Faces of Philanthropy: Matt Pineda

Matt Pineda

St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church

Board, Vice Chair  

PGAC Member

I am a trusts & estates attorney licensed in Florida, North Carolina, and Wyoming.  I help clients with estate planning and probate matters at my own little firm located in Lake Mary.  Prior to hanging a shingle, I worked for larger firms as a banking and creditor litigation attorney attending hearings and trials throughout Florida and North Carolina. 

I was introduced to The Catholic Foundation through friends and colleagues at Bishop Moore High School.  After being blessed with an opportunity to serve, I learned about the Planned Giving Advisory Council and was so happy to be given a chance to serve in that role as well. 

I have always been inspired by the athletes that compete in the Special Olympics.  I was a varsity rower for my high school and college, so I have always felt sports are so important for learning lessons that help people navigate all facets of life.  I have volunteered as an official for various meets, and the Special Olympics athletes are such a great example of determination for everyone.  I also serve on the board of directors for Sports 4 the Kids, which is a non-profit organization that collects athletic equipment for those in need to use, and fundraises for the purpose of paying athletic membership fees for families that may not be able to afford to have their child participate in a sports league.  All children should have a chance to compete in their favorite sports!

My wife loves to travel which means I have to love to travel.  I love bringing my kids to their extracurricular activities, and doing my best to try and give them opportunities to discover their passions and talents.  I love to fish, watch Miami Hurricanes and Duke Blue Devils athletics, and I love serving on the CFOCF board and the people I am privileged to serve with.

Faces of Philanthropy Q & A with Matt Pineda:

Q: How do you see faith and philanthropy working together in your life?

A: From pre-school through high school, I was educated in a Catholic setting.  That foundation helped me tremendously by teaching me not just about Jesus, but what Jesus calls us to do.  My faith has taught me that we are not given talents by the Lord to use in a vacuum, if we have a way to help others then we are all tasked to share.

Q: Who taught you about giving or stewardship?

A: A professor I had in law school had a day every semester where he would allow you to skip having to be selected to present in class if you had brought canned goods to donate to the food bank.  He called this day “canned immunity” day.  He would ask a question and call on someone by pulling from a bucket with all the students’ names … if you had a can of food to donate you didn’t have to answer.  Your name went back to the bucket afterwards, so it was important to bring enough cans in case you were called upon multiple times. As you can imagine many cans of food were collected.  At the end of the class, he always told us this was a way to remind us that we were about to enter a profession that would give us the means to help others … not just with money but with talent, knowledge, influence, and access.  He told us to never forget canned immunity day as we grew as professionals in the legal field.

Q: Can you share a simple planned giving tool or strategy more people should know about?

A: Life insurance can be an inexpensive way to potentially leave a gift to a charitable organization that you care about.  This enables you to leave your personal assets you’ve already accumulated to family while presenting the opportunity to potentially leave something to an organization if something were to happen to you.

Q: How do you hope the PGAC will contribute to the Foundation’s mission?

A:   Planned giving is a way to ensure the vitality of the foundation while giving an opportunity for folks that want to give but are not sure how much they can give during their lifetime as they worry about things like long term care and just bills in general. The PGAC should be a means for everyone that may want to retain what they have during life but give upon their death to gain the education regarding how they can accomplish that.

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