This month Rusty Stahl completes his 10-year term as Founder and Executive Director at EPIP. To commemorate his service to the organization and its national network of constituents, earlier this week EPIP launched a "Recognizing Rusty" drive to raise a modest $5,000 in his name for the future of the organization.

Rusty has been a visionary and vocal leader for people entering the field of philanthropy and has helped EPIP influence countless members over the past decade, both in Boston and around the country. Here is what some of our local Steering Committee members had to say about Rusty and EPIP:

Mo Reed-McNally, EPIP Boston Membership Officer:

When I was new to the philanthropic sector and looking for opportunities to engage with a professional network, the name Rusty Stahl along with EPIP kept surfacing. I was excited by the work that EPIP was doing with Rusty in charge. At the time I was living in a city without an EPIP chapter. Knowing I would be leaving the city soon, starting a chapter was not in the cards. However, once I moved to Boston, EPIP Boston was the first professional group I joined! Since the first moment I learned of EPIP, I have been impressed by Rusty’s commitment to the organization and to emerging leaders in philanthropy. I’m grateful for his passion as it has inspired a new generation of EPIP leaders. Join me in a donation recognizing what Rusty Stahl has done for EPIP, philanthropy, and the next generation of leaders.

Nakisha Lewis, EPIP Boston Events Manager:

It’s been four years since I came into philanthropy as a young professional and as I reflect on my growth over this time, I immediately think about EPIP. Like most new EPIPers, when I joined the organization I was primarily looking to build my professional network, but since attending my first webinar almost three years ago I've become a fully engaged member and EPIP champion. I attended my first EPIP national conference in 2011 and it was there I met Rusty and fell in love with his vision. Through several conversations with our founder, he inspired me to get involved with my local chapter and since doing so EPIP has helped me to develop my unique voice in the field and exercise leadership muscles that would otherwise go unused. I credit EPIP with helping me blossom into the funder I am today and I mostly thank Rusty for giving birth to an organization that has equipped me with the tools necessary to successfully navigate this complex field. I’m grateful for his leadership and look forward to what lies ahead.

Caitlin Wagner, EPIP Boston Co-Chair:

I joined EPIP at the recommendation of a number of people where I worked, a few who were part of initiating the Boston chapter and who knew Rusty well. They talked about the initial idea that formed at The Council on Foundations. It is a great example of how after a gap is identified, someone taking the determined leadership to ensure it gets filled. Rusty has seen this initiative through with great care and his idea, with the support of many, transformed what it's like for an emerging practitioner in the field of philanthropy.

Just being at the national conference affirms that it was all worth it--hundreds of emerging professionals coming together to build peer relationships with in the field. It continues to be a group that I love and it excites me to see others thriving as well. Thank you Rusty, for seeing your vision through!

Please join us in thanking Rusty for his decade of leadership and advocacy by making a donation in his honor today.