteers stay in place for several years, and some advance along the pipeline, but fresh energy is also needed. Contact Grants or Girls Giving Grants if you can provide that “fresh energy.” The Grants and G3 teams get tremendous satisfaction from their work; read about that here. To get involved, contact grants@impactaustin.org or g3@impactaustin.org
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Social Venture Partners (SVP) Austin
SVP Austin is partnering with Impact Austin to offer advisory support services to our 2022 Equity and Health & Well-Being Community Partners. Social Venture Partners share their knowledge, skills and networks, collectively leveraging these resources to support and amplify the work of those on the ground and closest to the issues.
“This partnership is a natural fit since both organizations share mutual strategic goals to engage in thought leadership and collaborative opportunities that increase impact,” said Marissa Vogel, Executive Director of SVP Austin, “SVP Austin adds human capital to the mix of support for nonprofits receiving funding from Impact Austin."
"We are thrilled to formalize this relationship and expand on the synergies between our organizations," said Deanna DeHaven, Board Vice President of Impact Austin, “The combination of monetary funds coupled with strategic advising empowers our nonprofit grantees to amplify their impact while addressing our community’s most pressing needs."
Within SVP Austin are current and past Impact Austin members Becky Austen, Chris Cavner, Jenny Everett, Sarah Harris, Tanja Horan, Debbie Johnson, and Lily McClure.
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Community Partner Spotlight | |
AACHI - Austin Asian Community Health Initiative | |
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Austin Asian Community Health Initiative (AACHI) is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Asians in Central Texas through advocacy, education, and support.
In 2021, Impact Austin awarded an unrestricted Health & Well-Being Grant of $22,600 to support AACHI's mission and programs. With this funding, AACHI hired 3 additional Community Health Workers (for a total of 10), who provide navigation services in 9 languages. Services include health insurance enrollment; securing affordable housing; and applying for state benefits like SNAP. With the grant, AACHI served 430 immigrant families, representing a 10% increase from the previous year. See the Grant Outcomes video here or watch it below.
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Collective Giving Tuesday | |
For the second year, Impact Austin rebranded Giving Tuesday as Collective Giving Tuesday. Along with Impact San Antonio and Seeds of Strength in Georgetown, we celebrated the community impact of giving circles in Texas. Together our organizations have granted $15.45 million across 13 Texas counties. The recap and video can be found here. | |
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We had a full array of events in the fall. Miss something? Find it on our Past Events page.
Dec 31 – Deadline to join or renew membership and fund spring grants
Jan 27, Feb 10, Feb 24 – Discovery Days
Jun 5 – Annual Meeting
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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.
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