The State of Impact NW and a Collective Vision for the Future

A message from Jeff Cogen, Executive Director of Impact NW

As I take over as Executive Director of Impact NW this month, I see a community that needs Impact NW more than ever. We can certainly take great pride in knowing that Impact has helped change tens of thousands of lives over the past 50 years. But I see a growing, changing community that needs a reinvigorated Impact NW to create lasting solutions for a new time.

My priorities begin with strengthening Impact NW as an organization. Much of that focus is currently on our financial health and stability. As most any nonprofit leader will acknowledge, these are challenging economic times for nonprofits, and the community needs and expects much from us. My commitment is to create a financially healthy organization with a path for long term sustainability. I am thoughtfully stewarding our resources while re-energizing our fundraising and collaborating with long-term partners to create common understanding and goals. I am pleased to say that Impact NW is on a path to stability and we will maintain this stability going forward.

Another priority is strengthening our commitment to equity. Over the past 50 years, and especially over the past decade, our community has grown in prosperity and diversity. The reality, however, is that one’s cultural or ethnic background or socio-economic status often determines the chances of enjoying this prosperity. Impact NW is a mainstream nonprofit organization that works with tens of thousands of people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and from underserved communities throughout the region each year. It’s implicit that we continually understand the needs of the people we serve, and adjust our services as we partner with clients/program participants in pursuit of their personal visions for success. Advancing our equity work will require my attention and all of our continued diligence and follow through. I look forward to sharing the results of our progress with you

Finally, I believe that Impact NW creates a tremendous force for good in our community. Each day, I see the dedication and professionalism that our team brings to work. It’s not always easy but our staff drive our mission, and I am excited to support them. At the same time, I am excited to connect with the generous donors and volunteers who support the Impact NW mission. We enjoy wonderful community support from friends, businesses and partner organizations. Thank you. I so look forward to keeping you close to us!