Reopening our lives has felt wonderful these past several weeks. Connecting with loved ones, friends and colleagues provides an emotional and spiritual lift that is hard to fully embrace via Zoom, Teams and Facetime. And so, we hope you will join us for the 20th Annual Awards Ceremony in September at Music Hall and that you will once again pledge your commitment to our collective philanthropic impact across Greater Cincinnati by renewing your membership for next year.
The world has changed over the last 18 months.  And here we are continuing our work of impactful giving for transformational community projects in new and thoughtful ways. Thanks to the commitment of our members during the pandemic, Impact 100 Cincinnati is as strong as ever in granting four, $100,000+ grants this year. PLUS, due to steady management of prior year grants by the Impact 100 volunteer Board and the limited paid administrative checks and balances, we were able to reinvest in our Next Step Award small grants program. The Next Step Awards will enable small and start-up nonprofit organizations to impact corners of the community in innovative ways.
We take pride in the fact that every cent of your full ($1,000) or half ($500) membership goes to the grants we award each year.! With an increase in membership  and grant-making comes an increase in ‘overhead’ costs associated with responsible administration of membership, grants, communications, finances, accounting, legal, and, yes, even the social events, which are subsidized from our operational funds. Typically our operating costs are between $60,000 and $70,000 annually. In some years, our costs have been higher. These numbers reflect FY (Financial Year) 2019 and FY2020. 
Using these numbers, overhead costs per member are between $111 and $130 annually. Each year, we secure this money from sponsors, donors, investing our monetary resources in interest-bearing accounts, and from the members who join at 110%. Like all nonprofits, we face increasing costs for the overhead–events, audits, member management, and grants administration. 
This is where you can help sustain our transformative grantmaking for the long-term! Membership dues will be presented to you at the 110% level this year, with the option to opt-out and pay only your portion that goes to grantmaking. We hope you’ll consider contributing at the 110% level (or higher) to ensure our ability to sustain the important administrative oversight to deliver on Impact 100’s philanthropic mission with integrity and high quality. And, as always, donations of any amount over and above the 110% toward operational expenses are welcome and very much appreciated! Whether you decide to join at 110% or not, you are engaging in the important and necessary work of philanthropy in our community by being a member. For this, we are profoundly grateful for your continued membership. 
One additional reminder: company matching gifts are another great way to support Impact 100’s philanthropic work. If you or your partner’s employer has a matching gift benefit, please consider Impact 100 for your company match! 
We will issue our call to action on membership renewals soon. To renew or join Impact 100 for 2022, please visit impact100.org/join.