Cover Story | By PAMELA DEY VOSSLER
Andrew, Maggie and their girls at Rockefeller Center last December / all photographs courtesy Maggie Domont
In his last message to the country before leaving office, outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote of community as a cure for many of today’s challenges. “It’s where we know each other, help each other and find purpose in contributing to each other’s lives,” he said of the relationships,
service and meaning that form what he calls the core pillars of community.
Darien native Maggie Domont, who took over as Executive Director of The Community Fund of Darien last November, lives this life of service and community, with drive and a purpose all her own. She has for years, enriched as she has been throughout her life by building relationships, serving others and using her gifts of compassion and grace to live a life of deep meaning.
“I love giving back,” said Maggie with trademark humility and compassion. “I don’t see a choice in it,” she explained of the pull she feels to help. It’s an inclination she says she gets from her parents. She calls her mom “a serial volunteer leader” for her contributions to Saint Luke’s Parish and the Center for Hope in Darien. “She made it clear that it was not an obligation, but her pleasure to give back,” said Maggie. Her dad focused his philanthropy and volunteerism at the Darien Library and his alma mater, the University of Oregon.
“(Giving back) is also a big part of my faith,” explained Maggie, a member of Saint Luke’s where she was baptized, attended nursery school and continues as an active member today.
You’ll find her at Saint Luke’s most Sundays, sometimes on the altar as a lay assistant, a volunteer role. The three daughters she and her husband Andrew are raising in Darien sing in the Saint Luke’s choir, just as Maggie did growing up, though Andrew and the girls attend Temple Shalom where the girls are in Hebrew School working toward their bat mitzvahs. The family celebrates the traditions of both faiths. To Maggie there are many paths to spiritual fullness.
Maggie, center, growing up in Darien
Maggie is also on the Darien Library Board of Trustees and helps at Person2Person. She’s a volunteer coach for Darien Junior Field Hockey and Darien Youth Lacrosse, two of the sports she played at Deerfield Academy where she went to high school.
She’s pitched in at Tokeneke and Royle Schools as a member of their respective PTOs and, for years, has helped with the community suppers Saint Luke’s hosts every Thursday. She even corralled a bunch of pals to lend a hand as well on her recent birthday, instead of being treated to a dinner out. Maggie recently left the Saint Luke’s Parish School Management Board where she led nominating, governance and the entire board by the time she termed off.
“Maggie is so passionate about her hometown,” said her close friend and paddle partner Maggie Machir who moved to Darien in 2014. Maggie was one of the first people she met. “She does so much to strengthen this community and maintain the charm of what makes Darien such a special place to live,” she continued. “She gets involved for the greater good and never for any personal gain.”
It is second nature to Maggie to bring people in, to engage them and give them opportunities for the kind of purpose that drives her. She knows: the more you give, the more you get back; and the more relationships you develop as you reach out and meet your neighbors, the more connected you are and the more anchored you become in the community.
“I was immediately impressed by her intellect and her poise, her warmth and her ability to make everyone in the room feel welcome and like they belonged,” recalled the Rev. Ryan Fleenor, rector of Saint Luke’s Parish, from when he met Maggie. Maggie spent the seven years prior to joining The Community Fund working at Saint Luke’s as Director of Communications then as Director of Member Engagement and Stewardship. “She helped people find ministries where they could get connected and use their gifts to make our community stronger; and she coordinated our annual fundraising campaigns,” he continued. “While we were sad to see her go, we were so excited about her new role at The Community Fund. It’s the perfect job for her! She loves this town, and she loves helping people find a way to give back and make a meaningful contribution,” he added.
Maggie is as pulled to community as she is to creating it. Prior to accepting the role at Saint Luke’s, a position to which she was recruited by Frank Huck, head of the lay leadership team at the time, Maggie had been home with her daughters. She’d come from 10 years in the art auction houses of New York City, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s, where she put her degree in Art History from Princeton to work as a cataloger. Though loaded with volunteer roles and devoted to her girls, “I was just kind of struggling,” she said. So, when Saint Luke’s Parish approached her to join their team, she jumped on it.
Maggie’s way of living positions her rather perfectly for her new role. The Community Fund of Darien is, after all, about coming together in community, united in purpose, to help those in need in Darien, Stamford and Norwalk. Last year, from the funds raised in annual appeals and its signature events – the Darien Road Race in September (which Maggie actually ran in when she was in high school and college) and Design to Dine in October, The Community Fund of Darien awarded more than $790,000 in grants to 36 local nonprofit organizations focused on providing access to food, housing, mental and physical healthcare as well as job and skills training. In addition to convening the monthly Human Services Planning Council for Darien, they support youth success programs including Thriving Youth Darien (see page 8), and four local programs to develop young philanthropists and volunteers. They also helped fund the new TeenTalk counselor at Middlesex Middle School. Since 1951, The Community Fund of Darien has distributed more than $28 million to local nonprofits and community initiatives.
Maggie, (back row, far left) coaching Darien Youth Lacrosse, third and fourth grades, Spring ‘24
“Essential services, life-changing opportunities, and hope that cover the full human experience are under our neighborhood funding umbrella,” said Maggie.
“Maggie is well-connected, gives back, and is a leader,” said Janet King, former Executive Director of The Community Fund who Maggie succeeded, following her retirement last November. “She’s also thoughtful, caring, friendly and passionate about our community and helping others. She is inspiring,” added Janet, who approached Maggie about applying for the position when she decided to retire.
“I’m so lucky to be standing on her shoulders,” said Maggie, with mutual respect, of Janet. “She left The Community Fund in wonderful shape. I am surrounded by a strong staff and an extremely engaged board. It’s so nice to join a fully-functioning team,” she continued.
“Maggie is articulate, collaborative and passionate about our mission. She is committed to excellence in everything she does. Her past work experience demonstrated her ability to succeed, enabling her to thrive in the executive director position with her proven track record in donor relations,” added Brandi Maniscalco, current president of The Community Fund Board of Directors.
The Community Fund of Darien
Key Areas of Impact
Basic Needs $216,900
Community Health $208,100
Workforce Development $80,300
Youth Success $285,200
There’s a sense of meant-to-be about Maggie Domont and her new role at The Community Fund of Darien, a sense of purpose on purpose, and a lift to the kind of community-building that elevates us all.
“I think you have to understand other people’s pain in order to give them grace,” remarked Maggie. “We need to call up our compassion, and then be generous, and understand that our challenges are a part of who we are. Not everybody has the advantages that we have here in Darien. How can we be better neighbors by opening our hearts to lift others?” she concluded.
No truer words. No greater purpose.
