For the past 11 years, Dan Glaze has called the NCF national headquarters office in Alpharetta, Georgia his home base. But most days, you will find Dan driving solo across the South, singing to his latest Spotify playlist, as he cheerfully makes his way to meet a generous friend face-to-face.
When he’s not serving givers, Dan hangs out with Donna, his lovely wife of 47 years, at their home in Lilburn, Georgia. Dan and Donna have two adult children who also live in the Atlanta area with their spouses, and five grandchildren between them. Dan takes advantage of his proximity to serve in his role as “Pops” every opportunity that he can.
What do you love about your job?
Every morning, I wake up looking forward to my day as I come alongside the givers, and sometimes their advisors, who have trusted NCF as their charitable giving partner. I view each and every one of them as a trusted relationship.
What I think is unique about NCF is that we are on a journey with our givers. As a Relationship Manager, I have been given the unique honor and privilege of becoming a friend, and not just showing someone how to save taxes. Being able to pray with givers, encourage them, and help them experience tremendous joy on this journey of generosity is the reason I love my job.
What is your primary goal at work?
Donna asked me this question recently so I’ve really thought about it. I told her, “Donna, at some point, the givers I serve are going to stand before God, and my goal and prayer is for them to hear the Father say, ‘Well done. Well done.’” My ultimate goal is to help them be the best stewards they can with what the Lord has entrusted to them. That’s why I get up every morning, and why I love what I do.
What was your first job?
I studied engineering and architecture at Georgia Tech and Southern Tech in Atlanta. One of my professors told me, “Dan, you may not be a good architect because you don’t have the artistic gifts, but I think you’d make a good engineer.” I took his advice, changed majors and right out of college, I became a structural engineering draftsman for a small firm. I’d just married Donna and I was 21 years old. My boss was 71. So, there I was at a drafting table with my T-square, drafting things that my boss designed. For 25 years, I practiced engineering and ran my own firm for 10 years.
Besides the Bible, what book has impacted your life the most?
There is a book by Henri Nouwen called The Return of the Prodigal that I re-read often. It’s a wonderful book that gives me a unique view of the Father’s love. Henri Nouwen is such a gifted artist with words. He left Harvard Divinity School and went to Canada to join a group of nuns who care for special-needs kids, and that made no sense to the Harvard elite. But he wanted to be where Jesus would be. It reminds me of the love of our Father, and that there is so much grace, and so much yearning for us to be close to him.
I also love the book, Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi because it reminds me how important relationships are, and that everyone needs encouragement, connection, and community.
What causes do you and Donna like to support?
I don’t have a heart for a particular cause, but I am so impressed with many young people that God has brought across my path who are being obedient to a call and a vision. I pray with them, encourage them, and we support them.
One example is Ashley Nicole Jones with Love Not Lost in Chattanooga. She is a photographer who lost her only child as a baby. Now, she has this wonderful ministry where she captures families who are in the process of losing a loved one, and puts together a book for memories for them. She does it because she knows first-hand how important these photos will be later on.
When I first heard her vision, I started crying. She didn’t know what the future of her nonprofit would look like, and I went home, talked to Donna and said, “Let’s help her do more.”
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
My favorite band in the world is U2. I’ve been to six of their concerts, and many times when they come to Atlanta, I’m there with my son. So, I think my go-to song would probably be something from U2’s Joshua Tree album. I just love these songs. I don’t know what it is about them. I’ll just belt them out. I cannot sing worth a flip. If you were sitting in my car, your ears would hurt, but it would be a U2 song.
