Joe and Mandy Kirkenir

After swiping right on a dating app created for vegans and meeting up at Lancaster VegFest, Joe and Mandy Kirkenir bonded over a shared passion for social justice, compassionate animal care, sustainability, and veganism. They went on their first date at a bar in Downtown Lancaster and, as Mandy tells it, “the rest was history.”

Joe grew up in New Jersey and Mandy in Chester County, but it didn’t take long for the couple to realize they wanted to call Lancaster home. They bought a house in the southern end of the city and began attending events hosted by local nonprofits. Quickly they learned there were countless ways they could support the causes they cared about. However, their commitment to community dates back to long before the couple was together.

In 2022, Joe opened a donor advised fund with the Lancaster County Community Foundation.

“My family had a little bit of a windfall and so I was in possession of more money than I had any right to have,” Joe recalled. “As someone who’s really devoted to social justice and equity and wanting to make sure that I feel good about what my money is going towards, I wanted to put it to some good use.”

Community service has been a pillar of Joe’s life since he was young. Growing up in New Jersey, Joe spent every weekend with his dad, the Scout Master of his Boy Scout Troop, working on service projects, volunteering at food drives, building fences, and fixing trails.

While pursuing an English degree in college, Joe volunteered time for organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters. He also held the position of philanthropy chair for his fraternity which he reflects on with some degree of lightheartedness.

“[Students] will spend hundreds, thousands of dollars on booze and drugs, but you ask them to give $25 for a crop walk—You’re just being obnoxious,” Joe laughed. “[That was] about as awful as you think it would be.”

Once he graduated college, Joe joined AmeriCorps VISTA, a volunteer program designed to equip nonprofit organizations and public agencies working to alleviate poverty with resources.

“I had no money at this point, I didn’t have anything to do. So, I just started volunteering everywhere [because] that’s what I knew growing up,” Joe said, listing off the many volunteer positions he held, with ESL tutoring at a prison, working with vegan groups, and participating in trash pick-ups among them.

Joe’s early life was the training ground for the career he’s built today with every experience—even persuading his fraternity brothers to give to a good cause—informing Joe’s professional life as a fundraising manager.

Now, Joe spends his day connecting with people on how they can invest their time and resources into critical causes like housing, equity, mental health, and many more. For Joe, having a donor advised fund through the Lancaster County Community Foundation allows him to connect with potential funders as a peer, speaking with them about the joy of giving on an incredibly personal level.

“I’ve been in situations where you have all this money and resources and it’s so easy just to tuck it away in your back pocket for whatever hypothetical terrible thing we dream up in our head. But I just wanted to make a concerted effort to really walk the walk because I’m out there all the time pounding the pavement for great causes, telling people they should give money,” Joe said. “I want to normalize giving, normalize selflessness, normalize giving back.”

After meeting Joe, Mandy learned about this vision and was thrilled to contribute to their donor advised fund, too. Their fund is invested to grow over time so that it yields dollars to benefit the causes they care about, year after year.

“Charitable giving was something you did maybe once a year or maybe you volunteered somewhere,” Mandy said. “Joe has definitely [shown] me you can [give back] every day or you can make this part of your spending plan for the year.”

Today, the couple regularly contributes to their donor advised fund so they can be part of building a more vibrant Lancaster County. They have also joined The 24 Club, a group of legacy givers committed to supporting our shared community beyond their lifetime.

“Our money has so much power out there, and I’ve seen it firsthand through so much volunteer work I do,” Joe said. “When I’m having these conversations, going to these meetings, talking to folks about whatever cause I’m raising money for, [I let] them know that what you do with your money has a huge impact and you can have whatever impact you want in the world if you find the right cause that resonates with you.”

This practice of giving has become more than a way to allocate funds in Joe and Mandy’s budget, or their plans for giving after their lifetime —it’s a commitment to investing in the future of a community they are proud to call home.