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Women Transforming Sonoma County Through Collective Philanthropy - Aug/Sept 2018
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Representatives from our 2017 and 2018 Community Grant-Winning Nonprofits
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Recap of Impact 100 RC's Strategic Planning Session
In late July, 35 of our members came together for an important discussion about the future of our organization. These annual group-planning exercises are intrinsic to the culture of our organization, where we value each other's opinions, listen respectfully, learn from other members, and solicit group input as we determine the organization's future.
This year's strategic planning workshop focused on two related topics:
- When our three Impact Grant finalists make presentations to our full membership, should we award runner-up grants to the two organizations that do not receive the $100,000 Impact Grant?
- Do we want to consider awarding two $100,000 Impact Grants at some point in the future, and if so, when?
We were fortunate to be joined by Beth Brown, CEO of the Community Foundation Sonoma County, who shared some of her philosophies around giving. Here were several important points from Beth:
- Try to "be in the business of saying 'yes' as much as possible."
- Look for ways to award grants to a higher percentage of applicants. Make sure you provide specific information about your funding criteria so applicants can opt out of the process if they are unlikely to receive a grant.
- Beth recommends a goal of awarding grants to 75% of applicants, and she favors allowing Community Grant recipients to use their grants for general operating expenses.
- Time is one of the most precious commodities we have. In reviewing questions used in our application process, Beth suggests considering the following question: "Is the benefit of knowing worth the cost of asking?"
Two issues during the workshop particularly struck me. One was this comment: "Our organization is only four years old. It would be useful to have a longer track record of our number of members before we commit to a second Impact Grant." The other was the response to the question, "Regardless of how large we grow, should we continue to offer Community Grants?" The room answered with a resounding, "YES!"
We are currently analyzing the input received at the meeting. You can look forward to a workshop summary soon, along with the opportunity for women who could not attend to email their thoughts. Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing you at our August Social at Quarryhill Botanical Gardens!
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Cocktails & Conversation
Tues, Aug. 21, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Flamingo Resort Hotel
4th and Farmers Lane
(Terrace Grill Patio)
Santa Rosa
Sat, Aug. 25, 9:30 - 2:00 pm
Quarryhill Botanical Garden 12841 Sonoma Highway
Glen Ellen
Cocktails & Conversation
Thurs, Sept. 6
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Red Brick Restaurant
101 2nd Street #190 Petaluma
Sat, Se
pt 29, 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Pepperwood Preserve
2130 Pepperwood Preserve Rd, Santa Rosa
Annual Meeting *
Sat, Oct. 6, 9:00 a.m. - noon
Scottish Rite Center
600 Acacia Lane
Santa Rosa
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Welcome to the newest members of our circle!
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Carole Williams
Susan Churchill
Cynthia Evers
Susan Clark
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2017 and 2018 Community Grant Winners WOW us on June 20th!
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The Living Room
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Our June 20th membership meeting was a fantastic celebration of our 2017 and 2018 Community Grant winners. A record 100 members and guests had an opportunity to meet the 18 representatives from our 10 grantee organizations. After the 2018 awardees were introduced, each of the 2017 awardees gave a short presentation describing the impact of their project implemented over the past year. The stories touched us deeply, in some cases bringing tears. During the interactive Meet and Mingle hour, members roamed the room where the nonprofits
had informative table displays with takeaway materials.
Both members and guests responded with interest and enthusiasm, and as an unexpected benefit, the nonprofit representatives reported making new connections with
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Co-Chair Mary Radu
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each other. The energy was high! Several members reported that their guests signed up as a result of the meeting.
Many thanks to the 52 members who responded to the post-meeting survey. The general response was that the format and content were very successful, and suggestions were made on how we can improve our member experience next time.
