Sonoma Mayor Amy Harrington offered a Proclamation honoring ten years of service.
With her are Co-Presidents Gera Vaz, Judith Walsh and Lynne Lancaster.
2019 marks the 10th anniversary of Impact100 Sonoma and the energy during the all-members Annual Meeting on January 26 was as effusive and celebratory as a fireworks show. Congratulations to all our members. This is your success. This is your legacy to Sonoma Valley.
Wreathed in a mayoral sash, Sonoma Mayor Amy Harrington honored the anniversary milestone by presenting a City Proclamation congratulating our organization for ten years of exemplary stewardship and support of nonprofit organizations that serve the people, resources and environment of Sonoma Valley, and for empowering women of all ages and backgrounds to become leaders of the community and beyond.
Gera Vaz and Sarah Carroll got right to the numbers:
2019
319 Members (including shared memberships)
means we have
$314,000 to fund grants in June 2019!
That will make
$2,376,000 Grant Dollars Awarded since 2009
Wow!
The meeting’s keynote speaker, Colleen Willoughby, has dedicated the last decades of her life to educating and empowering women to work collectively to change the world. Organizations Colleen either founded or co-founded include the Seattle CityClub, the Washington Women’s Foundation and the Women’s Collective Giving Grantmakers Network (WCGN, now Catalist).
After her keynote address. Colleen Willoughby, left, was interviewed by member Wendy Hoffman.
Colleen explained, “Collective giving gives women, or anyone, the opportunity to be a philanthropist for transformative results because of the leveraged activity of many donors pooling their funds. Women together will build on opportunities to make things better, stronger and more beautiful for the futures of our children, our God daughters and those yet unborn. God gave us a world to be loved. We must grasp the golden ring and bring that promise back to life. Women’s collective giving funds will be a player.”
After her talk, Colleen was interviewed by Wendy Hoffman and took questions from members. Asked how collective giving transforms women grant-givers, Colleen quoted Seattle philanthropist Sam Stroum’s definition of philanthropy: “Philanthropy is a connection between the head and the heart. It has little to do with the pocketbook.”
Colleen Willoughby made a $500 donation to the NextGen Program. Left to right: Betzy Chavez, Colleen, Lynne Lancaster and Viannette Contreras.
In gratitude for her traveling to Sonoma and sharing her words of wisdom and experience, Impact100 gave Colleen a $500 honorarium. That gesture was immediately returned when she donated it to the NextGen Program which provides 2-year scholarships for young women to join Impact100. Clearly Colleen walks her talk. As women in philanthropy, we are indebted to her in ways we can’t even know.
Members Suzy Tung, Patti Hutchins, Marcia Charles-Mo, Lynne Lancaster, Mirja Muncy and Mary Lee Rybar
Touching on the 10th Anniversary theme of “Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going”, founding member Ann Reder recounted some of the milestones of the past ten years:
- 2009 Founding of Impact100
- 2010 1st Impact Grant
- 2011 1st Community Grants
- 2014 Over $1 Million in grants
- 2015 1st July 4th Parade
- 2016 Found NextGen Program
- 2016 Receive the Sonoma Co. Community Champion Award
- 2017 Receive a Spotlight Award from WCGN
- 2018 Over $2 Million in grants
- 2018 New Impact100 Branding
- 2018 Membership nearly triples
- 2019 Onward and Upward – Congratulations one and All!
These are just a few highlights of our evolving organization. Members who were able to attend the Annual Meeting received a Milestone hand-out that includes in more detail the growth of Impact100. Click HERE to view the Timeline.
Admin. Asst. Chelsea Gregory and Sarah Carroll, Membership, selling Impact100 t-shirts and visors.
Treasurer Helen Bohl shared Where We are Now, financially speaking. Thanks to an unexpected $10,000 donation from the Erickson Foundation, our entrepreneurial membership team that organized raffles and Impact100 visor and t-shirt sales, and the angels of Members Plus who contributed beyond their basic membership donation to help fund our organization’s operating expenses, we ended 2018 with a small surplus. Currently, fewer than half of our members contribute to Members Plus. If you can financially, please take a moment now to support the running of our organization so we can continue our good work to benefit the community. It’s easy. Just click HERE.
Members Harriet Derwingson, Mabeth Sanderson, Piper Abodeely, Allyson Wiley-Weekes, Kim Schuh and Lucy Weiger
In the Co-Presidents Letter, above, Lynne Lancaster explains Where We are Now as an organization as a whole. So that leaves the question, Where are We Going? Stay tuned to hear details about a 5-Year Visioning Meeting during which we will dream and dare and guide Impact100 to further success in the years to come.
Members Hope Nisson, Ellen Murphy, Marilyn Albright, Pat Grillos, Susan Staggs and Debbe Noto
Thanks to all our members – those who only provide those vital grant dollars through their membership donations (we are proud to be a no-guilt organization!!!), those who contribute more to help run the organization, and those who become involved in making it all work – Impact100 Sonoma has matured from an upstart start-up to a community powerhouse of women leaders creating a thriving Sonoma Valley. Onward!
Members Liz Tunney Williams, Joanne Warren, Sandee Crisp, Kay Heigel, Jan Erickson and Diana Sanson
