Cindy Engles

When divorce meant “dividing the assets”, Cindy and her ex-husband chose to do something meaningful during that process…they established a donor advised fund in Cindy’s name at The Dallas Foundation as part of their settlement.  She now manages and maintains her fund and has built a new identity as an active, informed philanthropist.  Ms. Engles spends much of her time learning about issues and nonprofits and tries to find the places where her money will have the greatest impact.

“Being good at giving is a process that times time,” she said.  “I’m learning from other people as to how to become a more thoughtful, intentional giver.”

For now, she’s narrowed her philanthropic interests to a few special concerns. Women’s empowerment has become an important cause. She also supports a school in Lima, Peru that provides education and health care for desperately poor children. Ms. Engles said she visits the school annually and is amazed at how effective her grants can be in a country with such a low cost of living. Elderly care is another focus of her giving. “They’re often the forgotten ones, and we can learn so much from them.”

Although she spends much of her time out of state, she still relies on The Dallas Foundation for its donor education programs and its ability to make giving easy.

“It has been invaluable as far as learning about agencies and for the convenience of just being able to go online and click a button and tell them where I’d like to recommend a grant,” she said.

“I plan on giving throughout my life – for me, the key to really enjoying money is to share it. Giving has given me a wonderful sense of purpose in my life.”