More than money

More than money

Ryan Robertson’s path to purposeful giving

When Ryan Robertson came home to Memphis almost three years ago to become President of Trust Marketing, his family’s firm, he’d spent his career leading marketing strategy for prestige consumer brands including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Diageo. But he’d never really thought about approaching his own giving with that same strategic lens.

Another misconception he brought home: “I thought that philanthropy was reserved for very wealthy people,” he said.

Some of Robertson’s earliest memories involved dropping money in the collection plate at Collins Chapel CME Church as well as going with his siblings to the Southland Mall every Christmas to select Salvation Army Angel Tree gifts. “We always found joy in that, and we looked forward to it every year,” said Ryan. “I just didn’t recognize that as philanthropy.”

It took getting involved in the Next Gen Philanthropic Initiative at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis for Ryan to see how everything he’d been doing until then would help him develop his own giving strategy. Each Next Gen cohort (Ryan’s was the second) is a small group of emerging leaders who want to learn to give back to their community with greater purpose.

The opening retreat was an eye-opener for Robertson.

“ It was certainly educational about reframing what philanthropy is, but it was more emotional and introspective than I expected it to be. It’s really about what brings you joy.”

“I always thought of philanthropy as just being financial—just being treasure. It expanded my definition to truly understand that it’s also your time, your ties and relationships, and your talent—the stuff that you know how to do.”

As a business owner, he now sees everyday acts—offering his conference room for a meeting, making a key introduction, mentoring a young entrepreneur—as part of his philanthropy. “All of those pieces are a part of giving and pouring into others, which is what philanthropy is all about.”

Part of the Next Gen program involves developing a more focused personal giving strategy, and for Robertson, arts and culture were foundational interests. He loved theatre and sang as a child and is still deeply interested in music and arts, serving on the board of Collage Dance. His final choice for his personal gift (matched by the Hyde Family Foundation, sponsor of the program) went to the Young Actors Guild, an organization that had a model that appealed to him.
“At a young age, theater really transformed me. So, I understand the power of the arts.”

The other thing Robertson learned from Next Gen is how to say no. “Before, I would feel compelled to give to people that asked me, even if the causes weren’t very meaningful to me personally,” he said. “Going through this program helped me to crystallize my ideas and be comfortable saying, ‘This is where my passions lie. So, I’m giving in this area.’”

Robertson has also participated as a panelist in the Powered by Us Symposium, part of Black Philanthropy Month, focusing on how business owners can give in creative and sometimes non-financial ways.

“I found that I was not alone in my early assertion that I thought philanthropy was reserved for wealthy people,” he said.

“ I wanted to help people see that most of us are already practicing philanthropy on a daily basis, even if we don’t always recognize it that way.”