CAF America Supports our Employees’ Philanthropy
As the leader in cross-border giving, CAF America’s core mission is to enable US donors to support charitable causes around the world. We make this happen through excellence in regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and reputational protection. This overarching purpose of excellence in philanthropy brings us together as staff members, each of whom is passionate about global philanthropy. These shared goals are the basis of our workplace culture, and among the reasons why CAF America was honored to be ranked the 36th best nonprofit to work for in the US by the Nonprofit Times in 2018. We are proud to be a nonprofit that not only enables philanthropic giving but also provides our staff with a positive workplace of support, growth, and fun!
To recognize the leadership and dedication of our staff, each year, CAF America honors an employee of the year. As a part of this recognition, our honorees receive a prize in their very own Donor Advised Fund to recommend to the charities of their choosing.
Senior Grants Officer Loren Previti is one of our Employee of the Year Awardees. She explains: “I am grateful to work for an organization that not only supports the philanthropy of our donors, but the charitable efforts of each of its employees. Our staff is encouraged to participate in volunteer events, donate to charities we believe in, and get our co-workers involved, too.” Loren chose to recommend the funds from her Employee of the Year DAF to four charities close to her heart: First Book, DC Scores, The Trevor Project, and The Nature Conservancy. “Philanthropy allows me to directly support causes that mean the most to me,” says Loren. “I believe that civil society lays the groundwork for positive change, and those civil society organizations cannot exist or serve their communities without the support of philanthropic individuals.”
Brian Kastner, Officer for Thought Leadership and another CAF America Employee of the Year, highlights: working in the nonprofit sector gives you an insight into the struggles that many nonprofits face, such as a lack of general operating support or lack of access to donors. Organizations like CAF America are playing an increasingly important role in remedying these problems.” When selecting the charities to which he would recommend the grants from his Donor Advised Fund, Brian selected organizations with a systemic-level focus working to address causes important to him. “To me, philanthropy is about more than just trying to do a good thing or being generous. It’s about seeing a current issue and trying to change it for the better—hopefully at a systemic level.” Grants from Brian’s donor advised fund will support an international disaster relief nonprofit, an international refugee assistance organization, a youth education charity in India, and an arts nonprofit in the United States. “Philanthropy is both the foundation and the manifestation of a strong civil society, which is increasingly important in our world,” Brian shared.
Joseph Shaffer, CAF America Finance Officer, has also been honored as Employee of the Year. “What got me into a non-profit career was a real desire to be of use to the world, and to have my work be meaningful to other people. That’s what philanthropy means to me—making an actual difference by helping to improve people’s lives,” Joe shared. “I feel that I get to achieve that commitment to philanthropy in my work at CAF America.” Joe has been a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross as a dedicated blood donor for the past 12 years, and a volunteer with various Red Cross chapters. “When I saw the news of the devastating wildfires in California,” Joe explained, “and how that dramatically affected people’s homes and livelihoods, I wanted to help however I could. Recommending this Employee of the Year grant to the American Red Cross was my way of doing that and helping people at a difficult point in their lives.”
For over 27 years, CAF America has been here to enable US donors to support charitable causes all over the world—and we make this happen through the commitment of each and every one of our staff members, all of who play a part in making CAF America a great place to work. We’re happy to further this endeavors by awarding some of our most enthusiastic employees with their very own donor advised funds to support their passion for philanthropy.
