Jody Giles is the Director of Philanthropy for Catalyst Family Office and brings over twenty years of experience in the financial services industry. She has a passion for philanthropy and extensive experience working with families helping to design their philanthropic legacy as part of their comprehensive financial plan. Jody earned her Bachelors of Business Administration and Masters in Professional Accounting, specialization in taxation, from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy.
Philosophy/Approach: I am passionate about helping clients focus their philanthropy to achieve the maximum impact. I strive to create the most value for her clients by working collaboratively with leaders in the sector of interest. Actively working with partners to learn deeply about organizational needs and identify synergies with donor goals is a priority.
I enjoy bringing innovation, creativity and energy to the philanthropic journey. I am deeply committed to getting charitable dollars off the sideline for impactful and innovative ideas.
Types of Clients:
Private foundations
Individual donors
Specialization: I would consider myself a generalist although I have a deeper knowledge in the STEM funding space due to recent client funding. I am constantly working to build out my network of experts and funders in all funding areas to best support my clients.
"Jody has helped run our family foundation for many years now, and has been an absolute pleasure to work with. She knows what sorts of philanthropic interests we have and often comes to us with new ideas, organizations or opportunities, or ways that we can collaborate with other non-profits and foundations. She has helped us give grants to many hundreds of organizations, and to assess the impact of these grants over time. She's also helped us engage our children in philanthropy, identifying great opportunities that align with their passions and interests. She's extremely diligent, passionate, and we truly value her contributions in making our philanthropic efforts an important part of our lives."