The power of 100 women – Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Jane Watt| Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The new year is upon usand sadly there are more people in need in our community than ever before. The year 2020 wasdifficultfor all of us, but for already underserved populationsitwas devastating and numerous nonprofits in Sarasota and Manatee counties have been working harder than ever to address the overwhelming needs of so many people.

Uniting in collective giving to benefit local nonprofits can have an extraordinary impact. Thats the fundamental reason I was inspired to get involved with Impact100 and become one of the founders of our local Sarasota chapter. An all-volunteer nonprofit organizationfounded in 2017, our mission is to empower women to collectively fund transformational grants to nonprofits in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Our model is simple:At least 100 women join, each donates $1,000and 100%of their donations are awarded in grants of at least $100,000 annually.

As one of nearly 60 chapters worldwide, Impact100 SRQ joins our sister chapters in the local collective giving model. Each one of our members stop-and-think $1,000 annual donation strengthens the power of intentional giving and makes a sustainable difference in our community. In just two short years of being fully operational, our chapter hasawarded nearly $600,000 to five community nonprofits.

In 2019, our first giving year, our membership was 228 women strong and we were able to fund two $114,000 grants. One of those grants wasto The Haven, which was able to renovate its preschool in record time; the other grant was to Mothers Helping Mothers, which through Impact100 SRQ funding was able to payoff the mortgage on its building (which in turnenabledthe organization to react more efficiently when the pandemic beganlast year).

In our second year we grew our membership to 342 passionate and generous women, which allowed us to have an even greater impact in the community. In 2020we awarded three $114,000 grants and provided assistance to Mayors Feed the Hungry, Sky Family YMCA and The Childrens Cancer Center.

Seeing all of these organizations turn their dream initiatives into funded realities for the communities they servehas personally impacted me in ways I never even imagined.

It is crystal clear to me and all the women of Impact100 SRQ that our work and the fulfillment of our mission is now more important than ever. Our goal is to fund at least five grants each year one in each of our five focus areas: arts and culture, education, environment and recreation, familyand health and wellness. There is no limit to the number of members we can havenor to our ability to impact the community through this collective giving model.

The more women who join us each year, the more grants we can award each yearand the more nonprofits in our community we can impact. This yearour goal is to grow our membership to 500 women as we Strive to Fund All Five. Impact100 SRQ welcomes all women in our community to join our mission by becoming a member of our chapter or by giving the Gift of Impact through a donation to our sponsorship program, which affords other women the opportunity to join.

There is a quote by H. Jackson Brown Jr. a popular author known for his inspirational books that truly resonates with me: "Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.

Founding Impact100 SRQ and having the honor of serving aspresident of the Sarasota/Manatee chapter is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever been part of. Through the power of collective giving, there is no limit to the impact we can make.

For more information, visit http://www.impact100srq.org.

Jane Watt is the president of Impact100 SRQ, a Sarasota-based nonprofit.

More:

The power of 100 women - Sarasota Herald-Tribune