February 2025 Newsletter

Message From the Board

Members and Supporters,

As a member of Impact100 Atlanta for the past three years, I've experienced firsthand the power of Impact100 Atlanta’s collective giving model and the incredible women who drive it forward. I’m thrilled to be Impact100 Atlanta’s Membership Recruitment Chair for 2025!

At its heart, Impact100 Atlanta embodies what I value most: fostering community, empowering local nonprofits, and creating meaningful change in our city. We have a simple yet powerful model that sets us apart: each member's $1,000 contribution joins with others to create game-changing grants, while also fostering lasting partnerships with our nonprofit recipients.

Our ambitious goal for 2025 is 500 members. Every new member amplifies our impact. I invite you to join us through March 31st, whether you’re renewing or joining for the first time. Together, we rise!

Warmly,

Meg Bender

Membership Recruitment Chair, Impact100 Atlanta

Your Quick-Action Impact Checklist

This newsletter is packed with great information and good vibes, so we hope you will read through to the end! But just in case, here is a quick list of the best ways you can ensure you help us make your impact today:

JOIN OR RENEW NOW - Don't wait another minute to commit to being part of our $1M year!
SPREAD THE WORD - Introduce someone new to impact by sharing the media resources below or telling your "why."
COME TO AN EVENT - And bring friends! Or contact Membership if you are interested in hosting your own gathering.
SIGN UP FOR TEXT ALERTS - Stay in the loop on events, key deadlines & more - text "START" to 706-995-7133.

All Eyes on Impact!

We launched into 2025 with incredible momentum and plans to engage our community and share our story across exciting new channels. While the coverage has been amazing, we recognize that achieving our bold goal of 500 members by March 31 will require the collective efforts of all our members and supporters. Please check out and SHARE the valuable media resources below to help us reach more women and nonprofits in the Atlanta community.

Atlanta Magazine

We kicked off with an online feature in the incredible Atlanta Magazine. If you have not read it yet, please do and share it with your network! We’d love for them to join us or apply for a grant. They should also know about the amazing work YOU are doing!

Atlanta Magazine Feature Here

Atl & Co. on 11Alive

The Power of Women. The Power of Atlanta. The Power of Impact.

Your Impact100 Atlanta team had the honor of being featured on Atlanta & Co. with 11Alive on February 11th. Sherrhonda Roach and Laurie Sheehan went live to highlight the local and global impact of Impact100. They had the opportunity to SHARE the Impact100 Atlanta story and explain how we are transforming our community, one high-impact grant at a time. Thank you to Tammi Ryley, Strategic Communications Chair, for coordinating the appearance and all of the details! Thank you so much to host Cara Kneer and the whole team at Atl & Co. for having us! If you missed it, you can view and SHARE the segment using the link below.

Watch Atl & Co Here

97.1 The River

Our very own Jill Henry and Sherrhonda Roach had an incredible time at 97.1 The River with the one and only Kaedy Kiely, recording a special podcast to share the story of Impact100 Atlanta and the power of collective giving.

A BIG thank you to Kaedy for using her platform to help us amplify our mission and the incredible impact women are making in Atlanta. Her support means the world! We cannot wait for you to hear it and SHARE it - listen at the link below.

Listen to Podcast Here

Billboards

We are excited to share that our very gracious friends at Lamar Advertising Company donated SIX billboards around Metro Atlanta for our use this year. Our Strategic Communications Team (Mandi Oeland, Vanessa Benz & Marlena Smith), led by Tammi Ryley, designed the billboards which include an impactful photo from our Annual Big Give event (see below!). Keep an eye out for them!

An Evening with Impact

What an extraordinary evening our signature membership event, An Evening with Impact, turned out to be! The energy at Salesforce Tower on February 13th, Galentine's Day, was truly electric as we celebrated and shared the power of collective giving.

