Are you new to Impact Austin? Not yet a member and wondering "what's it all about?" Or perhaps you're a long-time member uncertain if you'll attend Discovery Day on January 25. Here are 9 great reasons you will want to be there! Register today!
It's a new year with new opportunities to engage.
Whether or not you've been "active" with Impact Austin, this first event of 2025 is a great way to start engaging. You can always find something to do on our Events webpage, and we're excited to kick off the calendar year with Discovery Day.
Our 2025 event is user-friendly and convenient.
Just like last year, we're gathering at St. Edward's University. Our location is spacious and airy, and nearby parking couldn't be easier! No time for breakfast before you join us? We'll have some light bites and coffee waiting for you. Sip and nibble while you greet fellow members. See the Google Maps location.
Discovery Day is an Impact Austin tradition!
We offer three Signature Events each year: Discovery Day in the winter; Annual Meeting in early June; and Town Hall Meeting in the fall. Each has its own special feel and focus. We're kicking off 2025 with Discovery Day!
We're more than a giving circle. Impact Austin is a learning community.
When she visited the Washington Women's Foundation in order to draw best practices from that giving circle, Impact Austin's founder Rebecca Powers brought home the idea for an educational series that was adapted and named Impact Austin Discovery Day. The goal was to provide a day of learning for members right before the grant review committees would start their work. Our first Discovery Day was in January 2007, and thus began our commitment to philanthropy education. For the next 10 years, speakers presented a range of topics directly or indirectly tied to our grant focus areas, such as: economic trends vis a vis philanthropy; growing school enrollment among disadvantaged children; an expanding elderly population; demographic trends; school dropout rates; medical research; Austin as a magnet for arts and culture; changes in the Texas labor market; environmental sustainability; water and wildlife; and more. By 2018, Discovery Day expanded beyond grant-related issues to add content about philanthropy education with topics like these:
Member-panelists will share unique perspectives on the value of trust-based philanthropy to support nonprofit organizations.
Ami Kane, Executive Director Girls Empowerment Network, will moderate a panel of three Impact Austin members who work in the nonprofit sector:
Brittany Sharkey, Executive Director, Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
Kali' Rourke, Founding Board President, Seedling Mentors
Marissa Yates, Social Media Strategist, Consumer Reports
We'll also explore principles of community-centric fundraising.
This term is new to us, and we're anxious to know more! We'll dive in during the keynote address by Sierra Randall, Partner, Development Strategy with Insights 4 Equity.
We'll have opportunities to ask questions and give feedback!
Table discussions will provide an opportunity for feedback, and questions from the audience will be welcome.
See long-time friends and make a new friend or two.
Our Signature Events always provide an "aha" moment as we encounter a friend we haven't seen in a while. And we always meet someone new to Impact Austin or to us. This opportunity for connection and community building is a priceless benefit of membership.
Lunch afterward at nearby Matt's El Rancho - it's optional, but what's not to like?
I'm going! Who's joining me here?
Register for Discovery Day today!
