From Clare’s Desk: A New Direction for Greater Impact

I would like to express my gratitude for the generosity of you, our supporters, past and present.

As we approach a significant milestone of $1,000,0000 granted to charities in our community. I’m excited by the impact our collective giving model has ignited in just five short years.

After five grantmaking cycles, since we were founded in 2020, I’m delighted to share some important work we’ve been doing behind the scenes.

Vision, Mission, and Values

Last year, the Governance and Communications Committees embarked on a project to clarify our Vision, Mission, and Values and make them specific to our chapter and place.

Our warm thanks to the many of you who completed our survey and supporters past and present who participated in 1:1 interviews so we could hear your input and feedback firsthand. These insights have helped us hone in on who we are as an organisation, and how we want Impact100 to be part of shaping our community going forward.

I am so inspired by the results of this important mahi. Our new Vision, Mission, and Values will help guide everything we do - from how and what we fund, to the way we communicate and work alongside our supporters, charitable partners, and local community.

Granting Model

In addition, we’ve been listening to the charitable organisations in our community, and as a result, we will be evolving our grantmaking approach.

Historically, our funding has been focused on large, transformational projects. For example, the 2021 predator trapping project with Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust was a targeted, time-sensitive project. We know that this kind of funding is ideal for some organisations.

However, we have listened to voices from other charities in our community who have requested funding to build their capacity to sustainably achieve their mission, enabling them to scale-up their impact. We have already funded some organisations in this way – for example, our 2023 grant to Kiwi Harvest. We awarded them $100,000 for a larger refrigerated transport truck, which unlocked their ability to rescue and redistribute more food. They were at an inflexion point, and our Impact100 grant enabled their growth.

What do these two developments mean for you?

If you are a current Impact100 supporter, your experience will remain the same, and increasingly reflect our commitment to our Mission, Vision and Values.

For charities in our community, this year we will invite applications that focus on EITHER a large, transformational project OR on building their capacity to scale up the proven mission-based work they do to serve our community’s most critical needs.

What are Impact100 Whakatipu’s Mission, Vision and Values?

 Our Vision: Women working together to secure a thriving Whakatipu Basin for all who choose to call it home

Our Mission: Impact100 is a catalyst for good; we help fuel organisations with high-impact solutions for our community's most critical needs

Our Values: We believe in

● Making a meaningful impact; It's not just about what we do—it's about the tangible differences we can make together

● Building strength through shared achievement; Together, we foster resilience, growth, and unity, knowing that every achievement is a collaborative effort

● Giving together is how we all grow stronger; Good citizenship involves sharing what we can because when we thrive, so can our community

● Welcoming new and diverse voices; We seek opportunities to meet and learn from others

● Forging trust through transparency; When our actions are clear and open, everyone feels involved. Together, we move forward with clarity and purpose

● Learning and continually seeking to be better; We value continuous improvement 

All captured by four powerful words: Collective strength. Lasting impact.

We want you to know that we are eager to actively listen and consider your feedback as we seek to continually improve as an organisation based on what we learn.

Together, through partnership with you and the truly brilliant organisations we support, we want to continue to enable everyone who chooses to call this very special place home, to thrive, working to address our community’s most critical needs.

Finally, I would like to thank you once again for your contribution to Impact100, and urge you to join us for 2025, so that we can continue to fuel our local organisations with high impact solutions - that truly do make a lasting impact.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Clare.