Professional Advisor Connects Clients with Causes They Care About

Kathleen Donnelly grew up in Cedar Rapids as one of eight children. Today she works as a Trust Advisor at First Community Trust, and she vividly remembers her parents’ generosity. “My parents were very generous with time and money in a quiet way, so anytime I can help, I feel like I carry their legacy on,” she explains. “And so when I see that in my clients, it feels good.” The generosity that she learned from her parents led to her own charitable contributions – volunteering, donating to and serving on the board of numerous local nonprofits.

In her professional life, Kathleen works with her clients to help them achieve their financial goals. Often, these clients come to her with philanthropic intentions. “These are my favorite clients,” she says with a laugh. “This community is blessed to have had so many committed philanthropists over the years, and it’s an honor to help clients carry on that legacy. It’s a great community in that way, and something to be proud of.”

Kathleen says that she’s found the Community Foundation to be beneficial to philanthropically-minded clients. “It’s a great resource,” she says. “And without a place to go to talk about the various ways they could give gifts, they would be limited to just the ways that they already knew about.” She says that while her clients usually have a general idea of where they would like to give, she finds that the Community Foundation can help clients give in a smarter way.

She talks with clients about their estate planning and gifts, and what their goal is for the money that they’ve worked so hard for. She feels that clients never struggle to find good causes to support, because Linn County’s vibrant and engaging nonprofit sector offers so many choices; and collaborating with the Community Foundation allows for valuable outcomes for her clients. “The Community Foundation is great to work with,” she says. “Their knowledge of all the great nonprofits is our area is incredibly beneficial, and they’ve been incredibly helpful to my clients.”