About

Our Mission

Impact100 Greater Milwaukee is an organization of women who collectively award transformative grants that make a lasting impact on the community.

It is a simple idea: one woman, one vote. Women make a fully tax deductible donation of $1,100 annually, $1,000 of which goes directly to our grants. The remaining $100 supports Impact100 Greater Milwaukee‘s operational expenses.

Following a rigorous evaluation process by our members, finalists present to the full membership at the Annual Awards Celebration. Following the presentations that night, members vote and the grant recipients are announced. For every 100 members, we award one $100,000 grant and divide the balance of funds among the remaining finalists. The more members we have, the more we can award.

Impact100 Greater Milwaukee is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization relying on the skills and talents of its members. We strive to be an inclusive, diverse organization of women growing as knowledgeable philanthropists in supporting our local nonprofits in the Greater Milwaukee community.

Our Core Values

Empower women to be philanthropic decision makers.

Raise our members‘ awareness of nonprofit organizations in our community.

Every member receives an equal vote in the awarding of grants.

Ensure that $1,000 of each member‘s donation goes directly to grant awards.

We strive for transparency, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.

Who would have thought one Facebook post could have such a huge impact?

A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDERS

Anne Trunzo, one of our co-founders, discovered Impact100 when her college classmate posted about Impact100 Palm Beach County, a nonprofit organization she had founded with some of her friends. To Anne, its concept of collective philanthropy seemed simple and efficient: 100 or more women collectively pool $1,000 donations in order to award high-impact, transformative grants to community nonprofit organizations. She thought the process of selecting grant recipients would provide a unique opportunity for member engagement while gaining insight into the critical work of these groups. Anne felt this idea should be shared with the women of Greater Milwaukee. 

Anne reached out to some very capable friends, Mary Therese Breger, Cynthia Harris, Sue Connor and Jamy Malatesta, who all loved the idea. After countless hours around their kitchen tables, Impact100 Greater Milwaukee became a reality in 2015. Our five original members are now more than 350 women collectively pooling resources to fund important work in our shared communities. 

Impact100 Greater Milwaukee is the 28th Impact100 organization in the world built on the model that was started in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2001.

2023/2024 Leadership

 Left to Right: Norma Herbers, Anne Schumaker, Maureen Kenfield, Beth Kumer, Janice Lato, Kate Hauser, Brenda Garbo, Carla Cummings, Peggy Niemer, Kathy Schluter, Julie Gilpin, Stacy Scheffer, Margaret Krei & Piper Mehigan.  Missing from photo: Kim Rennie Weissgerber 







Our Leadership

We are an all-volunteer, working board, and we welcome your leadership. Sharing your time and talents will make a lasting impact on our community.

2023/24 Board of Directors

President

Julie Gilpin

President-Elect

Carla Cummings

Past President

Stacy Scheffer 

Treasurer

Kate Hauser

Secretary

Norma Herbers

Governance

Kathy Schluter

Grant Co-Directors

Beth Kumer

Anne Schumaker

Communications Director

Margaret Krei

Programming & Outreach Director

Kim Rennie Weissgerber

Membership Recruitment Director

Piper Mehigan

Membership Retention Director

Janice Lato

Events Director

Maureen Kenfield

 Systems Director

Peggy Niemer

Friends of Impact Director

Brenda Garbo

 Past Presidents: Cynthia Harris, Anne Trunzo, Jamy Malatesta, Ann Homstad, Robin Martin, Tracy Gobis & Stacy Scheffer 

Committees

Assistant Secretary

Jennifer Sanders

Controller

Eileen Scheffer

Grants Management Chair

Ann Homstad

Financial Review Chair

Jill Boyle

Grant Development Chair

Jamy Malatesta

Grant Platform Chair

Amy Johnson

Grant Chairs

Cynthia Apfelbach, Julie Beres, Pam Klein, Lisa Roettgers &          Bonnie Tesch 

Communications Chairs

Amy Barry & Eryka Anderson

Programming Chair

Sara Manning

Outreach Chair

Renee Manion

Annual Awards Celebration Chairs

Cynthia Wynn

Kick-Off  & Helping Hands Event Chair

Betsy Jost

Beyond the Headlines and Global Day of Impact Event Chairs

Gwen Armbrust & Gaye Coleman

Recruiting Events Chair

Vicki Hagen

Recruitment Support Chair

Brit Bortz

Engagement Chair

Connie Pire

Retention Support Chair 

Barb Holtz