Our incredible 2024 grantees, COR, Second Helpings Atlanta and The Empty Stocking Fund brought Impact100 Atlanta’s mission to life, sharing the inspiring stories behind their projects and the transformational impact of our grants. Their words reminded us why we do this work—why we come together, pool our resources, and make a transformative and sustainable difference in our community that will impact generations to come. It was also special to have one of our 2023 Grant Recipients in the building with us, Larry Witherspoon, from Jumpstart Automotive Training Center. A big thank you to our Events Chair, Cathy Tilman, for her hard work and dedication to making these events so special. We have shared some photos as well as a full photo gallery below. To download photos the pin is 7685.

Our theme this year is “Inspired by Impact, Together We Rise!" This year, we have an opportunity to make history as we surpass the $1 million milestone in grants and fully fund five high-impact grants in 2025. But we cannot do it alone.

We hope everyone who attended felt the power and heart of the Impact100 generosity movement and left inspired to take action. Whether it’s becoming a member, sharing our grant opportunity with local nonprofits, considering a corporate sponsorship, or becoming a Friend of Impact, there are so many ways to be part of this movement.

Let’s rise together to share our hearts and treasures to make 2025 a year of IMPACT and history!

With gratitude,

Sherrhonda Roach

President, Impact100 Atlanta

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY HERE

Annual Board Retreat

On January 25, we gathered at The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge for our Board of Directors Retreat. Our purpose was to reconnect and collaborate on our aspirations for 2025. We formulated strategic plans for the upcoming months, ensuring that all decisions were made with the collective goal of achieving Impact100 Atlanta’s objectives while maintaining our mission at the forefront.

We were delighted to meet in the recently renovated conference room and we were given a special behind the scenes tour of The Hope Lodge led by our esteemed Impact100 Atlanta member, Ms. Joy (Joyce Carlisle). It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the services that the lodge provides to patients and families while receiving cancer treatment in Atlanta.

We are thrilled to welcome the following new members to our Board of Directors:

* Winifred Akande - Financial Oversight Chair

* Aisha Arbuckle - FAC Chair - Family

* Margaret Brackett - FAC Chair - Education

* Kathi Ray - FAC Chair - Arts & Culture

* Marlena Smith - Digital Marketing Co-Chair

We currently have two vacant Board positions: Technology Chair and Public Relations Chair. If you are interested in either position or know of an individual who would be a valuable asset to Impact100 Atlanta, please contact us.

VIEW BOARD MEMBER BIOS

Nonprofit News

President, Sherrhonda Roach, and Grants Chair, Jill Henry, met with our 2024 grantees to review key aspects of our process and sign grant agreements following their recent awards. Treasurer, Michelle Gilfillan, and Vice President, Laurie Sheehan, also attended these meetings. These gatherings provided an opportunity for us to strengthen our relationships with our non-profit organizations while also examining the fundamental elements of our grant agreement and process detailed below:

alignment and communication to ensure clarity of expectations, deliverables and timelines
stewardship and transparency of grant funds including payment disbursement procedure and reporting
mutual recognition and publicity in exchanging logos for marketing/social media and participation in engagement events
partnership in pop-up events for our members to volunteer and continue their connection with their organizations

Membership Deadline!

If you have not already renewed your membership or joined, please do so as soon as possible! (And if you have already paid, thank you!) Our membership enrollment window closes at midnight on March 31! We appreciate all early renewals and new memberships as it helps our all-volunteer organization with our planning.

Click the button below to renew or join! Let's make an even BIGGER impact this year by funding Five in 2025! Please contact membership@impact100Atlanta.org with any questions or if you would like to get more involved with recruiting!

RENEW OR JOIN HERE

Opt In for Text Messaging

We are thrilled to announce that Impact100 Atlanta now has text messaging capabilities! Tired of digging through your inbox or spam folder? Now you can get quick, time-sensitive updates such as event reminders, deadline alerts, and other important news sent right to your phone. To start receiving text messages simply text "START" to 706-995-7133.

Why Opt In?

Stay informed on all things Impact100 Atlanta
Get timely reminders tailored to your activity
No spam - just what you need, when you need it!

We will not share your information and you can opt out anytime by replying STOP. You can read our full Privacy Policy here. Let’s stay connected and keep the Impact going strong!