MICHAEL WEISBROD
Gift Planning Officer
Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri
Michael Weisbrod is a familiar face in banking, wealth management and philanthropic circles. Prior to joining the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri in 2015, Weisbrod spent nearly 40 years in asset management with a focus on charitable and wealth planning, most recently, as senior vice president and director of marketing for First Bank Wealth Management Group.
His current mission at the foundation is to help build endowment funds for perpetual annual distribution to Catholic parishes, schools and ministries throughout the Archdiocese of St. Louis for generations to come.
Weisbrod, who is hardly ever without his signature bow tie, currently serves on boards of the St. Louis Planned Giving Council, Shakespeare Festival of Saint Louis, Saint Louis Cathedral Concerts and International Photography Hall of Fame.
Career Path
I have always enjoyed helping people. My first career was in retail, where I served the needs of clients. I then moved to the banking and trust world where I assisted clients in the implementation of long-term estate, charitable and financial planning solutions. I have been involved with nonprofit boards since the 1980s, and always wanted to be more engaged. I moved to the nonprofit world over 4 years ago as a Gift Planning Officer for the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri. Seeing the joy in the eyes of a donor when they realize that their dream to provide long-term financial support to their favorite Catholic organizations has become a reality through a planned gift cannot be duplicated!
Biggest Mentor
There was at least one person on each board who assisted me in my personal growth. Some were long-time community volunteers and others were laser-focused on the importance of that organization within the community. I found that taking a long-term approach to the management of each organization and looking for ways to collaborate with other organizations has been the distillation of those mentors.
Biggest Impact
My relationship with my family, specifically my wife and daughter. My wife has always supported my desire to be involved in the community. She says my community outreach over the years provided our daughter, Abigail, with the understanding of the importance of sharing our gifts and talents. Abigail is a successful attorney, with a high-profile position, a husband and son. With all of that in her life, she has already served on several boards and held leadership positions in college.
Future Goals
The Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri is a relatively new organization. We have only been accepting gifts since the end of 2014, but have already surpassed $42 million in assets under management. My goal as a Gift Planning Officer is to continue to serve the foundation, the Archdiocese of St. Louis and its parishes, schools and ministries by working with organizational leaders and their donors to deepen their understanding on the importance of individual philanthropy in the community, of looking beyond current needs to the future, and developing and implementing plans now to ensure their successors have a strong financial footing for their organizations.
Favorite Pastime
Prior to 2018, we enjoyed entertaining and hosting large parties in our home. In May 2018, we were blessed with our first grandchild. Anything else took an immediate back seat. We babysit or sneak over for a quick visit as often as we can!
Memorable Life Moment
My four most memorable days are the day I married Richelle, the day Abigail was born, the day Abigail married her husband, Locke, and the day Ford was born. If I had to pick one, I would say it’s the birth of Ford. There is an old saying, “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on!”
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