Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Duncan.
Hi Martha, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The Maggie Thompson Invitational (MTI) began as a golf tournament for friends and co-workers in 2014. Martha and I worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and as we exited the 2008 financial crisis, we wanted to do something fun with our friends and co-workers, so we held a golf tournament. Many people we knew played golf and we thought this would be a great time to interact outside the office.
Initially, the tournament was held in the Fall and we did not have a charity or fundraiser. After a few years, we started light fundraising for whatever natural disaster occurred in the months prior to the tournament. We did not solicit sponsors and were generally donating things we already had or acquired in tournaments that Maggie played.
We got involved in Amity Hospice Thanksgiving dinners through our friends Joni and Greg Smith. Joni works for Amity Hospice and for years they have fried turkeys on Thanksgiving morning and delivered them to families with hospice patients. The deliveries include turkeys, sides, pie, and rolls. Martha and I have helped in all facets of the operations, we’ve delivered to families, we’ve helped fry the birds, and Martha has especially helped the organization side.
After a few years of assisting, we saw another neighbor of Joni and Greg’s hand them cash to pay for the following year. We had not given a lot of thought to how the Smiths pulled this event off, and now we knew they paid for it from their own pocket. From this revelation, the MTI had its focus. In 2021, after Maggie retired from the FDIC, Martha had retired a few years earlier, we submitted the paperwork and fees to make the MTI a 501c3 corporation. Our hope was to attract larger sponsors and raise more money for Thanksgiving, as well as our other charities.
We support the Community Garden Kitchen which provides free meals in the setting of a local diner where the patrons can “dine with dignity.” It also provides working experience for volunteer cooks, servers, and hostesses who can parlay that experience into paying employment.
Our newest beneficiary is La Tiendita, which is a nonprofit grocery store serving East McKinney.
Since we began in 2014 we have raised over $80,000 and have had more than 1,000 golfers play in our tournament.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The greatest challenge of MTI is that Martha and I do the planning and fundraising mostly on our own. We go to businesses in and around McKinney and solicit donations, cash, auction items, and swag for the golfers. We are trying to build relationships and have consistent sponsors, but we are a small non-profit without a lot of resources.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are both retired from long careers with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Maggie spends her days playing golf and Martha keeps busy as CFO of Jump Into Art Studios and various other side projects.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’m not sure this question applies to us. But we do operate under the notion that ‘Sponsors won’t say yes, if you don’t ask them.’ Therefore, we are not shy about asking everyone we do business with, to do business with us and be a sponsor.
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