.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The traditional image of a philanthropist is of a wealthy individual writing a big check, but Des Moines businesswoman Lynn Graves is proof that philanthropy has many faces. Both a volunteer and a donor to various organizations, Graves is an inspiration to many who have never considered themselves to be in a position to give to their community.

Three decades ago, Graves was a young single mother struggling to get by on a pension administrator’s wages when she first gave money to the United Way of Central Iowa through a campaign at Bankers Life Co. (now Principal Financial Group Inc.).

“At first, I thought I couldn’t afford to give anything,” remembers Graves, “but campaign coordinators were encouraging people to give just a dollar a pay period and showed me how $52 a year would make a difference. So that’s what I did — I gave a dollar.”

Graves has come a long way from the days when she had limited job skills and was struggling to raise her son after leaving an abusive marriage. Currently vice president of executive operations at Principal, she works closely with Chairman and CEO Barry Griswell on both internal issues and public affairs and has become a dynamic community advocate and generous philanthropist.

As the sixth child of a Dubuque family of 12, Graves grew up in a household with scant resources but a philosophy of giving to those less fortunate and a saying: “Try your hardest, share what you have and be nice to everyone.”

Not ever expecting to need assistance, subsidized child care was a lifesaver for Graves as a young mother. After working long hours in retail, Graves summoned her courage and applied for a job at Bankers Life, taking a pay cut in order to spend more time with her son, but soon found she was simply shuttling him back and forth to child care far from her job.

Assuming that the Aliber child care center near Bankers Life was beyond her means, Graves was incredulous to learn that it had a sliding payment scale. She moved her son there and the close proximity to work and quality of care made an enormous difference in both of their lives.

It was only later, after she had already given her dollar payroll deduction to the United Way, that she learned that Aliber was supported by that same organization.

“I was fortunate early on to be a recipient of the United Way’s programs,” says Graves.

Remarried soon thereafter, Graves made a vow that each year their family would give a little bigger donation. She and her husband, Steve, kept that promise, eventually becoming part of the United Way’s Tocqueville Society, which recognizes outstanding philanthropists who give at a minimum annual level of $10,000.

“I felt like I had finally achieved a goal that I had set for myself years ago,” Graves recalls of reaching that milestone. “I would never have dreamed that I would be able to give back at that level.”

Graves began volunteering for the United Way in 1982, and over the years has assisted with campaigns at Principal and in the community, as well as served on the boards of numerous other charitable and community organizations.

She has a passion for working with the next generation of leaders and sees volunteerism as one of the best ways to connect young people to the community.

“Volunteering is the start of philanthropy,” she says. “When I couldn’t give money, I could volunteer. Through volunteering, you begin to see the needs, and when you realize you’re making a difference, you want to do even more.”

In her own life and in her role at Principal, Graves has seen the transformative power of philanthropy. She says matter-of-factly, “Everyone wants to live, work and play in a healthy community. In order to fulfill this, it’s essential we help one another.”

Suzanna de Baca is the president of Private Capital Solutions Group, an investment and financial advisory firm based in Des Moines.