Tocqueville Member Spotlight: The Swan Family

Jon and Robin Swan became Tocqueville Society members last year. They joined after seven years of giving to United Way at the Leadership level via Jon’s workplace campaign at Boston Consulting Group. The Swans support the Community Income Tax Credit and also generously provide undesignated support.

In addition to their generous financial support, Jon has been a longtime hands-on supporter as well. He’s given his time in reviewing agency allocations applications, and he’s served as an e-Coach for the Marian L. Heard Scholarship program since 2015. Jon joined our Campaign Cabinet this past March at the encouragement of chair Jeff Holland. Jon and his wife, Robin, have four kids: Kennedy, 12, Elia, 10, Myka, 6 and Charlie, 5.

We spoke to Jon recently about his commitment to United Way:

Jon, why have you given your time, talent, and treasure to United Way?

I come from a pretty humble background, growing up in a very rural part of Montana – including on and off of a Native American reservation. As an enrolled member of a Tribe (Chippewa Cree), a strong sense of community and giving back was an important part of my upbringing. There are many vehicles for that, of course, but, the shrewd data-driven person in me saw United Way as a very efficient way to give back. It focuses on the biggest needs to achieve outcomes that give people opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have. The world has been very generous to us, so we want to make sure we leave a legacy of supporting others in return.

How have you been impacted by volunteering and giving to United Way?

We involve our kids in giving back (we have four, all pretty little). We think instilling in them a sense of helping others is one of the most important tenets of being good parents. In fact, with their allowance, we work with them to divide their money into three different places – spending, saving, and giving. Our oldest tends to give away more than she spends (opposite of her sister, but we are working on that).

What does being a Tocqueville member mean to you?

It was a nice gesture for United Way to recognize the contributions and it’s great to meet others with similar mindsets.