Ripples in a Pond: Scott Jones and the Power of Philanthropy
Philanthropy comes to life in a multitude of ways throughout South Dakota, creating a ripple effect of good. That ripple starts with people who are willing to dream of a better future not only for themselves but also for those around them. One such dreamer is Scott Jones, immediate past chair and longtime board member of South Dakota Community Foundation.
Last year, Jones took some time to reflect on his tenure as SDCF's board chair—recounting milestones, describing programs and impact, and sharing what he hopes his own philanthropy will mean for South Dakota.
Milestones Reached
Jones is proud to be a part of a legacy of giving at SDCF. In 2025, SDCF surpassed $1 billion in assets for the first time and awarded $45 million in grants to South Dakota nonprofits in that year alone.
The foundation manages 1,325 funds ranging from a few thousand dollars to over $200 million, including agency funds, designated funds and more than 350 scholarship funds. The Build Dakota and Freedom Scholarship funds together award more than $5 million annually to students across the state.
More than 90 South Dakota communities have established community savings accounts, locally managed funds that raise and distribute grants close to home.
"It's been a wonderful way for people to support their local community and know where their dollars are having an impact in their own backyard," Jones said.
Among all community foundations in the country, SDCF ranks 39th in total assets out of more than 950, and has been recognized as the fastest-growing community foundation among those with assets exceeding $100 million.
"The first billion dollars is always the hardest," Jones said. "The rest are going to come easier."
A Pledge and a Promise
Jones’ personal story of giving is one he traces back to a single, difficult pledge.
When he returned to Pierre early in his career, Jones was not sure what came next. He volunteered to work on the Oahe YMCA's capital campaign to build its first facility and made a pledge of $300. At that time in his life, $300 was a significant commitment. Not long after making the pledge, a campaign volunteer named Mike Shaw called to offer him a job at Delta Dental of South Dakota.
"I basically was making just enough to cover my house payment and my car payment," Jones said. "Food, gas, clothes, everything else was coming out of savings. Making those pledge payments are still the hardest pledges I've ever had to pay. It meant skipping a few meals to make that happen."
He honored the pledge, and as his career grew, so did his giving. Years later, when the YMCA launched a campaign to add a gymnasium, Jones contributed $15,000. And in 2024, he chaired the YMCA's next capital campaign, and he and his wife contributed $500,000.
"I never could have dreamed when I made that initial $300 pledge that later in my life I'd be in a position to do $15,000, much less a half million dollars. Sometimes you never know what good fortune may be around the corner," said Jones.
That same spirit of community investment shaped his work at Delta Dental. Jones recalled that when Gov. Mickelson realized the capital city had no United Way, the governor offered state employee payroll deductions as an incentive to start one. Jones helped form the steering committee that launched Pierre's United Way in 1989, and one of the organization's first startup grants came from the then-new SDCF.
"To have those stories connected in a way that had a huge impact, not only on my own personal life as a volunteer and as a donor, but also on my own community. It means the world to me." Jones said.
Giving Through Every Season
Jones described philanthropy not as a single act, but as something that evolves across a lifetime.
"Growing up, I was fortunate to be raised in a culture that said, ‘to whom much is given, much is required’. In the earliest years, we primarily donated our time, because at that time we didn't have as much money as we had time. Over time, as we developed more resources, it enabled us to provide annual support, and then later to help with capital campaigns," Jones reminisced.
Now, he said, he and his wife Julia are focused on the longer view: establishing endowments through SDCF that will continue supporting the nonprofits most important to them, both after retirement and after they are gone.
"We're looking at the nonprofits and groups that have been important to us during our lifetime and trying to put in place the vehicle to continue supporting them. So that those nonprofits will continue to have our support long after we're gone," said Jones.
He sees SDCF as uniquely suited to help donors at every stage of that journey.
"The Community Foundation has expertise and resources that individuals can use to turn assets into legacies. If you have appreciated assets, or if you're not sure what you want to do but you want to talk to somebody about how you can leave your community better than you found it, no better place to start than the South Dakota Community Foundation," shared Jones.
A Tidal Wave of Good
Jones closed with the image that has stayed with him throughout his years of service.
"Each of us has an impact in our life that goes beyond what we can see," he said. "It's like ripples in a pond. William McKnight (whose own story is inextricably tied to SDCF's) is clearly someone whose ripple in the pond turned into a tidal wave of good, and I look forward to seeing more and more examples of the same."
To learn how you can partner with the South Dakota Community Foundation to bring your charitable goals to life, visit SDCommunityfoundation.org/.