A big holler out to the following for their help in orchestrating this key event: Susan Milstein (standing in for Melissa Kelly), Ina Chun, Sharon Keating, Kristin Nelson and Mary Radu (program planning), Carol Newman (publicity and slide show queen), Katherine Koh (photographer par excellence), Pat Edelstein, Liz Bortoloto,Teresa Denniston and the entire Events Committee, our Grantee Contacts (Helen Berg, Maureen Buehler, Susan David, Deb Marzek, Sharon Robison, Shirley Ward, Liz Uribe) and the entire Community Grants Committee.
We hope that this meeting will become a template for our Community Grant Awards event that will be calendared regularly each year.
Ina Chun & Mary Radu, Co-Chairs
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2018 Impact Grant
Progress Re
port
The Impact Grant Committee has been busy reading and evaluating six "Full Proposal Applications" for the $100,000 Impact Grant. The next step is deciding which of these organizations will be invited to move to the next step -- a site visit by members of the committee.
After the site visits, the committee will decide which final three will have the opportunity to make a presentation to our general membership at the Annual Meeting. And we will all then vote for the winner. One thing is clear ... the decision will not be easy because all six of the proposals are simply outstanding! So mark your calendars now for the Annual Meeting ... October 6, 9:00 - 12:00 at the Scottish Rite Center...it's certain to be an interesting, inspiring, and exciting morning!
In preparation for our Oct. 6th Annual Meeting..........
Is there any worse question than, "Can you hear me NOW???" The audio-visual aspect of our general membership meetings is a key component for a successful experience. We've decided it's time to purchase our own AV equipment and have a member "owner" who ensures that it's up and running properly at our meetings. Would you like to (1) help decide and purchase the equipment to meet our needs and (2) set it up and make sure it's working for our membership meetings (3-4 meetings a year)? This is a responsibity that is limited in scope, but would be HUGELY beneficial to our organization ... so if it intrigues you, please contact Susan Milstein @ [email protected]
Suzy Marzalak & Marianne Messer, Co-Chairs
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 Don't Miss Impact 100 RC's Summer Social
When: Saturday, August 25th
Where: Quarryhill Botanical Garden,
12841 Sonoma Highway, Glenn Ellen
Website: www.quarryhillbg.org
This event has two components:
9:30AM-Take a guided walk of the beautiful gardens. The tour is about 1 hr-15 min. The tour is $12pp or $10pp for members 65+ (discounted price for Impact 100 RC members). Payment will be made at the Visitor Center & can be made in cash or credit card.
11:30AM- Join us for a catered lunch set on the charming shaded patio. There is not a fee to attend the lunch portion of this event. If you do not wish to take the walking tour please join us just for the lunch and social.
Prospective members are welcome to attend this event, but space is limited and an RSVP is required.
RSVP by August 19th: Pat Edelstein, Co-Chair at
[email protected]. Please note if you are attending the walk, lunch or both.
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Announcing our 2019 Slate of Officers
All members will have a chance to approve in September
The Nominating Committee (Susan Milstein, Ellen Wear, Bev Curry, Laurie White and Jennifer Cornell) is thrilled to announce the officer slate that has come together for 2019. The slate will be sent to the full membership for approval via email in mid-September. The new officers will be formally introduced to the membership at our Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 6, and will begin their one-year terms on January 1, 2019.
Here is the fabulous slate:
* President: Jan Gilman
* 1st Vice President: Carol Orme
* Nominating Vice President: Sharon Beckman
* Secretary: Laurie White
* Treasurer: Ginger Kelly
These five wonderful women, along with the co-chairs of each committee, will serve as the Impact 100 RC Leadership Team in 2019. It's especially exciting to have such a strong group of ladies ready to serve at the moment when our group's founder and president, Melissa Kelley, will be stepping off the Leadership Team for the first time since our formation.
If you would like to find out more about serving in the leadership of our organization or the nominating process, please contact Susan Milstein at [email protected] or at (707) 539-5559.
Susan Milsten, Nominating Chair
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Contact our Newsletter Editor:
If you have questions or suggestions for The Impact 100 Redwood Circle Communique, please contact Editor, Jan Houts at [email protected]
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