Award for Ainsley Mackie

We are so proud of Ainsley Mackie, Investment Advisor in our Nelson office, for winning Gold at the recent Wealth Professional Awards for Excellence in Philanthropy & Community Service.

We have received permission from one of the three nominees who recommended Ainsley for the award to share with you the reasons she felt Ainsley deserved to be recognized for her efforts.

It is my pleasure to nominate Ainsley Mackie for the Wealth Professionals Award for Excellence in Philanthropy and Community Service.

My relationship with Ainsley is multifaceted. Ainsley is president elect of our Rotary Club of Nelson and will be seeing the club through its 100 year anniversary. Ainsley and I have worked together on a number of club community efforts and events over the last four years. Ainsley is a driving force in our Rotary Club. She has taken a lead role in many of our fundraising and service projects in the last few years, including free, low-barrier family-centric events like the Rotary Family Day weekend this month, which drew over 600 people to a day of sledding, food and treats, horseback rides, and creative activities. What I have noticed about Ainsley is that she looks for the club efforts that stand to be most effective in fundraising or community impact, and champions them with focus, while inspiring other club members to do the same.

Ainsley is also the vice-president of the board of directors of Nelson Civic Theatre Society, where I am Executive Director. NCTS is a prominent cultural organization in our region offering a wide array of cultural presentations and community engagement programs. Ainsley has taken on a key role as the chair of our Internal Committee, which oversees the financial plan and outcomes for our organization. NCTS is a young organization with a complex business model incorporating a multitude of earned and contributed income streams and a large vision for a multi-million dollar capital renovation in the coming years. I am grateful to have Ainsley at the helm of this key committee, especially this year as strong board leadership and financial guidance is so critical at this moment in our organization’s growth. Her expertise and perspective are invaluable to us.

These are the areas in which I interact with Ainsley the most, but I know her community work extends much further, including longstanding fundraising and service commitments to Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation, Granite Pointe Golf & Recreation Society and Meals on Wheels. Her philanthropic heart also shows in her professional work, such as through the informational lunches that she has been offering on a regular basis over the last few years to help clients better understand the benefits of planned giving and donations of securities to charities. From the perspective of organizations like mine, this sort of education of investors by their financial advisors is deeply appreciated.

Across all of Ainsley’s volunteerism and community presence, I notice two things that really make her stand out. First, Ainsley is not someone who starts by asking other people to dig deeper and do more for their community. Instead, she models effective volunteerism, and helps people to find ways that they can also engage in important community efforts. This is a quiet and respectful way of leading others, enabling people to find their own ways to be of service too.

Second, Ainsley is an outstanding intergenerational communicator, showing genuine empathy and respect for people of all ages. In both Rotary and the NCTS board, the membership of these bodies has historically been much older. Ainsley has brought fresh new perspective to both without alienating the people who have been there longer. It is a special skill to be able to effect real progress while respecting traditions and histories, and Ainsley does this quite seamlessly.

I hope you will see fit to honour Ainsley this year for her substantial service to our community. It would be well deserved.

Sincerely,
Eleanor Stacey
Executive Director
Nelson Civic Theatre Society/The Civic Theatre