Wendy H. Steele
You are the right person, at the right time, to do something generous.
What if you and just a handful of other dedicated, generous women could affect powerful change? That’s the question Wendy H. Steele set out to answer when she founded Impact100, one of today’s most significant grassroots organizations. In Invitation to Impact, she shares her story of creating a unique, successful giving model, as well as the stories of the amazing women who helped to make it grow, empowering you to spark change in your own community.
From Impact100’s launch to its global spread, you will follow Wendy on her path to challenging the status quo of and democratizing women’s roles in philanthropy. By illustrating how small sacrifices, when shouldered collectively, can lead to big outcomes, Wendy reveals that every person can take action to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems despite their financial or time constraints.
Between Wendy’s life story, inspirational anecdotes from regional Impact100 chapters, and current research on philanthropy patterns, Invitation to Impact demonstrates that women have an incredible capacity to transform this world for the better.
Wendy Steele was recognized by Forbes in 2021 as one of fifty women over fifty who are leading the world in impact. She is the founder of Impact100, a grassroots global movement that has given away more than $123 million since its inception in 2001. After observing how her grandfather’s banking career helped countless members of his community as she was growing up, Steele enjoyed a successful career in banking that culminated in a senior vice president role. Now a self-proclaimed “recovering banker,” she has pivoted to focus exclusively on philanthropic work. From a young age, her family instilled in her the value of giving back with the intention of leaving the world a little better than she found it, leading Steele to believe that each of us has something important to give.
In 2020, Wendy was named a Distinguished Honoree of the Jones Prize in Philanthropy, an award that “honors someone who demonstrates the willingness to volunteer time, resources, and talents to improve the human condition, beyond themselves.” Steele was also awarded the 2014 Jefferson Award for Public Service—considered the Nobel Prize of community service—for her work with Impact100.
Steele’s work in philanthropy has been featured in several books, including The Transformative Power of Women’s Philanthropy; Women, Wealth and Giving; Creating a Women’s Giving Circle; and The Right Sisters—Women Inventors Tell Their Stories. PBS television created an hour-long documentary entitled Impact100: Changing Lives, Strengthening Communities, which highlights the work of Impact100 Pensacola Bay Area, the world’s largest Impact100 organization.
Steele believes wholeheartedly in giving back to her community. She observes that there are two kinds of people: those who see the problems in the world and realize they can be a part of the solution and those who still need to be invited to the party.
