Philanthropic advisers: Making a difference in the lives of others

Mr. Denney founded the nonprofit in 2004, and it has grown into the largest food pantry in the region, drawing about 5,000 clients per month from seven counties. More than half are employed.

“The pantry is an avenue for others to give back,” he said. “If you volunteer for one shift, you're pretty much hooked. It opens up your eyes because you're serving people you see in town every day.”

During several daily shifts, the pantry services between 50 and 55 families per hour, who receive a week's worth of food. Clients can only receive food once a month.

Running a large food pantry is similar to running a grocery store, said Mr. Denney, who oversees a budget of $350,000 per year. In 2015, he raised $1 million, with the support of major donors, to purchase a new, permanent facility.

He shares an important insight gleaned from his years of volunteer service: “There's a very strong need for volunteer leadership. No one wants to tackle the elephant — keeping the organization running and seeing the big picture.”

Mr. Sax has served in leadership roles in the 104-year-old organization for 27 years. He is currently the national chair of development and serves on the National Advisory Committee.

The mission of the ADL is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” More than half of its activity goes toward non-Jewish issues.

The nonprofit is best known for school-based programs that work with millions of students per year to combat bias, bullying and hatred, as well as trainings that each year help thousands of national (e.g., the FBI), state and local law enforcement personnel combat hate crimes, extremism and terrorism.

Hate speech is everywhere, Mr. Sax said, especially online, where there is a tremendous amount of anti-Semitism.

“The ADL is not a religious organization,” he said. “Rather, I would call it a premier civil rights organization informed by Jewish values — values that are so important to me, my family and society as a whole.”

Cystic fibrosis, a progressive disease caused by a faulty gene, results in persistent lung infections that can eventually lead to respiratory and/or pancreatic failure.

It is considered an “orphan disease” because it afflicts relatively few people (30,000 in the U.S.), and there is no incentive for the pharmaceutical industry to invest in such a small market. It is up to the patients' families to fund all drug research. Because the foundation can provide access to specialized clinics to recruit study participants, the drug discovery process can be significantly shortened.

Mr. Baker's sons, now 18 and 15, are on the cusp of some life-altering drug therapy. When they were originally diagnosed, their life expectancy was about 30 years; today it is 42. And drugs currently undergoing clinical trials — funded entirely by the efforts of CF Foundation chapters nationwide — could eventually enable them to attain a normal life span.

“You have to buy the science because the science buys life,” Mr. Baker said.

Ms. Brooks joined the organization as a volunteer at its inception and soon joined the board. In short order, she took lead roles in the clothing distribution, donation, communications and emergency outreach teams.

White Pony serves as a link between homeless shelters and food pantries, and the markets and restaurants that want a place to donate unsold perishable items. Three staffers dispatch six large trucks every day to rescue and distribute unsold food from more than 60 donor stores to 84 recipient organizations. About 400 volunteers from the community help out.

“For the employees in the produce departments, it was killing them to throw out such good food,” Ms. Brooks said.

The nonprofit also brings “mobile boutiques” to churches and community centers in impoverished neighborhoods to allow clients to choose clothing, toys and books, free of charge.

The nonprofit also brings “mobile boutiques” to churches and community centers in impoverished neighborhoods to allow clients to choose clothing, toys and books, free of charge.

He serves as vice chairman of the board for Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps and chairman of its Detention Diversion Advocacy Program, which works with more than 150 youths, ages 11 to 19, annually, who have been charged in juvenile court.

“Most people would think they are troublemakers, but it's unbelievable what great kids they are,” Mr. Geraghty said. “They're just like our kids; they just need guidance and attention.”

Youth advocate

When a judge diverts a child into the DDAP program, a youth advocate is assigned to work with the child and his or her immediate family for three to four months, helping them navigate the juvenile justice process and access mental health, substance abuse and recreational programs. Advocates also bring in additional mentors.

Mr. Geraghty serves in this role as well as volunteering as a group and individual mentor, encouraging kids to go to college, helping with career planning, arranging internships and jobs, and helping them join sports teams.

“It really does take a village,” he said. “I had good parents, teachers, coaches and mentors. DDAP works in the same way, with school, the courts and contacts.”

“I was a single mom for a long time, and I wish I'd had these after-school programs back then,” she said.

