During your senior year of college, you always get that question, “What are your plans?” I had been an activist throughout my college years and my standard answer was, “I’m going to work for social change.” This usually resulted in a pitying look that translated to, ‘Good luck with that but someday you’ll need a real job.’

Lucky for me, the incomparable Mal Warwick along with his accomplice Joe White, had just started a telephone fundraising firm in Northampton, Massachusetts and I walked through their door to the rest of my career. This year, as Impact Communications turns 25, I can confidently say I found a real job and I am working for social change. It is a profound privilege that I have never, ever taken for granted.

In the movement for a better world, fundraisers are rarely in the spotlight. We’re the ones behind the scenes writing the direct mail letter, doing the seating chart for the gala, or cleaning up the database. It’s rarely glamorous and it is really hard work that is seldom acknowledged as it should be. But without fundraisers, there is no path to a better world. We move the money that powers change.

As our team at Impact celebrates 25 years in business this year, we are reflecting on the hundreds of organizations and thousands of committed fundraisers we’ve had the honor of working with. There are far too many to name here . . . but you know who you are!

For 25 years, the clients we’ve worked with have ignited our passion and inspired our steps. Their wisdom shows up in every line we write. A company is never the work of one person and the Impact journey was literally shaped by thousands of fiery, hard-working, and brilliant people. As we celebrate this milestone, we celebrate the staff, clients and vendor partners who work tirelessly to leave this world a little better than they found it.

If you have partnered with Impact over the years and have a fond memory to share, we would love to hear from you. Drop us a note. We’ll select a few of the memories to share in our next newsletter.