Renowned for his high standard of service, meticulous eye for detail and love of a good pun, Thomas Lopez brings years of philanthropic experience to his role of Relationship Manager at Australian Communities Foundation.
After moving from the US to Australia six years ago, Thomas got his start in philanthropic services with the Myer Family Company. From there he went on to create La Trobe University’s donor stewardship program and later joined Australian Schools Plus. Developing a detailed understanding of the donor journey, he says, has helped him appreciate the diversity of philanthropic intentions and the importance of communicating impact.
I love solving problems for donors, whether they’re giving through a Named Fund or a Private Foundation.
In his role at Australian Communities Foundation, Thomas is responsible for ensuring all members of our giving community benefit from the highest quality client service and processes.
“I love solving problems for donors, whether they’re giving through a Named Fund or a Private Foundation,” Thomas says.
“One of the most satisfying parts of my role is working with donors who have something that seems complicated, or perhaps something they didn’t know they could do, and helping them do it.
“I love helping donors structure their giving in a way that lets them focus on what they want to do, rather than having to worry about the legal and regulatory aspects,” Thomas continues.
I really hope through my actions and my work at ACF and the way I live my life that I can make the world a bit of a better place for the three girls I have at home.
“Many people are surprised to learn how easy it is to structure their giving through Australian Communities Foundation and that’s really satisfying to me because philanthropy doesn’t need to be a complicated process.”
As a father of three young children, Thomas credits his family as being the motivating force for all that he does.
“I really hope through my actions and my work at ACF and the way I live my life that I can make the world a bit of a better place for the three girls I have at home.
“I know that a lot of our donors at ACF feel the same way, and I encourage anyone who’s thinking about getting started to just give us a call. Our entire team is friendly and knowledgeable, and we always have time to answer your questions, regardless of whether you think your giving is too small or too complicated. We’re here to help.”