Ms. Keller also leads the clubs' Women Ambassadors, helping to raise more than $750,000 over the past few years. In addition to bringing about bigger events and corporate sponsorships, she introduced the idea of having events at the clubs instead of fancy venues.

Ms. Keller also leads the clubs' Women Ambassadors, helping to raise more than $750,000 over the past few years. In addition to bringing about bigger events and corporate sponsorships, she introduced the idea of having events at the clubs instead of fancy venues.

“People don't understand our mission unless they see where our kids live and thrive,” she said.

In fact, Ms. Keller brings her own clients to the clubs for tours.

They have no idea about the clubs' programs, she said, which include after-school offerings focusing on nutrition and cooking skills, financial literacy and academic review. Ms. Keller is especially enthused about the club's innovative career resource center, which provides training in technical skills to youngsters and, soon, their parents, as well as college application skills and entrepreneurship.

What lessons has she learned from her volunteer work?

“First, the world is so much bigger than us,” Ms. Keller said, “and second, the deep commitment of the staff in light of their nonprofit salaries.”

Ten years later, he founded an ambulatory surgical clinic in Chimborazo, an impoverished indigenous region of the Ecuadorean Andes. The clinic, Fundacion Internacional Buen Samaritano Paul Martel Inc. (FIBUSPAM), serves 20,000 people a year, who often travel hundreds of miles for life-saving care.

He talks about the ripple effects of the clinic:

• Empowerment: “The locals have the will, the energy, the compassion, but no resources to provide this care,” he said.

• Sharing best practices: The FIBUSPAM physician team trains clinicians from many countries.

• Improving livelihoods: Because the area is so close to the sun, cataracts are common. The clinic restores sight and provides glasses to thousands, enabling them to make a living.

• Attracting physicians: Medical specialists come from other countries for better lives for themselves.

A watershed moment, Mr. Martel said, was receiving an Invest in Others award in 2010. “It was a shot in the arm — it gave us the confidence to expand our possibilities.”

The nonprofit carries out eight to 10 missions per year, serving 15,000 people annually. The missions have become popular among medical personnel because of the model of delivery. They are only about a week long, are relatively low cost (about $2,000 per participant), and build in some days for interesting adventure activities.

“It's half Mother Theresa and half Indiana Jones,” Mr. Altman said. “People will keep coming back and helping if it's both fun and rewarding. And a lot of baby boomers now want to give back, to do hands-on medicine.”

Mr. Altman has been leading missions for decades, and recently led four missions to the Jordan-Syria border, bringing medical care to Syrian refugees living in tents.

What keeps him involved year after year?

“It's the relationships you build in multicultural settings, the people you help and the miracles you can bring — like restoring someone's sight with a pair of glasses,” he said.

For three years, before starting F4, Mr. Fiorenza arranged relationships between sources with excess food (caterers, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) and local shelters. He also organized corporate food drives to provide non-perishable comestibles to food banks. Soon he was driving around the Eastern Seaboard, delivering meals to areas in crisis.

At first, F4 continued in this vein. But by 2013, Mr. Fiorenza was becoming burned out, and he had a realization: With his current efforts, he could serve a few individuals directly. But by facilitating “food rescue” relationships, he could serve millions indirectly.

He turned F4' s focus toward becoming a virtual clearinghouse for the U.S. and beyond. Supported by a strong team of volunteers, F4 creates hundreds of local, sustainable partnerships between food sources and recipients across the country and provides education on hunger awareness.

Mr. Fiorenza draws a parallel between his work and volunteer worlds: “In both jobs, it's about service.”

Mr. Housey is co-founder of ISTO Advisors in Troy, Mich., and Lake Forest, Ill.

Over the years, he and his friends had raised money informally for good causes. But Mr. Housey eventually decided to engage more formally, by volunteering at a children's shelter and other nonprofits. Inspired by his community's charitable spirit, he decided to start his own 100% volunteer-run charity — a scholarship fund — that would use 100% of its funds to serve recipients.

After working with different schools, Building Bridges entered into a lasting partnership in 2004 with the private Notre Dame Preparatory School. Together they provide full, annually renewable scholarships to 40 high school students from crime-filled local neighborhoods. The young people also receive supportive services such as programs to teach them academic, social and career development skills. Most important of all: The students are paired for four years with volunteer “advocates” who serve as their mentors and resource coordinators.

“It's been a great journey,” Mr. Housey said. “Wherever we wind up, it will be a good cause.”