Impact Giving Awards $85,000 in their first year on April 1

Impact Giving, a nonprofit women’s collective giving organization, will give more than $85,000 to other nonprofit grant recipients at “Making the Impact” on April 1, 2010, 6:00 p.m. at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa.

In its inaugural year, the organization has gathered 98 women together to individually give $1000, with 100% of the donation going to the grant recipients. Thirty-seven nonprofit organizations, all nominated by Impact Giving members (called partners), were invited to submit grant applications.

“Thoughtful consideration by each Impact Giving grant committee member was put into vetting every grant application,” said Sam Dawson, Impact Giving grants chair. “We asked each committee member to weigh the applications against our values and grant standards to see if the nonprofit organizations fit within our criteria. Grant summaries of the finalists are posted on our website where the entire partnership then cast their vote to determine the grant recipients.”

“We believe we can accomplish greater things together than we can individually,” said Karen Wilson, co-founder and board chair of Impact Giving. “Other collective giving groups throughout the United States give to their local communities; however, what makes Impact Giving unique is that we give both locally and globally. We have already gained partners in Aspen, Washington DC, Illinois, New York, San Francisco and Texas.”

In a 2007 study, there are approximately 400 collective giving groups in the United States according to The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers’ New Ventures in Philanthropy. A survey of 160 giving groups found that they leveraged $13 million in 2006 alone and nearly $100 million to in 2010.

To effect positive sustainable social change through the impact of collective giving, Impact Giving tracks the progress of their grant recipients. “We request that each grant recipient give us a six month and one year report to show the women how they are making an impact,” said Ann Duncan, co-founder and vice-chair of Impact Giving. “Throughout this year, it will be rewarding to see the progress of our dollars working together.”

The goal of Impact Giving is to gather 1000 women, who individually give $1000 and collectively award $1 million dollars. Impact Giving is dedicated to engage, educate and empower their partners and the grant recipients they support.

The awards event “Making the Impact” is open to the public and costs $60 per person. Seating is limited. To register, go online to www.impactgivingnow.org or call Ann

Duncan at (949) 838-7444 for more information.