Season 19: Leading in This Moment | Episode 2
Everyone Can Be a Philanthropist
Overview
What if the most meaningful conversations about charitable giving were never really about money at all, but about the story we hope our lives will tell?
This episode of the Igniting Imagination® podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners, where host Rev. Lisa Greenwood sits down with two colleagues to explore how generosity becomes part of the legacy we leave. Joining her is Justin Gould, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners, who works with individuals, families, and congregations to align generosity with purpose, connecting people's passions with opportunities to make a lasting difference. He is joined by Pamela Gray, Director of Philanthropy and Gift Planning at Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners, who has spent more than three decades helping families think thoughtfully about generosity, legacy, and the ways their resources can continue serving others long into the future.
Against the backdrop of the great transfer of wealth now underway across the country, Lisa, Justin, and Pamela make the case that churches are uniquely poised for this moment. With loyal members, deep relationships, and a good story to tell, faith communities can help people move from managing resources as an obligation to imagining a generous future. The conversation reframes philanthropy as something accessible to everyone, not the province of the wealthy few, and unpacks the practical tools, from donor-advised funds and endowments to charitable gift annuities and gifts by will, that let people support ministry both today and for generations to come.
Listen as the three of them explore why the best giving conversations begin with dreaming and values rather than assets, how a spirit of generosity becomes contagious within a congregation, and why, as they put it again and again, everyone can be a philanthropist.
Meet Our Guests
Justin Gould
Justin Gould is chief philanthropy officer of Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation. Gould joined the staff of Texas Methodist Foundation in 2013 after nearly a decade serving in various fundraising roles at Southwestern University during its successful $150 million comprehensive campaign. Gould leads all aspects of TMF’s fundraising and gift planning programs. Gould holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, where he currently serves on the Board of Visitors. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University in Salem, OR. Additionally, Gould is a past president of the Charitable Gift Planners of Austin and holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation.
Pamela Gray
Pamela Gray is director of philanthropy and gift planning at Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation, joining in 2023. Prior to arriving, she was the national personal philanthropy director at Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Erlanger, Kentucky, where she managed a team of eleven, focused on individual relationships and gift-planning activities. Pamela has also served as the senior director of philanthropy and alumni at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Prior to her return to Kentucky in 2016, she worked as a director, gift planning at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Pamela has over 29 years of experience in planned giving, major gifts, marketing, public relations, special events, and fundraising data management from previous positions at the University of Denver, Boys and Girls Clubs, Alzheimer’s Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Historical Society and Denver Dumb Friends League (Humane Society of Denver, Inc.). Pamela holds a Master of Professional Studies degree in Leadership in Organizations from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the University of Kentucky.
Show Notes
Justin Gould is Chief Philanthropy Officer of Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation. Gould joined the staff of Texas Methodist Foundation in 2013 after nearly a decade serving in various fundraising roles at Southwestern University during its successful $150 million comprehensive campaign. Gould leads all aspects of TMF’s fundraising and gift planning programs. Gould holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, where he currently serves on the Board of Visitors. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University in Salem, OR. Additionally, Gould is a past president of the Charitable Gift Planners of Austin and holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation.
Pamela Gray is director of philanthropy and gift planning at Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation, joining in 2023. Prior to arriving, she was the national personal philanthropy director at Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Erlanger, Kentucky, where she managed a team of eleven, focused on individual relationships and gift-planning activities. Pamela has also served as the senior director of philanthropy and alumni at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Prior to her return to Kentucky in 2016, she worked as a director, gift planning at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Pamela has over 29 years of experience in planned giving, major gifts, marketing, public relations, special events, and fundraising data management from previous positions at the University of Denver, Boys and Girls Clubs, Alzheimer’s Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Historical Society and Denver Dumb Friends League (Humane Society of Denver, Inc.). Pamela holds a Master of Professional Studies degree in Leadership in Organizations from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the University of Kentucky.
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