Age: 46

Hometown: Montezuma

Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Northern Iowa

Family: Husband, Mark Yontz, and 17-year-old daughter, Paige

Phone: 515-447-4203

Email: yontz@desmoinesfoundation.org 

Eight months into her tenure with the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, Lynne Yontz already was on the move, shifting from director of advancement to director of donor relations.

“I was asked if I would be interested in moving into that role, given my previous experience engaging donors in our community,” said Yontz, who has been with the Community Foundation since September 2014.

In this new position, Yontz has set goals for both herself and the Community Foundation. For now, her goal is to meet and get to know as many donors and supporters as possible. In the long run, she hopes to see a strong quality of life continue to exist in Greater Des Moines.

 Read more in a Closer Look feature in the Oct. 9 edition of the Business Record. Yontz also answered a few additional questions exclusively for Lift IOWA readers, below:

I’ve been blessed, and I don’t think I’ve had too many hurdles in my lifetime. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that placed an importance on education and demonstrated a strong work ethic. Families I’ve met through my work in various health and human service organizations face multiple hurdles on a daily basis that I can’t even imagine personally experiencing.

I’ve had the opportunity to learn from many leaders who have positively influenced me. Some of my natural strengths were enhanced by leadership opportunities at an early age. For example, I took dance lessons for 11 years, and during high school, I was an instructor for elementary students. In particular, in my career, Connie Isaacson was one of the fund development professionals I worked with early on who provided me with great insight into donor relations and being a working mother. She continues to be a mentor for me today.

 

I likely could have had a larger bank account had I pursued a career in the for-profit sector. However, I feel fortunate to have had the chance to interact with many individuals from across our community and state in my various roles in nonprofit organizations.

Go with your gut. At the end of the day, you want to have a good instinctual feeling about the decisions you’re making. This is something that develops over time with repeated decision-making opportunities that you have personally, as well as observing the decisions made by other leaders around you.