About Us

Mission statement

Impact San Antonio is committed to empowering women and improving the community through effective philanthropy.

Impact San Antonio is different from most
non-profits.

Every cent of each member’s $1,000 donation goes to that year’s grant recipients. Service on committees is not mandatory.

There are no mandatory meetings to attend; members who donate $1,000 by September 30 have voting rights (in person or absentee) at the Grant Award ceremony held annually in October.

ISA does not have administrative staff or an office, so all “administrative” work (marketing, accounting, etc.) is done by members and volunteers.

ISA’s operational costs (website, grant software, invitations) are covered by donations from sources other than the member’s initial $1,000 donations.

Grant applications are accepted in five categories (Arts & Culture, Education, Environment/Recreation/Historic Preservation, Family, and Health & Wellness) which distinguishes us from United Way and many other foundations which may restrict their grants to only the arts or only social services.

Friends of Impact San Antonio

Women, men and companies are invited to join Impact as a “Friend of Impact San Antonio”, a non-voting member, with monetary gifts less than $1,000 or in-kind services. These funds help support the administrative needs of the organization.

History

Impact San Antonio Foundation was founded by Kelly Hutchinson in 2004 as a women’s giving circle. Since the first grant was awarded in 2005, the organization has given more than $525,000 to seven San Antonio non-profits.

2012 Officers and Directors

2012 Officers

Ann Parker, President
Meg Salvadore, Vice President
Pat Bridwell, Secretary
Barbara Kyse, Treasurer
Jeanne Albrecht
Susan Brothers
Kate Crone
Julia Eyer
Marilyn Harrington
Nicole Hensley
Michele Price
Jackie Pugh

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FAQ

Why does Impact San Antonio give the entire $100,000 to a single organization?
One of our primary goals is high-impact giving. By collectively funding a large grant, we can have a big impact in a selected area. In addition, when a non-profit pieces together $100,000 from, for example, 10 different $10,000 grants, the non-profit has reporting requirements and related administrative costs from each of those grantors, not to mention fundraising costs to find all those grants. Again, increased costs mean less money going to the ultimate needs. By giving one large grant, we can have more impact and keep costs lower for the grant recipient.

How can Impact San Antonio give all of my $1,000 to the grantee? Are there administrative and fundraising expenses to be covered?
Although some administrative and fundraising expenses will be incurred, Impact San Antonio is committed both to keeping those expenses low (e.g. we have no paid staff) and to finding other sources of funding to cover those expenses. Other sources include donations from Friends of Impact San Antonio--individuals or companies who donate less than the $1,000 level for full membership to the organization. In addition, we are seeking donations in-kind of items like stationery and web site support and hosting.

Why is the required donation set at $1,000?
To make sure we have committed members and to keep the costs of fundraising low. One of the challenges in the non-profit sector today is the high cost of fundraising. This is caused by the competition among all non-profits for a finite pool of funding and the cost of dealing with the high volume, low dollar donations on which most non-profits count. To raise $100,000 with $100 donations would mean fundraising from 1,000 people, and smaller donations would require finding and dealing with even more donors, and ultimately means that less money goes to those in need.