By Misty Whited
The Austin Business Journal confirmed something many of us already knew: Coralie Pledger is an outstanding CFO who truly loves her community. On Thursday, July 11, the Journal announced Coralie among the six winners of the 2019 Best CFO Awards, which recognizes outstanding financial stewards and leaders in the Austin area. A team of judges made up of previous Best CFO winners selected Coralie from among an impressive list of nominees in the nonprofit category.
Coralie has been CFO at Austin Community Foundation for the last four years, but her work with the Foundation began in 2011 when she was hired as a financial consultant. Since then, she has been instrumental in setting the organization up for growth and future success.
Under Coralie’s leadership as CFO, the Foundation has grown assets by 92 percent in just four years. She has the gift of thinking outside the box and brings innovative ideas to the organization and, therefore, has become an invaluable leader in our organization’s growth trajectory.
Most recently, Coralie has played a vital role in launching and growing FundATX, the Foundation’s new impact investment program. Unlike traditional philanthropy that relies on grants, FundATX’s investments are structured as cost-effective loans to nonprofit organizations and community development institutions that are expected to be paid back, thus recycling the dollars to consistently fund new initiatives. This strategy allows the foundation to invest in local solutions while generating a financial return on philanthropic dollars. Read more about FundATX.
Outside of her commitment to ACF, Coralie has served on the boards of Ballet Austin and the Eanes Education Foundation. Coralie and her husband, Jim, contribute to numerous local nonprofits and they support Austin’s live music by frequently attending local shows.
Join us in congratulating Coralie on this wonderful accolade. You can read a profile of Coralie in the July 12th issue of the Austin Business Journal.
Additional ACF Resources