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Newsletter
July 2015
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SAVE THE DATE
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OPENING RECEPTION
BALA GOLF CLUB
October 6, 2015
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Current, former and prospective members are invited to the FREE event to mingle with members and leadership, hear from project grantees about their work and also listen to reflections from our first class of Founders Fellows. It is a perfect time to connect with our welcoming community.
Guests welcome! Please bring friends or colleagues who might be interested in learning more about Impact100.
Help us build momentum early and join or renew your membership on October 6 -- just bring a check and we'll take care of the rest. Please consider adding an extra donation onto your $1,000 dues in order to support Impact's essential operating expenses.
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The 2015 Applicant Wish Lists are now available on our website!
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Moving beyond one million, giving as one
Dear Members and Friends:
Though the days of summer seem slow and relaxed, Impact100 is bustling with activity in preparation for our upcoming 2015 -2016 Grant season.
Our Programs committee is busy planning the Opening kick-off Reception on October 6 where you will have an opportunity to connect with other members, hear from our 2015 Project Grantees and listen to reflections from our first class of Founders Fellows (see side bar for information). They are also busy planning additional member events throughout the year so stay tuned for details in upcoming newsletters.
Our Membership Chairs are scheduling information sessions for the fall and have analyzed the membership survey you completed. Board members will be reaching out to members who have expressed an interest in becoming involved in a variety of areas.
Our Grants Chairs and Grants Committee members are convening with thought leaders and non-profits in the environmental field to explore ways to make our environmental applicant pool more robust.
Our Communications Committee has finished two videos - one about our Annual Meeting and another about our Founders Fellows (see below), is updating our website and continues to keep our members informed via Twitter and Facebook. And we have finalized the terms of the Grant Agreements with our 2015 Project Grantees - Awbury Arboretum, Community Learning Center and The Center for Grieving Children - the beginning of a 15-month relationship. We are meeting with new and returning board members throughout the summer to assure a seamless leadership transition so that Impact100 Philadelphia continues to thrive, provides meaningful experiences for our members and addresses the funding needs of the local non-profit community.
We hope you are enjoying your summer and look forward to reconnecting with many of you at our Opening Reception on October 6.
Sue Dubow and Mary Grace Tighe
Co-Presidents
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| 2015 Annual Meeting Video |
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| Leadership Update for 2015/2016
Welcome to our NEW board members and many thanks to our outgoing board members. Learn more about our new and outgoing board members
here
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From left: Allison Schapker, Claudie Williams, Rachel Levin, Sue Sukonik, Emily Biscardi, Mary Grace Tighe, Jacquie Stern, Sue Dubow, Carrie Brodsky, Holly Harrity, Sarah Peterson, Kate Carp and Jackie Demby Greenberg
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Founders Fellowship Reflection
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Our Founders Fellows: Jessica Franzini, Stephanie Taylor, Janea Jordan, Jennifer Wilmot (Missing: Liz Brown)
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In 2014, Impact100 Philadelphia launched a new program for women aged 21-35 called the Founders Fellowship. Below is a reflection on their experience with Impact written by Fellows Stephanie Taylor and Jennifer Wilmott. Also below is a short video of the 2014/2015 Founders Fellows speaking about their experience with Impact100.
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As the five inaugural Fellows, we have eagerly shared our personal and professional experiences, formed lasting relationships, and gleaned extensive knowledge about the world of philanthropy over the last year. As we enthusiastically worked on the Focus Area Committees, we experienced firsthand the grant review process -- digging deep into proposals, financial reviews, and site visits. Katherina Rosqueta wowed us during the Winter Education Program with a presentation about evaluating nonprofits for philanthropic investment and we loved the excitement of the Annual Meeting.
Overall, we've had an extremely rewarding experience. We were overwhelmed by the warmth with which we were received by Impact100 members. We've been impressed by the founders' vision that a group of women can come together, pool their money and make collective and collaborative decisions about how to improve communities. It's been a truly inspiring experience and one we admittedly don't want to end. When we gathered recently at Sue Dubow's house to share our experience as Fellows, the resounding theme was one of gratitude for the opportunity to join your community. We were enlightened and empowered by the experience of sharing our perspectives on the FAC's, which lead to a touching and exciting Annual Meeting where five nonprofits came away winners, all receiving some level of support for their organizations. We felt excited that we contributed to such an amazing outcome!
