Jeff Vivacqua is chairman of the board of directors at Invest in Others Charitable Foundation. With nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Vivacqua has served as a dedicated and active member of the Invest in Others Board (IiO) since 2016. He is president of growth and development at Cambridge Investment Research and also serves as a member on its board of directors and executive council.
Russ Alan Prince: Tell us about your longstanding involvement with Invest in Others Charitable Foundation. What attracted you to support this philanthropic organization for over a decade?
Jeff Vivacqua: Invest in Others continuously strives to be the preeminent organization to highlight and increase the philanthropic nature of thousands of financial professionals. Any organization that can be focused on activities like that is someplace I want to give my time and attention to.
In 2016, Cambridge Investment Research, the internally controlled financial services firm where I serve as President of Growth and Development, was asked to be involved with Invest in Others. I was immediately attracted to the organization and took on a board member role for our firm. I have always believed the financial services industry provides individuals with an opportunity to build a long-lasting career. Over my 30-year career, I have witnessed financial professionals leverage the flexibility our industry provides to offer generosity and philanthropy. Outside of our community, the broader masses do not often realize the dedication and generosity of these individuals and firms.
Personally, charitable giving was a staple of my family life growing up. My family was involved with various charities especially through the Catholic Church. These experiences in my personal life built and instilled the values I hold dear today and reflect in my work with Invest in Others.
Prince: Regarding your new role as chairperson of the board, what objectives will you aim to achieve, and what are your main goals for Invest in Others over the next two years?
Vivacqua: I’m looking at the next two years as a continuation of what recent former Chairpersons John Hyland and Mark Goldberg started. Our strategic plan is centered around increasing our impact on the financial services industry and a commitment to raising the visibility of Invest in Others. We believe our growth will greatly impact the industry and the communities where financial advisors are providing support.
Our board strives to go above and beyond to deliver necessary resources to those in need. Invest in Others recently surpassed the $2 million milestone in total revenue raised. We are focused on being able to award $5 to $10 million to financial professionals through our annual grants and awards programs to support the charities they serve in communities across the country and around the globe.
It’s an honor to guide this incredibly talented board of directors through the implementation of our new three-year strategic plan and, in due time, prepare the next chairperson to continue on that same path. As the saying goes, how can I do better than the people before me and empower those who come after to do better than me?
Prince: Why should the financial services community engage with Invest in Others’ charitable efforts?
Vivacqua: Invest in Others is the leading nonprofit organization focused on amplifying the philanthropic efforts of financial professionals. Since 2016, we have focused on attracting talent from all areas of financial services to our board of directors, including broker-dealers, RIAs, product manufacturers, technology firms, media companies, and clearing and custody firms, all in the vein of expanding our reach to even more financial professionals.
Nearly a decade later, there are over 300,000 active financial professionals giving back to local, state, national, and international charities in one way or another. I believe all of us with a role in financial services have a duty to show the world how great this industry is. Together, we can leave a stronger, lasting impact than if we were to try to make a difference all on our own!
Prince: In what ways has being involved with Invest in Others impacted your industry relationships?
Vivacqua: Being involved with Invest in Others and the community we’ve built, I’ve learned there is an endless resource of talented individuals and leaders supporting various firms across many disciplines in the marketplace. It’s been a privilege to have our network as a resource over the last decade of my 30-year professional career. I have enjoyed working with many of these individuals and am forever grateful for the connections we’ve built because of our involvement with Invest in Others. In this line of business, we all have similar opportunities and challenges, and when we can come together to align with a purpose like supporting Invest in Others, something truly special is created.
Prince: Looking forward, what is next for Invest in Others in the financial services community?
Vivacqua: As we focus on implementing our strategic plan, you will see us improving our brand and expanding our impact on financial professionals and their charities while finding the financial growth needed to achieve our outlined goals and objectives. We invite more companies, more leaders, and more financial professionals to engage with Invest in Others to highlight all the good that this industry brings to communities across the country.
Charitable activities typically go unnoticed, however, they really move mountains and impact individuals each and every day. For those interested in joining us in being a part of recognizing and amplifying these incredible acts of kindness, I encourage you to visit www.investinothers.org to read about what we do and learn more about our annual programs.
Russ Alan Prince is a strategist for family offices and the ultra-wealthy. He has co-authored 70 books in the field, including Making Smart Decisions: How Ultra-Wealthy Families Get Superior Wealth Planning Results.