For 20 years, Invest in Others has celebrated a powerful idea: financial advisors have the ability to create meaningful change far beyond the work they do for their clients.
Across that history, Raymond James and its affiliated financial advisors have been an important part of the Invest in Others community, supporting nonprofits, stepping into leadership roles, and demonstrating the many ways financial professionals can put their skills, resources, and relationships to work for causes they care deeply about.
We’re proud to recognize Raymond James as a 2026 Advocate Sponsor of Invest in Others, a sponsorship level for organizations contributing $25,000 or more in support of our mission. The firm has also provided valuable leadership, most recently through the service of Tom Walrond, President of Raymond James & Associates Private Client Group, a former member of the Invest in Others Board of Directors who now serves on our esteemed Leadership Council.
At the 20th Anniversary Invest in Others Awards in Boston on September 17, another member of the Raymond James community took the stage for one of the evening’s most significant honors, adding another chapter to a long history of Raymond James-affiliated advisors being recognized through Invest in Others.
A Lifetime of Service and a $100,000 Investment in Hope
Michael Skrynecki of Skrynecki Financial Planning Group of Raymond James in Atlanta, Georgia, was named our 2026 Invest in Others Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for his work with the Wiskott-Aldrich Foundation, Inc.
The recognition came with a $100,000 Invest in Others grant to support the Foundation and its work on behalf of families affected by Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a rare and life-threatening disease. For Michael, however, the experience was about much more than receiving an award.
“The Invest in Others Awards experience was meaningful because it reminded me that our profession has the power to create impact far beyond financial outcomes,” he said. “While I was honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, what struck me most was being surrounded by advisors who are dedicating their time, talents, and resources to causes they care deeply about.”
It is an observation that gets to the heart of the Invest in Others mission and the role financial advisors can play within nonprofit organizations. The same skills advisors rely on professionally can become powerful resources in the nonprofit world.
“Invest in Others shines a light on service, celebrates generosity, and inspires others to get involved,” Michael said. “It demonstrates that the skills financial advisors use every day, such as planning, leadership, relationship building, and problem solving, can be powerful tools for strengthening nonprofits and changing lives.”
Creating New Possibilities for Rare-Disease Research
For the Wiskott-Aldrich Foundation, the $100,000 grant has the potential to create impact far beyond a single program or moment in time. The grant will help the Foundation build a global patient registry; a resource designed to improve understanding of the disease, accelerate research, connect patients with future clinical studies, and ultimately help advance treatments and care.
“For the Wiskott-Aldrich Foundation, an Invest in Others grant is far more than funding,” Michael said. “It is an investment in hope for families affected by a rare and life-threatening disease.”
The Awards experience also produced an unexpected connection. Michael met another Invest in Others honoree serving a different rare-disease community, creating an opportunity for the Wiskott-Aldrich Foundation to share lessons from its 25-year journey.
“We look forward to sharing lessons from our 25-year journey and helping them follow a pathway that has already helped our community advance research, strengthen advocacy, and improve outcomes,” he said. “In many ways, that ability to help pave the way for other rare diseases may be one of our most meaningful legacies.”
It is an example of how the impact of Invest in Others can extend beyond a grant itself. By bringing together financial advisors and nonprofit leaders from across the country, the program can create connections, increase visibility for important causes, and allow organizations to learn from one another.
Nearly Two Decades of Raymond James Advisors Giving Back
Michael Skrynecki is the latest chapter in a much longer story. From 2008 through 2026, 63 Raymond James-affiliated financial advisors have been recognized through the Invest in Others Awards, championing 64 nonprofit organizations and causes close to their hearts.
Across those years, their involvement has helped direct $798,500 in Invest in Others grants to the nonprofits they support, extending the impact of their service and helping organizations across the country advance their missions.
The breadth of those organizations is particularly striking. Raymond James-affiliated honorees have supported nonprofits focused on health and wellness, human services, education, arts and culture, and military and veterans’ causes. The organizations represented in Invest in Others records span communities across the country, with nonprofit locations represented in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia. Behind those numbers are deeply personal stories of service.
