The DonorPerfect Community Impact Award recognizes the work and dedication of those in the field who leverage their position, skills, and experience to lift up others.
Check out the nominees below and vote for you think should win.
The DonorPerfect Community Impact Award winner will receive:
- A trip to Philadelphia to attend the DonorPerfect Community Network Conference (Includes flight/travel and 2-night hotel stay)
- A $500 donation to their organization to fund their impact project
- A panel seat at an interactive DPCNC award winner session
- An honorary dinner with DonorPerfect staff
- A personalized award plaque
Meet the Nominees
Rachel Segobia, Executive Director at Lee’s Summit CARES
A savvy fundraiser and game-changing visionary, Rachel Segobia has achieved more in her four years as Executive Director at Lee’s Summit CARES than most do in decades of serving an organization.
Through her holistic view of CARES’ mission, the entire community of Lee’s Summit now looks to Rachel and her team for their youth services and parenting support programs.
Under Rachel’s direction and her strategic collaboration with their board, grant income has increased by 40%, individual donations have grown by 50%, and fundraising income has increased by 15%.
By partnering with local organizations, Rachel brought new life to existing programs that offer parenting classes to low income families and a prep program for college-bound seniors that equips them to make good decisions. In addition to revitalizing programs, Rachel has expanded them. Most recently, she created a youth mental health task force that focuses on teen suicide prevention.
Although Lee’s Summit CARES existed for 35 years, not many members of the community knew about their organization until Rachel created partnerships and outreach initiatives to spotlight their important work.
Because of Rachel’s collaborative spirit and dedication to her staff, organization, and community as a whole, more and more citizens are connecting with Lee’s Summit CARES to receive much needed services and support as well as contribute to their wonderful mission.
Learn more about Lee’s Summit CARES.
Teresa Jackson, CEO and Executive Director at Sharing Life
In 1992, Teresa was as a single mother of three boys in desperate need of help. When she sought assistance at her local food pantry, she was met by people who were unkind to her and made her feel helpless and ashamed. Rather than allowing this trying time to break her, Teresa felt called to help others who find themselves in similar situations. She founded Sharing Life Community Outreach in 1999.
Through her organization, Teresa and her team offer people in need the ability to seek and obtain help with dignity. Sharing Life provides nutritious food in a grocery-store setting, rental and utility assistance, financial empowerment training, job training, gently-used clothing, and medical equipment in a loving and compassionate environment.
Teresa’s out-of-the-box approach to community outreach landed Sharing Life two major pilot programs: becoming the Hub for the North Texas Food Bank and collaborating with Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation and Pieces Iris to develop a cloud-based case management system that is now used across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Due to the recent success of these pilot programs, Sharing Life has moved further into the food deserts, feeding more families. Sharing Life would not be such a thriving, growing, exceptional agency without the robust leadership of Teresa Jackson.
Learn more about Sharing Life.
Judy Cockerton, Founder and CEO of Treehouse Foundation
When Judy Cockerton and her husband adopted two infants from the foster care system in 1998, they experienced an incredible lack of help and direction from the desperately under-resourced child welfare system. During this time, she saw firsthand why youth who have been in foster care are at such a high risk for unemployment, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and incarceration.
To ensure other foster children and families receive the support they need, Judy founded the Treehouse Foundation to launch a neighborhood designed to support families who are fostering and adopting children from the public foster care system.
Over 100 residents live in Treehouse Community, which includes twelve family homes, along with one-bedroom cottages designed for seniors. Treehouse is a tight knit community with a culture that provides foster children with the love, security, and encouragement they need. Any child walking down the street is instantly recognized and greeted by everyone.
Because foster children in Judy’s Treehouse Community are thriving, staying safe, and graduating from high school and college at 90-100%, the Treehouse model is being replicated around the country, with sites going up in California and the MetroWest area of Boston.
Not only is Judy a visionary with stellar achievements, she is extremely kind and loving, which why she has been so successful building partnerships among so many stakeholders. Judy uses her gifts, skills, and experience brings others forward with her with Treehouse, as well as everything else she pursues.
Learn more about Treehouse Foundation.
Emily Ramstetter, Operations Manager & Chief of Staff at GirlForward
While the duties of an operations manager aren’t usually thought of as “inspiring,” Emily goes above and beyond her job description to champion GirlForward’s mission of creating and enhancing opportunities for refugee girls who have been displaced by conflict and persecution.
As operations manager, Emily does everything from managing our communications to making sure our printers have ink to updating our online wish lists so the girls in our programs have the supplies they need.
In addition to Emily’s willingness and enthusiasm to reach beyond the requirements of her role wherever and whenever she can make an impact, Emily dedicates herself to creating an inclusive and positive work culture and organizational structure at GirlForward.
A restless seeker and a passionate creative, Emily sends quick emails throughout the week with inspiration she gained while looking at other organizations’ social media pages or reading articles connected with GirlForward’s mission.
At meetings and special trainings, Emily is always thinking about how to make staff gatherings and collaborations better, whether that means ordering lunch or adjusting the scheduling to accommodate everyone.
Emily’s commitment to justice and equity shines through all of her work at GirlForward, and her actions and attitude encourage each individual on the team to be better at their job. GirlForward is a stronger organization because of Emily’s dedication to the communities she serves both in our office and in the mission field and to creating a better world for all.
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