New Melbourne Giving Circle - Impact100Melbourne
3 October 2013 at 11:26 am
A new collaborative giving circle has been set up in Melbourne with the aim of bringing 100 diverse donors together to make a significant community impact through local Not for Profits.
Impact100Melbourne describes itself as a group of philanthropy experts who want to provide high-impact grants that reach under-served populations, raise the profile of deserving but lesser-know Not for Profit organisations, highlight unmet needs in the region and increase involvement in philanthropy across Melbourne.
Two of the Founding Committee Members of Impact100Melbourne are former employees of Philanthropy Australia, the peak body for Australian philanthropy.
Rikki Andrews is a former Professional Development Manager at Philanthropy Australia and Vanessa Meachen worked at Philanthropy Australia for almost 15 years, most recently as the Research and Policy Manager. Meachen now works with Louise Arkles, another former Philanthropy Australia employee in a private consultancy called Lark Philanthropy, supporting trusts and foundations, philanthropists and donors.
In July 2013, Rikki Andrews was appointed to the role of Community and People Development Program Manager at the Gardiner Foundation. Both their roles at Impact100Melbourne are voluntary.
“We want to raise $100,000 through at least 100 people in Melbourne,” Vanessa Meachen said.
“This $100,000 is pooled to make one large impact grant to a Melbourne-based organisation that is working to support the issue we have chosen to focus on.
”We have been inspired by Impact100WA and the work of co-founder James Boyd in Western Australia and the setting up of Impact100Fremantle. Melbourne is already well-known for its established philanthropy so we are hoping it will translate well here.
“One of the exciting things for me is that I can feel like a big donor with just a small donation,” Meachen said.
Donations are fully tax-deductible. The Impact100Melbourne donations go into a sub-fund of the Australian Communities Foundation.
“We went with the Australian Communities Foundation because it is well established with all its governance well in place,” Meachen said.
“Impact100Melbourne will invite grant applications from across the Not for Profit sector who meet the fund’s criteria,” according to the Impact100Melbourne website.
“These applications will be shortlisted to four organisations, who will then be invited to present to donors at an annual Presentation and Grant Awards Dinner to be held in Melbourne.
“All four grant recipients who make the shortlist will receive a grant. Only one will walk away with the $100,000, but the other three will also receive some funds in recognition of the time and effort spent participating in our grants process.
“All four grant recipients will benefit from raised public profiles, potentially attracting additional funding. Any organisation unsuccessful in their application for an Impact100Melbourne grant may find new avenues of funding as a result of undergoing the review and selection process,” the website said.
