Now that the Meet the Finalists event is behind us, we start the preparations for the Annual Awards Celebration (AAC). Over the summer, please follow, like and share our social media posts, where we will be celebrating each of the finalists.
Mark your calendar — Annual Awards Celebration 2024 — September 19 at Music Hall. As noted in our strategic plan, our goal is to improve the experience for both members and finalists. In some cases, there’s an inherent conflict with what each group desires. For example, while members might wish for live presentations, nonprofits overwhelmingly prefer the video approach, reducing stress, anxiety and unnecessary competition. We are working hard to balance feedback from all sides as we evolve to become better partners for nonprofits and conscientious stewards of our members’ contributions.
Watch your email for notices about reviewing executive summaries and making your selections starting September 3. And, this year, we will keep the selection process open throughout the event, to give members time to learn more and make their most informed decisions.
One area where we can all agree is we’d like to be able to honor all 7 finalists in some way. While we only have enough grant dollars to support 4 $100,000 grants, this year we are piloting an “Extend Your Impact” fund into which members can contribute and the proceeds will be divided equally among finalists who do not receive the large transformational grants. See article below.
Don’t miss the opportunity to weigh in on the future of Impact 100. We’re launching a series of listening sessions, Impact In-forums, designed to engage and solicit insight from members on various topics. The first one will be held July 30 virtually.
We have many other ways for you to get involved, from spread the word, featuring a nonprofit mission moment, to informal happy hours. Check out www.impact100.org/events for details.
We continue to make progress on our strategic plan. As a reminder, we are focused on 4 big priorities over the next few years:
– Improve grant-making experience for members and nonprofits
– Enhance members’ experience of engagement and belonging
– Simplify and standardize our internal work for sustainability
– Improve frequency and transparency of communication to members.
As an Impact member, you are key to our continued success. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me directly at President@impact100.org.