Ross and Rebecca Anthony are tremendously intentional about their charitable giving, and have partnered with CFT in a variety of ways to align their values with their personal giving strategies. They’ve attended CFT’s GiveWisely course, graduated from CFT’s inaugural Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy cohort, and utilized CFT’s philanthropic consulting services. They stepped up to serve on CFT’s Fund Holder Advisory Council to provide valuable feedback, and were instrumental in helping to ensure that CFT’s Social Impact Investment fund option meets the needs of donors looking to invest their charitable funds sustainably, taking ecological, social and business ethics into account.
“We’re strong believers in social responsibility and corporate accountability, and that you can advocate and influence change not only through giving charitably but in how you choose to invest your funds,” said Ross. “We give back to help create positive change. There are so many critical issues out there that need support, resolution and helping hands. A lot of times, nonprofits are the ones championing causes and taking on the big issues.”
“We were both largely inspired by our families, particularly our mothers, to give of our time, talent and treasure. We grew up watching them give our entire lives,” said Rebecca.
Through CFT’s GiveWisely course, Ross and Rebecca honed their individual and collective values, often prioritizing their shared values of sustainability and effectiveness when considering charitable funding opportunities through the Ross and Rebecca Anthony Fund, a donor-advised fund at CFT.
“I’m a strong believer in funding organizations that have permanence and a model that allows them to continue from year to year,” Ross said. “Effectiveness goes hand in hand with impact. We’re looking for where our dollars will go the furthest, and we have a passion for supporting advocacy and litigation, especially when it comes to social justice, the environment, education and public school funding. We want to uplift those that are underrepresented,” said Rebecca.
“We’re still learning and have a lot to learn, but the only way to do so is to dive in and participate in programs like CFT’s and educate yourself. When we’re more informed, we can help support organizations more effectively,” said Rebecca. “The needs are so great and when you get involved, you want to do more and give more than just time.”
“From a time perspective, we want to be extremely effective in giving of our treasure, so we have been focusing on learning how to be better philanthropists, trying to discover more about area nonprofits and how we can help. A lot of our recent education in these areas has been provided through CFT’s programming,” said Ross. “Going on nonprofit site visits with CFT has been fantastic and has made us more confident in our decisions, which often leads to deeper generosity.”
