Employee Stories: Meet Gina Roth

Name:  Gina Roth

Position:  Manager, Operations

Location:  Lone Tree, Colorado

Education:  BA, University of Northern Colorado 

Hobbies:  Traveling, playing tennis, golf, UTV riding with her family, volunteering in the community 

Personal philanthropic mission statement:  “I’m driven to serve as a lifeline to sustain and save lives, because blood donation and organ donation are crucial for patients and their families. Without these donations, lives are lost and families are left heartbroken.”

From her grants-oriented position with DAFgiving360^TM to organizing blood drives and donating a kidney, Gina Roth leads by example in the workplace and the community. She has the uncommon gift of mobilizing people and resources to uplift others in need, while accomplishing it all with compassion and empathy.  

Fortunately for DAFgiving360—and everyone who benefits from Gina’s dedication and skills—her current professional role checks all the boxes for a career that merges seamlessly with her life-long focus on service.

Foundation for a flourishing life

A Colorado native who grew up in Greeley surrounded by a large family, Gina is the second oldest among four sisters. She credits her parents—especially her dad—with setting an example of what it means to have a giving heart.

Gina’s dad, Frank, served in Vietnam and nearly lost his eyesight in combat. After undergoing three retina operations over two years and completing rehabilitation, he earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in counseling. From there, Frank went on to become a beloved teacher, as well as an avid volunteer coaching softball teams and mentoring youth in disadvantaged situations.

At only 38 years old, he received a stage three non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis after discovering a large mass under his chin. While doctors gave him eight years to live, Gina reflects, “We were blessed that we actually got 12 years with him.” 

His retirement was official on the same day he passed away at age 50.

“I always admired him for his perseverance and positive attitude even with the obstacles he faced. He was one of my biggest heroes,” Gina says about his lasting impact.

Gina’s parents were married young and enjoyed 29 years together. Her mom, JoAnn, who was widowed with five daughters at 46, has always been the glue of the family. She now has 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren who adore her.  

“She sets an amazing example for me of how to be a strong woman,” Gina remarks. “Our family spends quality time together two to three times per week. We’re fortunate to live in a beautiful state where many of our weekends are spent outdoors UTV riding, camping, boating, or skiing.” 

New millennium, new stage of life 

With her dad’s health issues and desire to be near her family, Gina remained close to home for college. Upon earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, she ended up moving to Denver in search of career opportunities.

Around the same time, an uncle introduced her to investing in the stock market, which piqued her interest in pursuing opportunities in the finance industry. She realized, “I was fascinated with my own investing and wanted to learn more.” 

This led to Gina applying for a role at Charles Schwab in 2000 and embarking on a career in financial services.

Calling upon the volunteerism demonstrated by her father, Gina quickly became an active volunteer in the workplace as a founding member of Schwab’s Community Ambassador Team, helping lead the inaugural “FERSTT Aid Day,” which is now called Volunteer Week.

Arriving at DAFgiving360

Gina later decided to continue her career journey with a move to DAFgiving360, where she still works today, nearly ten years later.

Reflecting on her move, Gina says, “I recognized the opportunity to match my personal goals with the organization’s mission of charitable giving. It was important for me to align my goals of community involvement with working in an environment where we’re making a clear impact.”

As a Grants Manager, Gina supports a wide range of organizational projects and initiatives to provide the best client and employee experience. She is part of multiple grants teams that stretch from her location in Lone Tree, Colorado south to Westlake, Texas. 

“I focus on creating efficiencies in order to ensure funds reach vetted charities as quickly as possible,” Gina explains. “It’s a job that keeps me extremely busy as DAFgiving360 keeps growing and evolving.”

Gifting life to others 

Just like Gina has built a flourishing life and career, she wanted the same for someone else. This led her to donating a kidney five years ago. 

She had read in her church bulletin about a member of the congregation she knew who appeared healthy on the outside but was actively seeking a living kidney donor.

Gina thought to herself, “This is why she was put into my life. This is why I met her, and my purpose is to be her donor.”

She then began the extensive process of testing to become a donor in the fall of 2018, although she soon learned her fellow church member had already received a kidney. 

However, after discussions with her husband and other family members, Gina decided to continue on the path to being an altruistic kidney donor. She explains, “I continued the testing, and I was a match with a female who was about the same age as me.”

The surgery ultimately took place later in 2019 and “everything went smoothly.” The kidney recipient and Gina both wanted to meet each other after the surgery, so the meeting was arranged the day after the surgery before Gina was discharged.

“I'm simply happy that she's doing so well,” Gina reflects. “I’ll never forget a text she sent me on the first anniversary of the donation, in which she wrote: ‘Thank you for giving me back my life a year ago. I am staying healthy and safe, enjoying each day. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful gift.’”

Driving volunteerism at DAFgiving360

Gina notes how she feels “completely healthy” on the five-year anniversary of the surgery and one day hopes to raise more awareness about being an organ donor. She recently joined a Facebook group for Colorado kidney donors and wants to get more involved in advocating for organ donations through this group. 

In the meantime, she has helped fuel life-giving support and participation from her colleagues at DAFgiving360 through blood donation. 

She was originally drawn to this form of volunteering when her dad was sick and in the hospital. “I would go down to the basement of the hospital and donate blood either before or after visiting my dad,” she says.

While at Schwab, Gina began organizing onsite blood donations and hasn’t stopped since. She has been running blood drives for over 20 years. 

“It’s so seamless now, but in the beginning, it was a lot of work organizing each blood drive and determining the frequency,” Gina explains. “Throughout the years, I have not only been able to increase the number of appointments offered at each drive but have also been able to increase the number of drives we have each year."

Gina is continually motivated by her colleagues and how they step up to support the important need for blood donation. “What I find inspiring is being surrounded by so many people who have giving hearts and consistently support the community through their blood donations,” she says.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily paused the blood drives, the events are now back up to attracting 85+ donors each time. She continues to organize five drives a year.

Since volunteering to organize the blood drives in 2003, Gina calculates 4,822 units of blood have been collected, which translates into saving and enhancing the lives of an even greater number of people—approximately 14,466 patients. 

A rich inheritance of giving back

The example of service Gina inherited from her family growing up is being passed on to her children in addition to strangers and colleagues. She and her husband, Tom, have a 17-year-old daughter, Mia, and a 10-year-old son, Matthew. 

Gina is appreciative of Tom's support and acceptance of the time and energy she puts into her volunteer efforts. Mia already shares her mom’s heart for giving back to others, and Gina hopes Matthew will also gravitate toward volunteerism as he gets older. 

Mia has organized her own virtual blood drive and worked part-time jobs since turning 14, so she can purchase and donate packages of supplies for those experiencing homelessness.

“Being able to pass on my passion for assisting the community and influence my daughter has meant a lot,” Gina remarks. “I love seeing her desire to help others.”

In giving advice for others seeking to pursue a similarly rewarding path, she recommends, “Find something you're passionate about. Try to build those networks and connections so you can get involved on a personal level with what motivates you.”

She concludes, “I think when people can do that, they’ll be filled with gratitude while experiencing the satisfaction of making a real difference.”