Regular People Doing Remarkable Work
Donor Advised Funds at the Wyoming Community Foundation
James H. & Ann S. Ruble III Donor Advised Fund
This story is from our Spring 2025 newsletter. See the full newsletter here!
The Ruble Family on vacation.
A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) offers a flexible way to give while allowing donors to support the causes they care about most. Donors set up a fund, receive an immediate tax benefit, and advise on grant distributions while WYCF handles the administrative details.
“Regular people don’t think of themselves as philanthropists,” says Ann Ruble, donor and advisor to the James & Ann Ruble Donor Advised Fund at the Wyoming Community Foundation. “But everything you do for the public good is philanthropy.”
Ann and her husband Jim created their fund at WYCF over ten years ago, but they have been philanthropists for much longer. From volunteering as young adults to starting their DAF, they have always been thoughtful in their efforts to give back to their community.
They share that passion for giving back with their teenage sons, who help pick out nonprofits they want to support. Because Ann and Jim have taught their kids the value of giving back, their sons can continue this legacy long after they are gone.
“At some point, our sons will be the advisors to our fund. So we want them to start thinking charitably today,” says Ann. “We are helping them find meaning and fulfillment in giving back.”
Ann and her sons at their marker on Platte River Trails.
One way Ann involves her sons is getting their suggestions of places to give, like the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra or Platte River Trails. Plus, they talk as a family about programs their fund supports. The Rubles strongly support the Casper area and hope to also support more projects and nonprofits in Carbon County.
Thanks to the Ruble Donor Advised Fund, Ann and Jim have the flexibility to support many causes they care about.
Recently, the Rubles made a grant to the Jae Foundation through their fund at WYCF. The Jae Foundation is a suicide prevention organization that gives cowboy boots to high school seniors and faculty. After they get the boots, students and faculty are encouraged to do a “Boot Check” each Friday and talk about mental health and suicide awareness with peers and trusted adults.
The grant from their fund supported boot purchases for Natrona County high schools. Ann went to Kelly Walsh High School to help distribute boots recently. “I’ve gotten so much joy out of the conversations I’ve had with teens about the boot check and mental health,” Ann says.
The Ruble Family DAF at WYCF was used to set up the Ruble Endowed Scholarship at the Colorado School of Mines. This scholarship is to aide students from Wyoming who plant to study chemical engineering. Pictured above is Ann and Jim with recent recipients of the grant.
The Rubles, and donors like them, appreciate the added value and flexibility of a community foundation. The Wyoming Community Foundation respects donor intent, makes sure grants from the funds are well placed, and accepts a wide range of more complex planned gifts.
“One thing I love about working with WYCF is I know I can trust their staff,” says Ann. “Partnering with WYCF for our DAF is like having our own family foundation without having to manage it. They support investments that do the most good for my community.”
When generous donors like Ann and Jim partner with WYCF, they ensure the Wyoming communities they love thrive for generations to come.
Interested in learning more about a Donor Advised Fund? Our expert staff are here to assist you. Give us a call at 307-721-8300.