It is hard to imagine that our Fellowship year has already come to an end; we feel like we're just getting started! We hope the Founders Fellowship will grow and continue to add diverse perspectives to the organization's mission. In our conversations with the Fellowship Committee, we shared ideas about our own experience and made suggestions for next year's Fellows. We hope to remain involved with Impact100 and will continue our discussion on ways to do so, but overall, we want to say thank you to the committee and to all the Impact100 members for envisioning such a rich opportunity and for welcoming us so warmly into your community.
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The Results are In: The Impact100 Membership Survey
Each summer Impact100 asks members to take a look back at their Membership experience over the previous year. This year there were 125 responses to our Membership Survey, which is approximately one third of our 2015 membership. The respondents were almost equally divided into three groups: new members, those with a few years of grant-making experience, and veterans, those who have been members for at least four years. Overwhelmingly, social connections were important for the first year members. Nearly 66% came to know Impact through the positive experiences of their friends. Sixty-eight percent of new members joined to meet other like-minded, civically engaged women.
"A friend told me about Impact100 and the concept was very appealing to me. I like that my contribution helps fund a sizable grant, and that I have an opportunity to have a more hands-on experience in the grant-giving process, though the FAC."
New in 2015 The 2015 Cycle marked the arrival of Impact100's inaugural class of Founders Fellows. The Fellowship Program aims to attract young women between the ages of 21 and 35 who are interested in local philanthropy, curious about the needs of their community, and whose life experience and voices will bring richness and diversity to Impact100. Members recognize the importance of a program to support the next generation of philanthropists with comments like this one, "For many of my colleagues, a membership of $1,000 is out of reach, It is definitely out of reach for the younger women we are trying to attract into philanthropy, as they are often raising children and paying back school loans at this time of their lives. I wish there was a way to engage more women in these life circumstances" One third of respondents indicated an interest in serving on the Founders Fellowship Committee or the Membership Committee with the goal of broadening Impact's membership. Making an Impact This organization is more than the sum of the dollars it raises. The 2015 membership survey confirms that true impact lies with the time and talent of the membership. The Member Survey made clear that Impact's members are already making important personal contributions to organizations they encounter through Impact100. Seventeen percent of respondents have become volunteers at organizations they learned about through Impact, and one member has joined an organization as a Board Member.
"I am impressed with the professionalism of the group, although that didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was how much I enjoyed the site visits and the final dinner (Annual Meeting) presentations. It reminded me of the huge array of outreach efforts in our community that covers so many different populations. Affirming and eye-opening."
~~Submitted by Allison Schapker, Communications Co-Chair
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News from Our Grantees
 Members were shocked by the statistics regarding pass rates for the new GED test quoted by
Community Learning Center leaders on the night of the Annual Meeting. The issue is explored in an excellent article by Alexis Stephens on the NEXT CITY -- Inspiring Better Cities Blog. Members can read her article
here.
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra violinist, Sein An, was mentioned in a
New York Times article by James R. Oestreich for her extraordinary solo performance at Purchase College in New York with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States. PYO's
Tune Up Philly program introduces music to children in Philadelphia. The
short video to the right is a wonderful testimonial to the power of music in children's lives and the impact of
Tune Up Philly.
 On July 9, more than 100 volunteers from gardens all over the region came together to help the
Awbury Arboretum staff and volunteers accomplish several essential landscaping projects.
The event exemplified the commitment of the Philadelphia horticultural community to keeping Awbury a healthy and beautiful resource for its surrounding neighborhoods.
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Help us out in 2015/2016!
If you have friends, neighbors or colleagues who are curious about Impact100 and would like to find out more, consider hosting an Impact100 information session. Membership Chairs, Kate Carp and Rachel Levin, are seeking volunteers to help us spread the word this Summer and Fall. Please contact them at members@impact100philly.org to set up a date or for additional information.
Interested in contributing? Please go to our website's Join or Donate Now to be part of the next grant cycle. We would love to have your participation.
Want to keep up with us more frequently? Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. We post items of interest to our community and work hard to keep you up to date.
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