Charlie Jordan: A Heartbeat of Philanthropy Echoes Throughout This Donor’s Life
Charlie Jordan first became aware of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta the way a lot of people do—through a personal story. He met his good friend Ryan Grelecki a few years after Ryan’s eldest son, Parker, was born with hydrocephalus, a condition that causes the brain to fill with more than average fluid and threatens early neurological development. However, today Parker is thriving in part because of the care he received at Children’s. “Children’s was a big part of their recovery and their medical life,” says Charlie. “And Ryan encouraged me to join Will’s Club. So, that’s how I first became a donor.”
Charlie, a Partner and Wealth Advisor at Brightworth, has spent his career in the wealth advising business. But during his four years as a manager at the National Christian Foundation, he developed a passion for philanthropy. “That became a big heartbeat of my practice as I progressed back to the for-profit side of the business. So, a lot of what I talk to my clients about is the big ideas of legacy and generosity and purpose.”
When his colleague, John Ellard, reached out and asked Charlie to help form a dedicated group, what would eventually become the Children’s Legacy Advisors, Charlie was immediately interested. They worked closely with the other community advisors and Children’s Foundation staff to create this exceptional program. “No one needed another networking group,” says Charlie. “We wanted something that could actually make an impact.”
The goals from the beginning have been to increase advisors’ exposure to Children’s, to add value to the advisor community and to equip advisors with the tools to have conversations around philanthropy with their clients. “Financial decisions are just a byproduct of life. As advisors, we’re in a unique position of leadership in our clients’ lives. We have to take that seriously. When our clients want to talk about purpose and legacy, we have great opportunities to be able to channel that into areas of hopefully working with Children’s.”
As a Children’s Legacy Advisor, Charlie has helped clients and other community members identify their personal philanthropic passions and direct charitable dollars to Children’s and other worthy organizations. In addition, Charlie and his wife, Krysta, have decided to make Children’s part of their own lasting legacy.
When asked what makes Children’s deserving of such philanthropy, Charlie explains, “I’ll tell you what I tell my clients. Children’s is on my personal list of places to give because of the good that it does for the community, because of the families it serves and because of the ways it goes about doing that. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to give you a tour. I’d be happy to show you what research is taking place, to show you the work that’s being done in our new facility. You don’t have to be a Children’s salesman. You just have to start the conversation.”