The local chapter of a charitable and social group of women is flourishing in the Little Traverse Bay region. The numbers tell the story.
Impact100 Little Traverse Bay now has nearly 350 members and will be awarding $342,000 split evenly to three local charities in early August.
Impact100 is a national organization created 25 years ago that features women members who each donate $1,000 annually to support local nonprofits in their community. The organization now has more than 80 chapters globally, having collectively donated over $700 million since its inception.
The Impact100 Little Traverse Bay chapter was started in 2024 and selects from charities in Charlevoix and Emmet counties, said founding president and Petoskey resident Lloyann Curtis. Its 268 members last year donated $134,000 each to the Manna Food Project and the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation for the Lofts at Lumber Square project.
“Membership continues to grow and we want to keep it that way,” Curtis said.
She hopes to have more than 500 members later this year, which would allow the chapter to donate at least $100,000 apiece to five different local charities in 2027.
Impact100 Little Traverse Bay hosts several social events each year designed to inform existing members of potential charities, while simultaneously recruiting new members. The events often include light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres while featuring Curtis and other members speaking about charitable opportunities and chapter activities.
Membership is available to any adult woman, even those living outside of Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
Applicable charities all fit into one of five categories, Curtis said. Those categories include arts and culture, education, environmental, health and wellness, and family. A pool of $500,000 in grant money would allow the chapter to select one charity from each category. Curtis hopes to grow membership to 1,000 in the coming years.
“We open (allow) charities to apply for grant money each summer,” Curtis said.
Some chapter members are part of a grant committee that selects finalists for the current year’s funds.
Five finalists will be presenting their cases in front of Impact100 Little Traverse Bay members and guests on June 24 at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club. The event is open to the public, with RSVPs confirmed through a form on the chapter’s website at impact100ltb.com. The selected charities will be announced at an event at the yacht club on Aug. 5.
Curtis said there are a few differences between Impact100 Little Traverse Bay and other chapters around the country. Given northwest Michigan’s popularity as a resort area, about half of the chapter’s members are seasonal residents, living elsewhere in the winter. Most of the chapter’s social events are held in the spring, summer and fall as a result.
Additionally, the chapter allows men and business owners to fund women memberships and the $1,000 donation commitment.
“That helps to keep our membership diverse, which is really important because we want many difference voices to be part of this process,” Curtis said.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Impact100 Little Traverse Bay thriving, driving community support
Reporting by M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
