By Cindy Young Vanhoutte, founder and principal consultant at Nourish Communications.
Jan. 10, 2023 – Impact Austin has appointed Demetria George Caston, MS, CFRE, as our new Executive Director. An experienced nonprofit executive, Demetria’s key strengths in fundraising, relationship building, program development, and community collaboration will help to advance Impact Austin's mission as we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year. In her new role, Demetria will ensure short term and sustainable growth of the organization and continue diversification at all levels for Impact Austin’s membership and community partners.
“Demetria brings over twenty years of experience, insight, and passion for nonprofit program development, fundraising, community engagement, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging,” said Impact Austin Board President Katherine Mudge. “Her extensive knowledge and leadership will shepherd Impact Austin into its next chapter as the organization prepares to celebrate two decades as a tenured grant provider in Central Texas.”
Demetria most recently served as the Chief Development Officer of the Breast Cancer Resource Center in Austin, where she planned and led fundraising campaigns, embraced strategic community partners, strengthened programs, and worked with leaders and staff to meet the needs of clients. Before coming to Austin, she worked with notable nonprofits and higher learning institutions, including Make-A-Wish Hawaii, Mercy Ships, Hill College, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
“As we prepare to celebrate 20 years of collective giving this year, I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities ahead to collaborate with our community partners,” said Demetria. “2023 will be a year of boldness for Impact Austin - bold thinking, bold goals and bold action - to build upon our rich history. Now is the time for us to work efficiently and effectively, together, to achieve the change our community needs. Our members are positioned to deliver Impact Austin’s mission, and our community partnerships matter more than ever.”
A native of Louisiana, Demetria holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black, Catholic university in the United States, and a Master of Science in Health Care Management from the University of New Orleans. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a 2022 graduate of the African American Leadership Institute in Austin. Demetria is also a member of the Austin (TX) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, an international African American women's service organization, where she serves as chair of International Trends and Services.
Impact Austin is a community of women that seeks to transform lives in Central Texas through high-impact and lifelong giving. We combine donations from members and give multiple high impact grants each year to local, worthy causes selected by our members. In 2022, the women of Impact Austin gave $386,200 to 9 Central Texas nonprofits in focus areas of Community, Education, Equity, and Health and Well-Being, along with the Girls Giving Grants award.
Impact Austin Membership
Impact Austin welcomes new members year-round and identifying as a woman is the only requirement. Each member contributes $1,250 through an annual payment, monthly payments, or a scholarship to fund the organization's grants and operations. Impact Austin Community Partners are also invited to join at no cost. Members can get involved by voting on grants, joining a committee, participating in the review process, attending social events, learning philanthropy education and more. For more information, visit https://www.impactaustin.org/membership.
About Impact Austin
Impact Austin is a women’s collective giving organization, funding Central Texas nonprofits that provide services in Bastrop, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties. Impact Austin’s mission is to cultivate the collective wisdom and strength of women to transform themselves and their communities through philanthropy. Over the past 19 years, more than 2,857 local women philanthropists have given $8.26 million to nonprofit organizations and collaboratives in Central Texas through Impact Austin, including 112 grants serving 91 organizations. Impact Austin’s youth initiative, Girls Giving Grants (g3), creates learning and leadership opportunities for girls in grades 8-12. To date, the youth organization has awarded $107,200 to improve young lives in Central Texas. For more information, visit www.impactaustin.org.
