The Strength of a Caring Legacy and Donor Advised Funds

Growing up in families that valued community service, kindness, and generosity of the heart, Ed Ponatoski and Angie Peterman Ponatoski have carried on their respective family’s legacies of giving back to their community through volunteerism and a Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC).

“I think what our parents embedded in us growing up was appreciating what you have and paying it forward,” said Ed, Executive Chairman Emeritus of Anne Arundel Dermatology. “By example, we were taught to be kind and help people when we could do so.”

Likewise, Angie, a retired physician, was taught by example. “My father showed me that everybody had their gifts and talents,” she said. “I live by the mantra, ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’ and truly, I feel obligated to share my gifts.”

It is sometimes through hardships of our own that we find new avenues for giving. That was the case for the Ponatoski’s who experienced mental health and substance abuse within their family. “Mental illness and substance abuse can affect all economic and social strata,” said Angie.

In 2015, after selling a portion of their business, the Ponatoski’s began to look for ways to donate to mental health and substance abuse recovery organizations. The couple’s financial advisor recommended a Donor Advised Fund at CFAAC. Donor Advised Funds provide convenience and flexibility by allowing donors to support various charitable organizations over time through one initial donation.

Partnering with CFAAC to establish the Peterman Ponatoski Family Foundation provided a simple, flexible, and cost-effective way to turn what would have been tax dollars into charitable dollars.

“Opening a fund not only provided us with tax benefits, but it also allowed us time to think about the impact we wanted to make through our grantmaking,” said Angie. “We can’t always pinpoint the needs in our community, but CFAAC’s staff is very aware of critical community needs and they are able to connect us with organizations whose missions and values reflect our own. They also do a really good job of vetting nonprofits.”

 Through their fund, the Ponatoskis support CFAAC’s Fund for Anne Arundel, as well as a number of other community organizations including Seeds 4Success, Anne Arundel Medical Center, and The Light House, where Ed served on the board for 18 years and the couple remembers taking  their four children to make, serve, and eat dinner often with its residents, long before the shelter moved to Hudson Street.

 “I wanted our children to know that there were people less fortunate who are just like us and that there are times, when all of us need help. Our kids are grown now, and they give back, too,” said Angie.

The Ponatoski’s are involving their children in their family philanthropy by naming them as successor advisors to their Donor Advised Fund. This way they can ensure that their good work continues through their legacy.