How does Impact100 Cleveland work?

Impact100 awards high-impact grants to nonprofits in the greater Cleveland area by:

• Encouraging women to become members by donating $1,000 each year to invest in our community.

• Pooling those funds to form high impact grants in increments of approximately $100,000 each.

• Educating members about community issues and the nonprofits addressing those issues most effectively.

• Soliciting and evaluating, through a rigorous and thorough grant review process, grant applications from nonprofits serving the Atlanta area for transformative and sustainable game-changing projects.

• Awarding our grants to the nonprofits selected by a vote of our entire membership

What are the membership obligations?

Your only obligation is your $1,000 donation. Otherwise, your level of involvement is completely up to you! We hope that you will exercise your right to vote to select the grant recipients at our Annual Meeting. And we encourage you to consider sharing your skills and talents in any number of ways, including evaluating grant applications in our focus areas, graphic design, writing and editing, media relations, data entry, technology management, planning and/or hosting events, recruiting corporate sponsors, speaking to groups about Impact100, reaching out to nonprofits, working on member relations, photography, videography, etc. Regardless of your chosen level of involvement, Impact 100 values all members who share our vision to improve lives in the Cleveland community.

Can anyone participate in Impact100 Cleveland?

Women and those who identify as women over the age of 18 are eligible for membership. Anyone can participate by sponsoring a woman to be an Impact100 voting member, by donating any amount to the administrative fund or by donating over $250 to become a recognized Friend of Impact. We also appreciate anyone participating in increasing our impact by encouraging the women they know to become members.

I’m interested in serving in a leadership role. How do I get involved?

Excellent! Please email impact@impact100cleveland.org expressing your interest.

How long is my membership valid?

Membership is valid for one year from January - December. Each membership donation that is paid-in-full by the March 1st deadline provides voting membership for that year (so members joining before March 1st will have the ability to participate in grant selection and voting in October of that year). Members who pay after the annual membership deadline will be included in member communications and events, but are not eligible to vote until the following year.

Can I pay with a credit card?

Absolutely! Note that all credit card transactions require an additional 3.1% fee to cover processing fees.

Can I make my membership donation with installment payments?

Membership dues are due in full by March 1st. At this time, we are not offering installment payment plans after that deadline. If you would like to make installment payments before the March 1st deadline or have a unique payment situation, please email treasurer@Impact100cleveland.org and we will be happy to work on a solution. We also have a limited number of partial ($500) scholarships available for women wanting to be involved but for whom the financial commitment is an impediment. These scholarships are made possible by the generosity of our membership. More info coming soon about applying for a scholarship.

What role is there for me if I don’t want to become a member or can’t make a donation of $1,000?

We welcome all donations and are thrilled when an individual, foundation, or corporation wants to help us through monetary or in-kind service donations. Although they do not provide voting rights, these donations help cover program and operating expenses that are essential to accomplishing our mission. Donors giving $250 and above are considered “Friends of Impact” and may be listed on our website (with your permission). Further, if you want to become a member but can’t make a donation of $1,000, please email treasurer@impact100cleveland.org for scholarship opportunities.

I want to give more than the required membership donation. Do I get more than one vote?

Although additional gifts are always welcome, each Member is limited to one vote per person per year. But you can prepay your membership for subsequent years and/or sponsor others to join.

Can I make an in-kind donation of services or products to cover my $1,000 membership donation?

No. Because we pay the grants in dollars, all membership donations must go directly to grants. However, we are happy to accept in-kind donations to offset our administrative costs.