Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dani Kannapell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The most exciting and rewarding risk of my life was starting the nonprofit Impact100 Louisville at the age of 78. I heard about the organization in Florida six years ago and wanted to know more about it. A friend took me to a “meet and greet” to learn what Impact100 does and its simple yet effective collective-giving model was incredibly impressive.

Wendy Steele, its creator, believed there had to be a better way for women to be philanthropic other than agreeing with their spouse’s choices. Women think differently, care differently, and, she thought, would give differently. Her idea was to have 100 women donate $1,000 each, creating a substantial grant of $100,000 for a local nonprofit knowing how major it would be.

To imagine being part of a grant of that magnitude to help a hardworking local nonprofit realize a dream while joining 99 other women to create the grant seemed an idea too important not to pursue. So, after more than a year of thinking how, where, who, what if, etc. I finally called a friend whom I knew could point me in the right direction for how to launch this compelling concept. Several meetings later, I had a gathering at my house of ten thoughtful women I knew and explained how Impact100 worked. All of them joined, and we were on our way. Nine months later we had 206 members and awarded $206,000: two grants for $103,000 each, in our first year.

Without ever thinking my final challenge would be the most wonderful of all, my path to Impact100 had been preparing me for years. I taught school, worked for two important nonprofits, consulted with others to help them grow, worked in marketing for a large company, and started my own school teaching Spanish which included my own classes, for businesses, and in prisons. It all prepared me to know a great idea when I was exposed to it and to enlist the right people to help make it happen.

Dani, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Impact100 is a collective force for good; uniting and empowering women to give together, creating transformational impact, locally and globally. With more than 65 chapters around the world now, Impact100 celebrates 22 years of local chapter impact, having collectively given away more than $123 million.

Today, Impact100 Louisville is one of the fastest-growing chapters in the world. In 2023, the entirely member/volunteer-run organization reviewed 154 letters of intent, studied 27 grant applications, and conducted 24 site visits while our record 558 local women provided $558,000 in grants to benefit nonprofit organizations. In just four years, Impact100 Louisville has donated $1,529,000 to the local nonprofit community.

There are five focus groups and the nonprofits apply to the one suitable for their mission including Arts and Culture; Education; Family; Environment, Preservation or Recreation; and Health and Wellness. Grants are submitted and finalists from each Focus Group are chosen by committee. The information about each finalist from each focus area is then sent to the entire membership which votes on their top choices. Votes are tallied and the grant recipients are announced at our Annual Meeting and Celebration. It’s an amazing, wonderful night where the members can come together to celebrate and meet the folks from the nonprofits.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Meeting my business partner was easy. She was my third child and has been special ever since she was born and had her days and nights mixed up. Carey Goldstein explains she only had to hear “The Impact Story” three times (the third actually listening) before she was not only convinced but wanted to be part of it. She has also stated I am “tenacious” which she credits to not giving up until she finally truly listened to the concept of Impact100.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective and important way to grow our membership has been the meet and greet events, smaller ones with maybe 10 or 12, larger ones with a representative from one of our grant recipients who come and share their story, or over coffee with a friend. However a woman becomes a member, her membership is an amazing gift that comes back to her in many and incredible ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.impact100louisville.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact100louisville
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impact100louisville

Image Credits

Weasie Gaines Photography