The Ripple Effect: Vicki Craver and Impact FFC

“At last year’s Grant Awards Celebration, I sat alone in the back row, looking out at the hundreds of women in the room, listening to the finalists present their grants, and marveling at how what Wendy and I had built mattered enough that it had lasted…and not just lasted but grown,” reflected Vicki Craver, co-founder of Impact Fairfield County.

When Wendy Block was inspired to launch Impact Fairfield County in 2015, one of her first calls was to Vicki to ask her to be her co-founder. Vicki’s financial expertise complemented Wendy’s legal and non-profit background, and as Wendy had suspected, they made a powerful team.

Both women speak fondly of their early days spent huddled around Wendy’s kitchen table. Over the course of a planning year, they invited women in their circles to be board members, spoke to every Impact 100 organization in the country, built systems and processes the organization still uses today, and spread the word to local foundations and organizations. Thanks to the passion and drive of Wendy, Vicki and the founding board, Impact Fairfield County launched in 2015 with an impressive 155 members and 67 grant applicants!

When asked what she is most proud of about Impact, Vicki says it’s that she “…is not needed anymore. Wendy and I built a self-sustaining engine. It attracts new members each year, it evolves and tests new ideas so that it remains relevant, and it keeps going.” Vicki explained she and Wendy embedded the desire to learn and try new approaches in Impact’s DNA, sharing that in their first few years they tested out (and changed!) grant categories, focus areas and structures.

Before founding Impact FFC, Wendy and Vicki recognized the power of women who wanted to support their community and the lack of opportunities to get directly involved.

What appealed to them about the Impact 100 model was that each member can participate as much as she chooses, cast her own vote, and, because of the collective giving model, can prioritize supporting the missions of the nonprofits rather than concentrating on fundraising efforts.

Over the last decade, the ripples from Wendy and Vicki’s vision for Impact FFC have been immeasurable. The most significant ripple however is YOU…the new member who learned about Impact from a fellow mom at preschool drop off and just joined last year, the member of four years who felt confident and experienced enough to sign on to lead a review committee this year, the longtime member who returns each year because it’s a way to stay connected to friends and feel engaged in her community… With all of you at our side, we can’t wait to see where the next ten years take us. Thanks to the foundation that Wendy and Vicki built, our growth over the past decade, and the evolution on the horizon, our potential impact is boundless.

We are grateful to report that today Wendy and Vicki continue to shape Impact FFC’s direction as part of our Advisory Council. We would also like to applaud Impact’s incredible founding board: Sara Allard, Lucy Ball, Carrie Braddock, Nancy Better, Allie Conway, Nancy Cook, Jane Hentemann, Amy Jurkowitz, Lisa Lori, Sue Mandel, Magdalena Miguens, Danita Ostling, and Jill Weiner, many of whom are still involved today.