Sigma Delta Tau

Empowerment is not just about inner strength, but about helping others realize their full potential. Cary Carbonaro, Gamma Theta-SUNY Cortland, has always been passionate about empowering other women and using her professional skills to benefit her community.

Cary is a founding sister and first Chapter President of the Gamma Theta chapter at SUNY Cortland. She was previously featured in the Fall 2002 issue of The Torch for helping women better manage their finances and providing tips for financial stability. Today, Cary is empowering other women in yet another way—through grants awarded by the Women’s Giving Alliance.

The Women’s Giving Alliance is part of the Community Foundation of South Lake (in Florida). The organization was established in 2014 with the mission of aiding area women and children in need. The Alliance is a giving circle, where members contribute individually but make grants collectively. Their mission is to inspire women to be strategic philanthropists and to improve the lives of women and children in South Lake County. The Women’s Giving Alliance is looking forward to awarding their first grant this year.

Founded on friendship and philanthropy, the Women’s Giving Alliance is taking an active role in assisting women and children. The Alliance is made up of empowered women from all age groups—young professionals, established businesswomen, and women later in life who are looking for a way to give back to the South Lake community. To date, the Women’s Giving Alliance has about 70 members.

The Women’s Giving Alliance is a collective giving initiative designed to help the women of South Lake County to become strategic philanthropists. This initiative of the Community Foundation of South Lake was launched in March 2014. The ten Founding women came together with a belief and passion that they could direct their giving in a way that would make a difference for women and children in their area.

As one of the founders of the Women’s Giving Alliance, Cary is at the forefront of this effort. She recognizes the importance of pooling resources, and taps into her business skills and philanthropic expertise to help create an even bigger, long-term impact in the community. All organizations that receive grants are required to present to the Women’s Giving Alliance and are selected through a voting process. The Alliance also promises to follow up with the organizations beyond the initial grant to see how the funds have made an impact and ensure future success.

Cary’s involvement in SDT opened her eyes to the impact of philanthropy. “Before Sigma Delta Tau, I didn’t even know what the word ‘philanthropy’ meant; but during my years in SDT, I saw firsthand the impact that a group of women can make on the lives of others,” said Cary.

The concept of collective giving and women helping women is something that Cary carried with her beyond her college years. Sigma Delta Tau has a similar mission of empowerment and assisting women and children through partnerships with Jewish Women International, Prevent Child Abuse America, and Women for Women International. She feels thankful that she is in a position to be able to make an impact in her community and motivate other women to join her for even bigger results.

Cary Carbonaro is a financial advocate, author, speaker, and many other personal and professional titles. She is a Certified Financial Planner, with a diverse financial background. She is currently a Managing Director at United Capital Private Wealth Counseling. Cary’s new book, “The Money Queen’s Guide,  For Woman Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear,” comes out in Fall 2015.  She has eight years of experience on Wall Street at JPMorgan Chase, three years at Citibank as a Vice President, and two years as a Director at Lord Abbett Investments. Cary has also taught at Fordham University and with the Kaplan accelerated CFP program. She has been quoted in a variety of publications including Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Bloomberg. Cary also co-authored the book, “TIPS from the TOP: Targeted Advice from America’s Top Money Minds” (Alpha, 2003).

Megan Lilly, Gamma Delta-American University, is a member of SDT’s National Council and volunteer supporting national social media activities and national events.

Do you have an EMPOWERING story to share for our Blog or The TORCH magazine? Contact nationaloffice@sigmadeltatau.org!