For example, in 2020, Michael J. Martin, Senior Vice President, Investments at ELM Wealth Management at Raymond James in Worcester, Massachusetts, was recognized as an Invest in Others Awards finalist for his work with Be Like Brit, an organization created in memory of Britney Gengel following her death in the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Michael had been involved with the organization since its early years and was present for the dedication of Brit’s Home in Haiti in 2013. He sponsored a child, helped secure support from his firm, and traveled to Haiti as a “Britsionary,” participating in service trips and rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Matthew. His recognition resulted in significant Invest in Others funding for Be Like Brit.
Other Raymond James-affiliated advisors have championed causes ranging from the American Heart Association and ALS Association to Sandy Hook Promise, Angel Flight West, Best Buddies International, CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, and organizations addressing education, poverty, disability services, and community needs.
In 2022, Aron Weingard of Weingard Wealth Management of Raymond James was recognized for his work with Experience Camps for Grieving Children, resulting in a $50,000 Invest in Others grant. That same year, Alana Patricia Scott was associated with a $50,000 grant supporting The Women’s Education and Leadership League.
The history also includes advisors whose commitment has been recognized more than once. Ten Raymond James-affiliated advisors have been honored multiple times through Invest in Others, each returning in support of the same nonprofit, reflecting sustained, long-term relationships with the organizations and causes they champion.
Among them, Gary Weiss has been recognized five times for his work with the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center (Martin Pear JCC), while Paul A. Manfrey has been recognized three times for his service to Parc Center for Disabilities, and Tim Andreas three times for his involvement with the Local Heart Foundation. Duane Chaney has also been recognized three times for his work with the Lee Health Foundation.
Other advisors with multiple recognitions include Ralph McDevitt for the College Settlement of Philadelphia; David J. Van de Riet for the ALS Association; Brian Haugen for the Taylor Haugen Foundation; Colleen A. Schon for Funding the Future; Aron Weingard for Experience Camps for Grieving Children; and Shelly Church for the American Heart Association.
Together, these repeat recognitions reinforce an important theme across Raymond James advisors’ involvement with Invest in Others: their service is often not a one-time commitment, but an enduring investment in the nonprofits and communities they care about.
Collectively, these stories illustrate that there is no single way for a financial advisor to make a difference. Some have responded to personal experiences with illness or loss. Others have identified unmet needs in their hometowns. Some serve on nonprofit boards, raise funds, or lend professional expertise, while others volunteer directly alongside the people their organizations serve. What connects them is a willingness to act.
Leadership That Helps Grow the Impact
Raymond James’ connection to Invest in Others extends beyond the Awards program.
Tom Walrond, President of Raymond James & Associates Private Client Group, served on the Invest in Others Board of Directors and continues his involvement as a member of its Leadership Council.
The Leadership Council is an advisory body composed of industry leaders who provide strategic insight, expertise, and guidance to the Invest in Others Board of Directors. Its members represent organizations serving financial advisors across the profession, including broker-dealers, RIAs, custodians, asset managers, and related sectors.
That kind of industry engagement is critical to helping Invest in Others reach more advisors, identify more stories of service, and ultimately direct more resources to nonprofits.
Professional Success Paired with Purpose
Over the course of two decades, Invest in Others has seen again and again that financial advisors bring something distinctive to nonprofit service. They understand how to build relationships. They know how to develop plans, solve problems, mobilize resources, and think for the long term. And when those abilities are paired with a cause that matters personally, the impact can extend far beyond an advisor’s individual contribution.
That is precisely what Michael Skrynecki hopes more advisors will discover.
“I would encourage other advisors to apply because Invest in Others does more than provide grants,” he said. “It amplifies important causes, connects passionate leaders, and creates opportunities for organizations to learn from one another. The support and visibility can significantly expand a nonprofit’s impact and help turn a vision into lasting change.”
From Raymond James-affiliated advisors recognized nearly two decades ago to those represented in the 2026 Invest in Others Awards program, that potential for impact continues to grow.
And for Michael, the lesson of his Lifetime Achievement Award experience was ultimately a simple one: professional achievement and service do not have to exist on separate tracks. When the two come together, financial advisors can help strengthen nonprofits, rally communities, and create change that lasts.
As he put it, Invest in Others helps “showcase what is possible when professional success is paired with purpose and service.”
