By Patti Rashke
I was raised in a blue‑collar family in Central Wisconsin where people didn’t talk about philanthropy. They talked about being a good neighbor and helping others. When I moved to Madison years later and my husband, Dan, and I began to experience professional and financial success, those early touchstones were always something I turned back to.
Yet over time, I noticed something many generous people wrestle with: they have a desire to help, but it’s coupled with uncertainty about where to start or whether their gift will actually make an impact. This is a common refrain from friends, colleagues and other women who want to do more — but hesitate.
Knowing that, when the Dan & Patti Rashke (TASC) Family Foundation wanted to make a significant gift to United Way of Dane County, it was important to structure it to inspire others to give and provide confidence that their dollars were making an impact.
For nearly four decades, United Way has been part of my life as a donor, a volunteer and a believer in the nonprofit’s ability to address the most pressing issues impacting the community. I trust that United Way is a good steward of its donors’ dollars.
But rather than restricting our funds to a specific program, we chose to support unrestricted gifts that give United Way the flexibility to invest dollars to meet the greatest need at any given moment. Communities change. Needs evolve. Unrestricted funding allows trusted organizations to respond with the insight and strategy that comes from being experienced leaders in the space.
By structuring our investment to cover the administrative costs associated with individual unrestricted gifts for ten years, we are removing a common barrier to generosity: a nonprofit’s overhead costs.
Every effective organization needs infrastructure — fundraising, finance and operations — to do its work. By helping to cover those essential costs, our gift allows 100% of every individual, undesignated donation to go directly toward impact in areas like housing stability, healthcare access, early childhood education and financial resilience.
Creating a Flywheel of Generosity
Our giving is designed to encourage participation, not replace it. When more people give, or give more money, good things happen — and our commitment grows alongside the community’s generosity. In fact, we’ve had fun telling the community to “Make the Rashkes pay!”
This approach reflects how we think about philanthropy more broadly. Writing a check is important, but it’s only the beginning. The real opportunity lies in using our resources to strengthen systems, inspire confidence and invite others to join the work. I often say we’re “building the muscle” for strategic giving: learning, listening and looking for ways our philanthropy can be innovative and catalytic. We want to create a flywheel of generosity.
Early results indicate that our approach is working. United Way has seen an increase in individual giving. And it’s not just one group answering the call. We’ve seen an influx of givers, including young professionals, women and those leading companies and organizations. And we’d love for you to join.
I’m excited about the potential to work with other United Way chapters and nonprofits across the state to explore how this model could be replicated. It begins with conversations and understanding where organizations have constraints and figuring out how flexible, trust‑based funding might unlock greater impact. If we can help remove friction and spark generosity, we all benefit.
Patti Rashke is president of the Dan & Patti Rashke (TASC) Family Foundation and a 2026 BRAVA Woman to Watch.
