Getting involved in the community and performing charitable work has driven meaningful change for advisors beyond their practices, advisors and representatives of the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation and Financial Services Institute (FSI) said Oct. 22 during a webinar presented by Invest in Others.
“Across our industry, advisors are giving their time, their expertise, their resources to causes that really matter to them,” moderator Kathryn Anderson, Senior Vice President, Growth & Strategic Partnerships at FSI, said at the start of the webinar, “The Power of Advisors in Communities.”
“Some serve on nonprofit boards, some volunteer in their communities and others have helped build or support organizations that are making a significant difference.”
She added, “That involvement matters, not only to the communities that are being served, but also to the advisors themselves and to our profession.”
Finding Community Through Service
Sharing their personal journeys, Justin Elder, Co‑Founder and Investment Advisor Representative at BrightPoint Financial, and Christine Byrne, Board Chair, FSI, and Partner and Wealth Advisor at Back Cove Financial, made note of the causes that inspire them and said community involvement has shaped their careers and helped their firms.
Charitable work and giving back to the community “really has been something that’s been part of my entire life,” said Byrne.
Pointing out that she started her career in the back office at Commonwealth Financial Network, Byrne said that was “another place where, gratitude and the thought of giving back was also part of their DNA.”
For Byrne, joining the local Rotary group in Portland, Maine, was how she got involved with her community after moving there, she said.
“You get together every week and you meet with people that are like‑minded, you hear from a speaker in your community, and you work on what your service projects are going to do, and then you go do them,” Byrne noted.
Putting Others First
Similarly, Elder said, “From an early age, it was just instilled in our family values of helping others, putting others first.”
“In high school, I started working with Special Olympics with some friends, and getting to know the disability community a little bit.”
For Elder, financial advising became a second career after being a teacher, he noted. “Then, my wife and I adopted two girls with Down syndrome, and during that portion of time, really saw the impact that nonprofits have,” he explained.
Elder, whose nonprofit Moose & Me Baking Company received a grant through his 2025 Invest in Others Emerging Impact Award, said he was “fortunate enough to win the grant and be awarded with $60,000 for our organization, which, when you are a small nonprofit, that is life‑changing money.”
Expanding Grant Opportunities
Faith Bitterman, Director of Programs at Invest in Others, provided insight into her charitable organization’s Invest in Others Grant Program, including how recognition and grant funding help amplify nonprofit missions across the country.
“What inspires me the most is seeing how advisors use the skills that they [have] to help their clients and apply them directly to strengthening their own communities,” Bitterman said.
“Whether it’s helping the nonprofit grow from the ground up, serving on their board, or bringing their skills and people and resources together around a shared cause, the impact goes far beyond just signing a check. It’s really the human and people connection that these advisors are bringing to the charities and to the community.”
Bitterman added, “What really stands out is how personally invested, advisors like Justin and Christine are in their organizations and communities.”
She went on to say that “one of the most significant changes is how much money Invest in Others will be giving out with this newly redesigned grant program” in 2027. “Thanks to the support of U.S. Charitable Gift Trust, Invest in Others, we now have over $2 million in grant funding available for financial advisors.”
Bitterman said the increase would allow the foundation to fund more charities supported by financial advisors. “In past years, we’ve given out 75 honorable mentions that equate to $2,000.” Bitterman said the foundation was eliminating honorable mentions and planned to award grants of up to $25,000 to at least 80 nonprofits annually.
“That number can expand if people are looking to apply for grants under that $25,000 threshold. And that’s just for the grant opportunity. The application is now much more streamlined and provides the financial advisor with actually two chances to receive funding on behalf of the charity they support,” she said.
Bitterman went on to explain how advisors can participate in the 2027 program, pointing out several changes have been made for next year.
“The best place to start is our website, Investinothers.org, where you can learn more about the redesigned program and review our eligibility requirements,” she said.
She invited everyone watching the webinar and all eligible FSI members to participate in a beta test now underway. “This will give you early access to our new application, and an opportunity to help us refine the experience ahead of our public launch next year on January 19.”
Applications for the beta test close on Dec. 4 and are “currently live on our website and open to all FSI members who are eligible,” she noted.
She concluded, “We’ve really worked hard to make the process as simple and accessible as possible.”
Jeff Berman, Contributing Editor and Reporter at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at jeff.berman@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
