IMPACT Taylor, Greater Taylor Foundation’s new initiative, aims to serve Taylor by listening to its residents.
By interacting with community members through focus groups, the program is designed to identify Taylor’s biggest needs and fulfill them. IMPACT Taylor’s first focus group will be held Monday, June 26, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Taylor Public Library.
“It’s a formatted discussion of what people feel are the most important needs,” said Diana Phillips, the board chair of the Greater Taylor Foundation. “It’s important to have a lot of people at these focus groups because we want to make sure we are really capturing what the needs are.”
The focus group meeting will be the first of five, with the remaining four set to take place in July. However, Taylor residents are encouraged to come to Monday’s event because the library can hold a higher number of people than the remaining venues.
Once the focus group events are complete, the collected data will be compiled into a community report that prioritizes the town’s needs.
“Then we will start looking at connecting those gaps and resources,” Phillips said. “Looking at assets, we’ll come up with a plan on how we can address the top needs and then hopefully raise the money and push out grants to the different nonprofits in the community.”
GTF also has its ribbon cutting ceremony Monday. A nonprofit charity, the foundation partners with local nonprofits and donors to support the issues they are passionate about.
GTF can help nonprofits by pushing grant funds their way. The foundation hopes these grants will then increase the capacity of what the local charities can do.
Phillips said the foundation also can help people donate efficiently. On the GTF website, donors can choose to either set up a fund meant to support their charitable interest. Otherwise, donors can donate unrestricted money for the foundation to send where it thinks it will make the most impact.
Philips said one of the best functions of GTF is advising how to donate in the most taxefficient way possible.
“We will work with them individually to set up strategies that are the best for them,” Phillips said. “It’s all about people being able to make a difference in their community.”
