Giving Success story: Supporting the community that supported her

Lynn Pippenger, a former Raymond James associate and current client of the firm, uses her DAF to give back to her hometown and accomplish her charitable goals.

Lynn, who worked at Raymond James for 43 years, joined the firm in 1969, when it had a total of 60 associates (today, it has over 10,000). In addition to managing its operations, technology and human resources departments, she was involved in setting up DAFs for clients, and began using one herself in 2013.

“I have had a list of small to large organizations that I have sent money to every year,” she said. “And that’s gone on for probably 20 to 25 years.”

Having a Raymond James DAF has affected her charitable giving in a positive way.

“It makes life easier,” she said. “They’ll do the checks and you get the tax benefit right away. When you donate your shares, they’ll sell them and you don’t have to pay a capital gains tax – that’s a big advantage.”

A lifelong resident of Pinellas County, Florida, Lynn remains committed to giving back to her community. In 2017, this commitment earned her the distinction of Philanthropist of the Year from the Suncoast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2015, a gift of $10 million to the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida, inspired the school – which she has donated to since 1986 – to rename its School of Accountancy after her.

Lynn often donates to libraries and local charities, including the Pinellas Education Foundation and Florida Council on Economic Education. She also donates to USF St. Petersburg (she earned her bachelor’s degree at the St. Petersburg campus and her master’s at the main campus in Tampa) and the Free Clinic in downtown St. Petersburg, just to name a few.

Having a DAF through Raymond James has simplified the process of giving to organizations she cares about.

“I had some stock shares that I wanted to send to a school up north – Andrews Osborne Academy in Willoughby, Ohio – that my ancestors founded. They had never received stock. They had only received money from donors. So, my financial advisor moved the shares over to my donor advised fund and then the donor advised fund sold the shares and sent the check to the school.”

During her time at Raymond James, Lynn became passionate about contributing to charitable causes. As a retiree, she remains committed to the concept that we move forward by giving back.