A family that gives together

Several times each year, Bert and Rhonda Ponder convene their two adult children for a family meeting.

On the agenda: determining how to best support the greater Atlanta community through a donor-advised fund Bert established about 25 years ago.

Their ground rules for making decisions are simple. Bert and Rhonda, and their children—Skeet Ponder and Wyn Diaz—can each direct a portion of the fund’s assets to a cause they’re personally passionate about.

For the remaining funds, they hold a series of meetings—deftly facilitated by philanthropic officer Amanda Rubin—to determine which organizations they would like to support together.

Then, the family votes to make its final decisions.

“We might not be great at coming to a consensus on where we’re going to dinner Friday night,” Wyn said. “But we’ve done well with this process. We’re good at meeting in the middle when it involves something tied to the greater good.”

Bert, a private wealth advisor with Ponder Jowers & Associates and a longtime advocate for the Community Foundation, started the family’s fund with the goal of creating a legacy while also supporting worthy nonprofits each year.

The family has since honed its process for making giving decisions with guidance from the Community Foundation, which has served as a trusted advisor at every step.

The experience has helped target the family’s efforts for giving back— and opened its eyes to both the tremendous need in the region and to the scores of nonprofits committed to addressing key challenges and improving quality of life.

It has also strengthened their family’s bond.

“It’s nice to have something like this that the four of us are focused on together,” said Rhonda.

For Skeet, who lives in Charlotte, the fund helps keep him more closely connected to his family—and to the community where he grew up.

After consulting with their children, Bert and Rhonda recently revised their wills to help ensure the family can continue coming together to give even after they are gone, with Skeet and Wyn carrying on the tradition with their growing families.

“From the start I knew this wouldn’t work if it was just Dad’s thing,” Bert said. “We tested the waters and it turned out to be a great experience. I mean, I brag every time I’m around somebody who knows the Community Foundation about how great this has been for our family.”

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This story was originally shared in our 2023 Annual Report. To read the full report, click here.