Rebecca Powers, founder of Impact Austin, coyly shares that she never considered herself a philanthropist before founding Impact Austin. Besides volunteering at her children’s school and her church, philanthropy wasn’t something she thought much about. However, a flight from Sacramento to Austin in 2003 following a heart-wrenching visit with her dying brother catapulted Powers’ life in an unexpected direction.
Powers boarded her flight home wearing oversized sunglasses to hide her teary eyes and holding a stack of magazines that she hoped would provide a distraction through profound grief over the loss of her brother. After reading an article about a group of women in Ohio who gathered funds amongst themselves then donated those funds to a local nonprofit in need, Powers felt emboldened to do the same thing in Austin. She was armed with just enough moxie and bravado to start something that never existed in Austin, along with a tribe of women who believed in Impact Austin's vision. Impact Austin has since become a role model for other collective giving organizations from Boston to Southern California, and the rest - as they say - is history.
The idea of collective giving sounds easy enough, but there were steep learning curves, wins, losses, surprises, and ample opportunity for growth. Although she’s no longer part of Impact Austin’s leadership, Powers’ spirit of generosity expands beyond her philanthropic role. Powers' upcoming book, Trust Your Cape, will be released May 25 on amazon.com, with a portion of book sales supporting Impact Austin.
Trust Your Cape shares lessons Powers learned about starting, building, leading, and letting go of Impact Austin. She delves deeper into inspiring women to do whatever they’re called to do by putting one foot in front of the other, even if it means walking in the dark at first. Powers shares that we all have a cape - something we're inspired to do, whether it's start a business, go back to school, raise a family, start a nonprofit, etc. Impact Austin’s existence is the byproduct of Powers’ defiance against feeling unqualified and fearful while honoring this was something she felt divinely inspired to do.
Impact Austin members and community partners are deeply grateful for Powers' continued support. A portion of the proceeds of Trust Your Cape will go towards Impact Austin's endowment fund, which was established in 2016 and named in honor of Rebecca.
The endowment will ensure the mission she started in 2003 continues for the future.
Trust Your Cape will be available on amazon.com on May 25. There's even an opportunity to receive a special gift from Rebecca on that day only. Check the Trust Your Cape webpage for all the details, and register there for updates. In the meantime, you can follow Rebecca Powers on Instagram at @trustyourcapebook.
