Every year, our May membership deadline looms large. Will we again have a grant pool large enough to award at least one High Impact Grant in each of our five focus areas? Will we recruit enough new members? Will we retain our enviable 85% retention rate of existing members? What recruiting events will be most effective, while also being most cost-efficient? These are becoming age-old questions for Impact San Antonio.
Your membership team, led by the VP of Membership, Kasandra Vitacca-Mitchell, considered all these questions (and so many more) for the last 7 months. Yes, they do start that early! AnnMarie Simonson, Karla Broadus, Cathy Bertone, Cindy Kittle, Pamela Franklin, and Melinda Adams are the board members who make up the 2025 membership team. To say they achieved their goals doesn’t do the effort justice! From fun-themed socials to hosted parties in members’ homes, to emails, handwritten notes, and personal calls, they, along with many volunteers, dug deep in their philanthropy reservoirs so that Impact SA can once again award significant grants in our beloved community. The official total grant pool won’t be announced quite yet, though, as we wait for expected checks to arrive.
Impact San Antonio members, friends, and sponsors continue to inspire me. Your commitment to doing something positive in this community is truly motivating. Lately, I’ve been reading “The Big We-How Giving Circles Unlock Generosity, Strengthen Community and Make Change” by Hali Lee. She references the Five T’s of giving: time, talent, treasure, testimony and ties. I’ve long referenced the first three, but the last two-testimony and ties-were interesting additions that resonated with me. Lee suggests that we expand the definition of philanthropy-moving beyond billionaire donors-and to recognize the many ways people contribute beyond money and time. You completely embody her vision of philanthropy. Throughout the year, you use your voices to share Impact SA’s story, and you leverage your ties to help us find skilled volunteers, as well as leads to potential business sponsors. Ultimately, those ties and that testimony led us to new members. We could not do this work without your Five T’s.
So, our grant pool is funded, now what? Well, our Agencies and Applications team has executed training sessions for agencies that are interested in our grant process and has now opened the grant application process for the year. Non-profits have until May 30th to submit a project application. Our Grant Review teams are scheduled for training and are eagerly awaiting assignment to their Focus Areas. Our Grant Oversight and Outcomes team are recruiting liaisons to work with 2025 grant awardees. If you are interested in hearing more about the liaison role, please send an email to oversight@impactsanantonio.org. And, we are set to celebrate the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s Museo del Westside, a previous High Impact Grant awardee, in a May 31st Impact in Action event that is open for registration now!
Welcome to all new members, welcome back returning members, and thank you all for whichever Five T’s you are able to lend us from your philanthropy reservoir. We are grateful!
Warm regards,
Yvonne Grothues, President, Impact San Antonio
