In the SPIRIT of purposed generosity and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, I pen this letter with the sentiment of asking you to consider a corporate or personal gift of opportunity today to ensure that Greater Missouri continues to provide a wealth of immersive session experiences, employment, enrichment, community engagement and advocacy as women pursue their dreams and work together to achieve their goals. If that is not an option for you at this time, I encourage you to pay your yearly membership dues.

This year, like the past 33, you have stepped up to meet a series of unexpected changes and challenges. From shifts in philanthropic models to geopolitical instability to economic downturns, change increased at an unprecedented rate. We faced these challenges in big and small ways.

You are the safety nets of our stability. Large and small, alumnae, friends, and supporters gave their time, their resources, and their passion to meet the needs of our work to empower emerging women leaders. And so many of you — indeed the vast majority of you — did this with ever-dwindling resources, with ever-increasing costs.

Thanks to the donations and support of sponsors we are intentionally building a pipeline of equity for women in our cohorts, session presenters, board members, and brands that want to work with us while providing meaningful educational learning that will uplift, inform, and inspire as we empower women to take action for themselves and their communities.  This is a GREATER time for you and your organization to pour into the Leadership Challenge!

We are so thankful to the U.S. Bank Foundation for a $17,700 Community Possible Work Pillar Grant for our LeaderHERship Program, placing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as an achievable goal alongside key metrics and impactful outcomes that will happen as a result of participating in our Challenge program.

The in-kind donations of time, location, resources and talent are SIGNIFICANT in the Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge, and we really could not do what we do without these RELATIONSHIPS!  To our Alumnae, Board of Directors, Regional Planning Committees, and Sponsors – THANK YOU!

We are advantaged to have established a fund this year with the Community Foundation of Central Missouri. This partnership provides a mechanism for GMLF’s gift processing, investment practices and analysis; further solidifying Greater Missouri’s credibility, expansion efforts and sustainability to manage our fundraising goals. We have many dedicated friends and alumnae in this region, and if this mechanism for donating proves successful we will expand across the state with other Community Foundations.

The Community Foundation of Central Missouri offers several easy contribution options. Their goal, like ours, is to ensure smooth and accurate processing of your contributions and grant making. There are many avenues to make a contribution through this partnership including credit/debit cards; wire transfer of cash; or transfer of stock, corporate bonds, and other marketable securities.

Have I lost you? Want to just make a donation online or pay your annual dues to support our efforts? You can do so here: https://greatermo.org/sponsorship-opportunities/make-donation/

As you CELEBRATE the Holiday Season and the end of this monumental year, take time to invest in your loved ones and yourself.  Let this be a season of cultivating joy, abundance and relaxation.  You’ve done a lot this year…you deserve it! 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!