My tenure as President of the Board of Directors will end on June 30. Board service, especially during the past two years, has been amazing, challenging, and rewarding – but an experience that I will cherish always. Loss of one Executive Director, appointment of an Interim ED, and finding a new ED were all unplanned hurdles, but I am convinced that through the work of the board, staff, and our amazing volunteers, we collectively jumped those hurdles while staying on course and focused on our mission and vision. And for that collective effort I say thank you!

As part of this newsletter greeting, I want to share what I value as key attributes of our membership and leadership. These make Impact Austin special and will ensure that we remain relevant and impactful. 

• Passion – We are passionate about women-led collective giving! We show our passion in different ways, as we are on individual philanthropic journeys. I hope you fuel and grow that passion. Sometimes that might mean taking a break, reading a book, or time with family and friends. 

• Grace – As a group of women, we have an inherent ability to give grace to those around us. We each need to give ourselves and others the grace to be imperfect, tired, or discouraged because - after all - we are human. I ask that each of you give grace to those around you, as well as receive that grace from others as a comfort of our sisterhood.

• Curiosity – Your individual curiosity fuels your passion and the talents you give to Impact Austin. I ask that you continue to be curious about how we can make Impact Austin even bigger and better, as well as how you can grow during this journey we are making together.

• Resiliency – I have seen you share your resiliency with Impact Austin. You rise to the occasion when asked to lead, help, brainstorm, or make a difference. But resiliency is not always easy. You have to take care of yourselves, fuel your souls, and calm your minds in order to let your resilience keep shining. 

I hope and trust that you see each of these attributes in yourselves and the Impact Austin women around you. I do. The key to maintaining these attributes is to support one another and to recognize and appreciate them in each of us. 

I want to thank each member, our current and past staff, Community Partners, Strategic Advisory Council, and corporate partners! You have shown me what passionate, graceful, curious, and resilient people can do. You make me proud and excited for Impact Austin’s next 20 years. 

Katherine Mudge

Impact Austin Board President

Annual Meeting 2023 was an amazing celebration of this 20^th anniversary year. If you were there, you know! If you weren’t able to attend, read all about it on our blog. And make sure to watch our 20th Anniversary Celebration Video!  

With the anniversary in mind, we continue to publish stories about Impact Austin’s twenty years. Recent blog posts describe how our grantmaking practices began and how they’ve evolved over the years to better support the nonprofit community.

City of Austin Proclaims Impact Austin Day

City Council Member Alison Alter (Impact Austin member, too!) presented a proclamation at Annual Meeting that named June 5, 2023 as Impact Austin Day. What an honor and also a fun way to celebrate at the Annual Meeting. Thank you to Alison for her ongoing support of Impact Austin, and thank you to the Council for this recognition.

Spring Grants Awarded at Annual Meeting

On June 5, Impact Austin awarded $164,600 in new Community and Education Grants. At the same time, Girls Giving Grants presented their $8,400 award to Wonders & Worries. All the details are on our blog. For now, we say welcome to new Community Partners Magdalene House of Austin, Seedling, Austin Creative Reuse, and Urban Roots. 

Fall Grant Cycle Launches June 30

Here we go again! The process to award Fall Grants in the Equity and Health & Well-Being focus areas begins on June 30, with a virtual Nonprofit Workshop. Attendance is optional, but all applicants will find value in the Q&A portion. The recorded session will be offered on our website.

Grant Outcomes

We shared four videos at the Annual Meeting with outcomes of past grants to Con Mi MADRE, Black Mamas ATX, Texas Advocacy Project, and g3’s 2022 award to Texas Family Initiative. We’ve linked to each video, but keep in mind that you can find an entire playlist of videos covering past grants on our YouTube Channel!

Fall Grant Review Committees (GRCs)

Members who are fully paid or who have begun monthly payments by Jul 31 will be invited to register between Jul 7-Aug 2 for GRCs in the Equity and Health & Well-Being focus areas. Learn more about GRCs here.

Girls Giving Grants

The g3 team unveiled their new logo at the Annual Meeting. Impact Austin member Suzanne Daniels guided them through a creative process to choose design and colors. This new brand welcomes the 2023-2024 class of Girls Giving Grants. Registration for the new class is open through Sep 15. Our g3 members are looking for additional adult leaders as advisors and as a co-chair. Which Impact Austin members will step up to support our young philanthropists?

Join or Renew by June 30; You'll be Entered into a Special Drawing!

Membership payments received by Jun 30 will help to fund Fall 2023 grants in the Equity and Health & Well-Being focus areas. If you are a summer renewal, please consider making that payment by Jun 30. If you’re a newsletter recipient who’s been pondering Impact Austin membership, take the leap! We welcome you! Through collective giving, your membership payment combines with others to make a big impact!

In celebration of Impact Austin's 20th Anniversary Year, our friends at the JW Marriott Austin have offered us a tantalizing gift package. The prize will be awarded by special drawing to one of us who joins or renews by Jun 30 (making full payment or beginning monthly payments) for FY 2024. The package includes an overnight stay for two at the JW Marriott and dinner for two at Dean's Italian Steakhouse. Join or renew here!

Leadership Opportunities

Member-volunteers are sought for all committees and event teams. Bring your talents and expertise, or learn new skills while fueling Impact Austin’s mission (and building friendships!). Check out all opportunities.

Key positions and leadership development are also offered.

• Girls Giving Grants Co-chair and advisors - training provided. Contact g3.
• Learning Committee Chair and Co-Chair - Oversee Impact Austin's philanthropy education, including DEIB, Discovery Days, Equity webinars. Work with DEIB Committee and local and national partners. Contact Demetria.
• Membership Committee – Support recruitment, engagement, retention. Contact Membership.

Your Voice Matters!

Member feedback will shape Impact Austin’s new 3-year Strategic Plan. Look for an important Member Survey in your email inbox next week. All member opinions are valued! Please return the survey at your earliest convenience. If you don’t find the survey by June 22, first check your spam filter, and then reach out to contact@impactaustin.org.

BookSpring

In April, Impact Austin members toured the new facility for 2020 Community Partner BookSpring. Logistics Manager Jessy Morris then guided us through a work shift sorting books donated to them. The process is incredibly thoughtful. We can heartily recommend this volunteer project as a small-to-medium-size group effort! Book donations are welcome, and an outdoor bin is conveniently available. Books in Spanish are especially needed.

Learn how Impact Austin’s grant helped BookSpring to deliver 10,000 books to Central Texas kids during the pandemic. 

We had a very busy spring! Thanks to the teams who brought us such fabulous variety: two Membership Mixers, Zones happy hours and dinners, a tour of the Texas State Cemetery, and volunteer sessions with Community Partners BookSpring and Austin Diaper Bank.

On Apr 28, an information-packed DEIB Education event was offered, both virtually and in person at the Austin Area Urban League. This Texas Legislative Update pointed out legislation of interest for Impact Austin grantmaking and shared how individuals can get involved in advocacy. Find the recap here, including a link to the recorded event.

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.