At a recent gathering at the Vero Beach Yacht Club, a group of new and prospective Indian River Impact 100 members were welcomed by Beth Wright and Barbara Ruddy, who serve on the membership committee, and Sherri Kolodziejczak, board treasurer.
Following an all-virtual year, the nonprofit is planning some in-person wine and cheese receptions to welcome and connect with new members while imparting information about the organization and how they can participate. Members are invited to become as involved in the process as they wish.
Through Impact members’ collective giving, more than $5 million has been awarded to local nonprofits as $100,000 High Impact grants and merit awards. Despite the difficulties of an all-virtual COVID year, the 2020-21 cycle closed with 425 members, who voted in April 2020 to grant a total of $436,000 (there were some additional donations).
Ruddy said she was enthusiastic about growing the membership to 500 this year and encouraged everyone to help spread the word.
The Impact 100 model is a simple but very effective formula: one woman, $1,100, one vote.
(Consistent with Impact 100 chapters nationwide, a $100 administrative fee to maintain technology and other expenses has been added to the annual $1,000 membership contribution.)
Tracy Sorzano, Impact board president, was unable to attend the reception, but spoke with Vero Beach 32963 earlier in the day about plans for the 2021-22 cycle, which they fervently hope will remain in-person.
“Right now, the greatest challenge is being able to continue to engage with our members and our prospective members, given that the environment is still so tentative, said Sorzano.
“Unfortunately, COVID hasn’t helped us in that process. That’s the biggest obstacle that all organizations are facing; particularly membership ones like Impact.”
Sorzano said the 2021-22 grant cycle is already underway. A virtual grant-writing session for nonprofits was held in June, and an in-person, nonprofit information training session is scheduled for Sept. 8. The online application for nonprofits to apply for a grant went live as of June 15 and will be accepted until Nov. 3.
“That’s earlier than we’ve ever done it. We worked really hard to update it and make it available to our nonprofits as early as we could,” said Sorzano, adding that Michele Peters is the new director of operations.
Additionally, the membership year was streamlined to make it less confusing; enrollment is now 12 months from the date that a member last contributed. To cast a vote at the April 2022 Grant Awards and Annual Meeting, contributions must be made by Feb. 28, 2022.
“Once you join, you remain a member in good standing for a full calendar year. You just need to renew your membership by your original membership date every year to be able to serve on grant panels and attend special member activities,” said Sorzano. “We want to continue to maintain our gold standing as an organization for women in our community.”
She said they are always looking for individuals and businesses to become Friends of Impact sponsors, particularly women-owned businesses.
“We’re grateful for our members, we’re grateful for our community partners (grant recipients), and we’re grateful for our sponsors,” said Sorzano. “We’re excited about the upcoming year. We hope it will be as successful as years in the past have been.”
Other scheduled events include a Nov. 17 Kickoff Brunch and Jan. 12 Impact Day. For more information or to join, visit impactir.com.
Photos by Kaila Jones
