One of the standout traits of an entrepreneur is the ability to develop creative new solutions to longstanding issues. Earning the well-deserved honor of the 2021 Nonprofit Entrepreneur of the Year, that’s exactly what Amy Roark has accomplished.

“With a good idea and a lot of work, there’s no limit to what you can create,” said Roark, CEO of Give256. “Our motto is: ‘Together We Can Do More’.”

Amy Roark: “Our goal is to increase philanthropy with people who otherwise might not have realized that it was something they could do.” (Photo/Steve Babin)

Roark’s vision has been to encourage philanthropic giving through a collective merging of resources. The spirit of giving and making one’s community a better place – these are valuable lessons Roark learned from her parents, Bill and Brenda.

Simply put, Give256 is a giving circle. The concept behind a giving circle is that individuals join to pool small financial contributions, which make a much bigger impact than one individual could do by themselves.

“Our goal is to increase philanthropy with people who otherwise might not have realized that it was something they could do,” said Roark. “When I think of philanthropy, I think of huge donations, contributions that only a small sector of the population is capable of.”

Give256 requires a membership donation of $256 a year, which comes to about $22 a month. It may not seem like much, but the dollars add up to make a big difference.

As part of membership, members vote in the annual grant cycle. Once a local nonprofit is chosen, Give256 donates the pooled money to the selected organization. In Give256’s first two grant cycles, it has awarded more than $25,000 in grants.

“This is our third year; we’re about do our third round of donations,” said Roark. “It’s been really impactful because we have about 50 members, but we’re able to give out about $15,000 with each person giving $256. It’s able to make a much bigger impact than an individual donation.”

Roark learned about the giving circle concept while on a Leadership Huntsville retreat in Louisville.

“Louisville had a giving circle,” said Roark. “I thought, ‘it seems so basic, we should be doing this.’”

When Roark returned to Huntsville, she didn’t see anything similar to a giving circle, so she reached out to the Community Foundation.

“I wasn’t sure – handling other people’s money and becoming a non-profit, there are a lot of steps in that,” said Roark. “I was able to partner with the Community Foundation. They were an important alliance we made right out of the gate. They make all our donations tax deductible, handled our funds so they are invested, and we have an endowment.”

The Community Foundation introduced Roark to concept of endowment: 25 percent of the annual donation goes to the endowment fund.

“With growth over time, we’ll be able to give even more with the interest that we earn off the endowment,” Roark said. “If there was to be a big need, we could potentially give a larger donation somewhere down the line.

“Give256 wouldn’t exist without the Community Foundation who immediately gave us a way when we had the will. They have continued to support us and have helped really make Give256 grow and be successful.”

Roark wants to spread the word that philanthropy is something anyone can do. She hopes to inspire philanthropic giving, especially in younger generations. Although Roark first began her mission by approaching the young professional community, membership is open to adults of all ages.

Roark’s sister and Give256 cofounder, Kaitlyn Roark has been integral in the formation of the organization.

“When I told her that I had an idea to help our community, her first response was ‘what can I do to help?’” said Roark. “From that first conversation, she has brought a perspective that’s continuously made it better.”

To learn more, visit Give256.org