This year marks Global Impact’s 70th anniversary. Since our founding in 1956, both philanthropy and our role within it have transformed dramatically. What began as a way for federal employees to support international causes in their workplace has grown into a global organization spanning six countries, with more than 200 staff, directing over $3 billion toward impact worldwide. Over our 70-year history, the philanthropic landscape and the breadth of our work have certainly evolved. But throughout these changes, we’ve remained dedicated to our mission that brought us together in the beginning.
We were founded in 1956, at the dawn of workplace giving. It began with federal employees deepening their commitment to serving others. They organized bake sales, luncheons, and auctions to raise funds for domestic causes. Through their volunteerism, a broader vision took shape — one that led to the creation of a formal campaign to raise funds, the Combined Federal Campaign.
But many federal employees and policymakers who witnessed global challenges firsthand also wanted a way to support communities beyond U.S. borders. Our organization was formed as a federation to register and certify international nonprofits, enabling their participation in workplace giving programs like these. Over time, giving campaigns expanded into the private sector, where many companies began offering matching gifts, investing in charitable causes alongside their employees while fostering a sense of community in the workplace. We began with just four nonprofit partners and steadily built the capacity and insight needed to support dozens more, becoming the go-to partner in workplace giving for international charities.
Over the years, the giving landscape shifted. With the rise of digital fundraising platforms, international charities no longer relied as heavily on our services to access workplace giving opportunities. Annual giving campaigns were folded into year-round employee engagement efforts. As a result, our role needed to evolve.
At this pivotal moment early in my tenure as President & CEO, we chose to step back and ask a fundamental question: How can we continue to elevate the sector while sustaining a meaningful role across both the private and public spheres? The answer was to lean into our strength — serving as a trusted intermediary. Philanthropy increasingly requires infrastructure, coordination, governance, and operational support, expertise we’ve honed over our seven decades together. That direction continues to shape who we are today.
As the needs of the sector have evolved, what started as one nonprofit has grown into our family of brands, Global Impact Ventures. Today, we offer solutions ranging from fiscal sponsorship to advisory support, ensuring that we can help navigate any barriers our clients encounter. From supporting large-scale donor collaboratives like the Beginnings Fund to getting funds to individuals after disasters through our corporate Employee Assistance Funds, our work spans across solutions with one goal: connecting communities of funders with charitable causes.
I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished with our partners over the past seven decades. For 70 years, we partnered with the Combined Federal Campaign first as a federation and later for 30 years as an implementation partner, helping connect federal employees with charitable causes worldwide. We’re proud to now stand alongside 75 Charity Alliance members and over 200 fiscally sponsored projects working to address needs around the world. Just last year, we directed hundreds of millions in funds to over 100 countries worldwide.
The emerging challenges in philanthropy, and the solutions we develop to address them, are what keep me engaged and passionate about our work at Global Impact. Seeing our staff take the reins in our work is inspiring and will have tremendous power for our future and for the future of philanthropy.
Seventy years ago, limitations in technology and giving options defined what philanthropy could achieve. Today, philanthropy has limitless opportunity. Donors are no longer just supporting change; they’re the driving force behind it. At the heart of our work, and across each decade, has been a constant: the human desire to come together to solve global problems.
At Global Impact, we are ready to equip funders, nonprofits, and charitable projects with the infrastructure and insights they need to turn that intention into impact. We invite you to follow our journey as we continue to grow and inspire greater giving.
