The Rosso Family Fund: Starting Early to Make a Stronger and Bigger Impact

Priscilla and John Rosso, Jr., didn’t want to wait until retirement age to start thinking about philanthropy; they decided to make it a meaningful part of their lives earlier.

“It’s like saving for retirement; the sooner you do it, the better it is in the long run. So, the sooner you start giving, the bigger impact you can make,” said John, Principal of Rosso Commercial Real Estate Services.

However, their decision to give back financially as well as through volunteerism was not only about making a greater impact, it is also about setting an example for their two young sons, Jack and Hayes..

“If you have some ability to get started early, you can set an example for your children so they can understand,” said John. “It’s about allowing them to be part of the giving process early so that years from now, they will start to ‘get it’ and we hope that it becomes second nature.”

That’s the main reason why they the couple established the Rosso Family Fund, a Donor Advised Fund with the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC) in 2020.

Donor Advised Funds offer younger family members the opportunity to gain an appreciation for the family’s giving values, mission, and vision as well as participate in the grantmaking activities. And, unlike private foundations, DAF’s can be established with a much lower starting amount, no start-up costs, lower expenses, and no required minimum distribution.

“Now that we have children, it’s the philanthropy by example philosophy that we have. It’s for Jack and Hayes to know that this is the important thing to do,” said John. “It’s about creating a better environment for our family and friends and the community as a whole.”

Both Priscilla, a personal trainer and founder of Fit 2 Be Wed, and John have always been involved in the Anne Arundel community, most notably with Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Building Traditions program. John is also on CFAAC’s Board and has been on several other boards including the Ark of Central Chesapeake.

“It’s always been important to us to help others and to support organizations that do such good work in the community,” said John. “Once you start to see the needs, you start to get more drawn in to understanding how important it is to support nonprofits – it’s a bit of a snowball effect.”

When the Rosso’s financial advisor suggested opening a donor advised fund either with a national fund holder or locally with the Community Foundation, they immediately choose CFAAC.

“To us, it was a no-brainer to work with the Community Foundation because they’re the best. If we have a question about where to give the money, CFAAC can tell us more about  the organization because of the relationships they have with local nonprofits,” he explained. “With a community foundation, it’s all about localized giving and dealing with people on a more personal level. That’s important.”

Priscilla agreed and added, “Community is really important to us and in Annapolis, you can make such an impact. We both are very passionate about giving back locally.”