See a need, meet a need

How can we help?

It’s a question Dan and Sally Reilly ask a lot, if the list of organizations they contribute to is anything to go by. There’s the Lions Club, which Dan formally joined about 12 years ago after a lifelong connection through his father. Rosie’s Place, where much of the couple’s energy has gone in recent years. Gaining Ground, Cradles to Crayons, Dignity Matters, Silver Towers, riders in the Pan-Mass Challenge … .

Their 17-year-old daughter, Maggie, is even joining in, throwing her support behind the Mariposa DR Foundation.

And because Dan and Sally rarely see a need they don’t greet with a “How can we help?,” their donor advised fund (DAF) has been the perfect answer. Set up with the help of their financial advisor Hans Asoera, the couple’s DAF has brought a new dimension to their giving. Dan credits the ease and simplicity of this giving tool for allowing them to meet needs as they see them.

“As things come up and inspire us, we want to give,” said Dan. “The need is always there. So when people ask, it’s nice to be able to say yes.”

A shift in scale

Dan can’t recall an official “beginning” to his giving. It’s always been part of his life.

“I remember my dad ringing the Salvation Army bell on Main Street in Barre, Vermont. And my grandfather, he was an engineer on the railroad and one of the few people in his town to have a job during the Depression, so he was always trying to help. My father learned it from his father, and I learned it from him.”

Those lessons stayed with Dan as the years marched on, and he helped where he could as he joined the military, began a career, and started his own family, welcoming his older children, Patrick and Shannon.

Years later, Dan met Sally, and while the giving stayed the same, one thing changed: the scale.

“It’s a family effort, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Sally is the one who makes this possible. Because of her hard work and professional success, we’re able to do a lot more. I don’t think we’re really doing anything different, fundamentally, but the numbers are definitely bigger.”

In the earlier days of their joint efforts, they hosted events at their home – small fundraisers and an annual toy drive that would go on for ten years. Today, they’re still playing host, but they’re also able to make sizable gifts alongside the funds and supplies the crowd brings in.

A family culture

Another change that accompanied Dan’s and Sally’s union was the addition of their daughter, Maggie. Adopted from Guatemala, Maggie has enjoyed a childhood that’s been a departure from her older siblings’.

“The circumstances she’s being raised in are vastly different,” said Dan. “So we’re trying to instill in her the values we were raised with, and giving is a big part of that. The DAF, in particular, has been a way to not only give money and do things more tax-efficiently, but to teach Maggie and show her what we’re doing. Give her a voice in it. She can go in and see the choices we’re making and have some input.”

According to their advisor, Hans, “For them, philanthropy is really more than just a family tradition, it’s a family culture.”

All three of their children have been brought into the process. “Sally and I allocate a certain amount of the DAF to each of them, so every quarter or at least a couple of times a year, we try to have a Zoom call to talk about what they want to do,” said Dan.

A welcome byproduct of those meetings has been the opportunity for Dan and Sally to learn more about each child’s passions. “Patrick lives in Los Angeles, Shannon lives in southern Vermont and Maggie still lives with us, but not for much longer,” said Dan. “They’re spread out, they’re involved in different organizations and they care about different things.” Shannon, for instance, is interested in charities that support Alzheimer’s research, having watched both of her grandmothers contend with the disease. Patrick and his wife Andrea are focused on health and wellness programs serving disadvantaged youth.

For Dan, it’s all proof that the lessons his father taught him are connecting with the next generation. “We look at it as a squander and a waste if we don’t do the right thing right now – that sense that you can’t take it with you. We want to teach the kids that stockpiling money isn’t the answer. It’s part of the answer, but it’s not the whole answer.”

A plan for the future

While Dan and Sally’s strategy so far has focused on doing good in as many places as possible, the future does hold the possibility of a pivot to doing a greater volume of good in fewer places.

“I’d like to build the fund up and have a substantial amount in there so we can really make a big impact for some of these organizations. Or maybe it’s not even us ... maybe it’s Patrick or Shannon or Maggie. From our perspective, this is an estate plan as well. We want to leave a pool of money that they can give away to make an impact in their communities, for the things they care about most.”

For Dan, it all goes back to those early days in a small town, where he watched his father ring that bell. “My dad, he always tried to do the right thing. I hope my kids remember things like that about us, that we tried to do the right thing and that they try to do the same.”

Rosie’s Place

Founded in 1974, Rosie’s Place was the first women’s shelter in the United States. Today, it operates as a multi-service community center, offering emergency shelter, meals, education, legal assistance, job search support and more. “One of the interesting things about them,” said Dan, “is at the outset, they decided not to take any city, state or federal funding. So, it’s critically important for people like us to really step up and help them. They’re right in the heat of the battle, if you will, and the need has increased one-hundred fold since they started.”

Learn more about their work and mission at rosiesplace.org.