It is now just past 18 months since Impact Now began. We have been able to make a positive impact in the lives and work of 34 women leaders through individual, group, and team coaching; custom workshops; and facilitated conversations (Roundtables). Of these 34 women, 17 have taken advantage of more than one of our services.
The majority of Impact Now clients are located in East Africa—Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Burundi, and Malawi. In those contexts, money for professional development is limited, if available at all. Our DRC, Kenya, Burundi, and Malawi clients have been able to take advantage of our services because Impact Now program and services were free.
The primary impact of our work has been supporting women leaders as they develop confidence:
I deeply value the time we have spent together and the progress you have helped me make in my work. I wouldn’t be this far along in my goals or have this much courage to push forward without your support.
Attending the coaching session helped me to gain confidence in what I do and to strive for professionalism while focusing to (sic) what is important. … Before starting the coaching session I had a lot of doubt and uncertainty about my place and work in the organization. As we started the coaching with my teammates, clarity and accountability was (sic) the outcome of every coaching session. [Coaching] has offered me a lot of confidence about this noble call to serve others but also the urgency of the work that must be done.
Before the coaching I was not confident in my role as a team member,…I was not sure of how I will be able to manage time and stay focused on my duties. After a couple sessions of coaching I recognized that [the organization] was a calling but not just something I was trying to do with my friends. Now I am confident in my duties and responsibilities.
My coach helped me break down my heart’s vision into concrete steps I could take one-by-one, which then helped me be able to impart my vision to my team. … Coaching helped me to get into the place where I am now, full of hope, and yes, still questions, but I see lots of light ahead of me.
It is not surprising that confidence emerges as an important matter for constituents. The 2015 KPMG Women’s Leadership Study identifies self-confidence as one of three key areas necessary for women to achieve leadership positions and leadership success. And as leaders grow in confidence, their leadership effectiveness improves. Interestingly, lack of self-confidence has a more negative effect on an organization than high self-confidence has a positive effect.
So, we are proud to support women who lead in small for-impact organizations by assisting them as they develop confidence in themselves and their leadership skills.
Program Highlights
We developed three program types for 2023: Roundtables, coaching, and workshops.
- Roundtables are facilitated, 55-minute conversations on specific topics, such as mentoring, decision-making, and self-confidence. We restricted registration to ensure that all participants had opportunity to voice their questions or ideas during the session. We exceeded our goal for 2023 (eight Roundtables with average attendance of five). We hosted ten Roundtables that had an average attendance of six. Several people participated in more than one Roundtable. In total, 16 different people participated across the ten sessions. Nine of those women were new to Impact Now.
- Coaching is core to our work. We currently serve 12 women through group or team coaching. Each participant in group or team coaching also has available two, individual (one-on-one) coaching sessions. Five certified coaches are available to serve clients.Our 2023 goal is to serve 20 clients through coaching. We are just past the half-way mark.
- Workshops, a new program approach for 2023, provide direct instruction on specific content. Sitting in a workshop or webinar does not guarantee real learning. Workshop participants need to try out the new skills. They need to put the information into practice. Our workshops are structured as two sessions over two or three weeks, with individual support available between and immediately following each session. Two workshops are scheduled for the fall 2023.
Organization
Three hundred and ninety-three people subscribe to our newsletter. Our 2023 goal is to grow that number to 500.
An active six–person board helps to develop and implement strategy and programs, marketing and communications, and fund-raising. The board meets virtually (members are in GA, MA, IL, WI, and OH) on the even numbered months.
Currently we rely exclusively on individual donations to conduct our work. We will leverage Giving Tuesday, November 28, 2023, to secure more robust funding.
Impact Now has earned a Silver Transparency Seal from Candid/Guidestar and is in the process of securing a Gold Transparency Seal.