Donor Spotlight on Robby Pinkard
Robby is passionate about energy and sustainability. Find out why he was inspired to be a MAF donor.
Introducing our Donor Spotlight series, where we share a little about one of our Social Investors and thank them for taking action to support the financial empowerment of communities through credit-building.
MEET ROBBY
A Trinity grad, Robby works in energy research with the Royal Bank of Canada. Last year, he and his wife moved from Austin to San Francisco. Robby has come to love San Francisco’s staircases on hills, food and culture.
Even as a new resident, he started to notice how rapidly San Francisco’s neighborhoods are changing and gentrifying. Because of this reality, he knew that it would be imperative to invest in the right kinds of support for the city’s lower-income individuals.
Every year, Robby and his wife pick different local organizations to support and get involved with. His interests in finance, policy and the environment motivate him to think constantly about how to make positive change. After he heard about MAF on Marketplace and walked by our old office on Valencia, he did something unusual.
Before he decided to invest, he wanted to meet us first. So last year, we had the opportunity to sit down with Robby, find out about where he grew up (DC), share with him our favorite neighborhood events (Dia de Los Muertos) and talk about our vision for the future.
A few months later, we got word that Robby decided to donate to MAF (and was able to double it with the Royal Bank’s employee matching program!). He told us that he felt Lending Circles was a great antidote to a growing citywide problem.
We recently gave Robby a call to ask him – “Wait, why did you donate to MAF?” He told us: “When I think of charitable giving, I want to make a sustainable impact.”
Because the idea of building people’s credit, helping them start businesses and taking care of their finances so that they can give back to the community is something he believes will make a lasting impact.
When we talked to Robby last year, we were knee deep in a website redesign. Now, with an active blog (and editorial calendar to match), we just had to ask him for some feedback.
Out of curiosity, we asked, “Wait, can you tell us what you think we are doing well? Or what do you want to hear more about?” Robby didn’t hesitate.
He said he loved hearing about how members are using Lending Circles and checking out our website for statistics on our program impact. We invite you, our readers, to check out his favorites today.
Thank you Robby for the talk and for choosing to invest in MAF and in the future of hardworking families in San Francisco and beyond.
Join Robby and Give Credit today!