Meet the YP Team

Dawn Franks

Founder / Philanthropy Advisor

Where does your passion lead you? For Dawn Franks, the needs of abused women began a personal life journey in the complex charitable world.  Her research and alliance with others who shared that concern led to the formation of a regional women’s crisis center, where she served as Executive Director for 15 years. Learning about philanthropy sparked a career-long calling that included President of United Way of Tyler/Smith County and co-founding The Women’s Fund of Smith County.

After more than four decades of leadership in the nonprofit and philanthropic arena, Dawn is dedicated to helping others find and follow their philanthropic goals. Known for her listening skills, objective guidance and confidentiality, she works with charitable individuals, foundation directors, wealth managers, CPAs, estate planning attorneys and nonprofit organizations.

Dawn is an accomplished facilitator, experienced in collaborative decision-making and navigating difficult conversations with a focus on values, intent and legacy. She works closely with individuals & families, private family foundations and hospital conversion foundations, as a board advisor and management consultant. In addition, Dawn has assisted numerous companies – from small to large – in the creation and advancement of their corporate philanthropy programs.

Dawn is the author of the 2023 book Gift of Giving: Explore Your Stories and Write Your Legacy, and the e-book, Giving Fingerprints: Maximize your impact on the causes closest to your heart, published in 2018. She authors the YP Journal blog and a monthly giving column, Give Well, for the Tyler Morning Telegraph..

Dawn served as President of Fourth Partner Foundation from 2009 to 2013, after joining the organization as a program officer and grant manager in 2001. She founded Your Philanthropy, LLC as a philanthropy services and consulting firm in 2014. Dawn holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public planning administration from The University of Texas at Tyler.

Margie Boyd

President
Your Philanthropy

Margie Boyd brings more than 35 years of entrepreneurially minded experience to Your Philanthropy, including work from both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. After graduation from Baylor University, she first worked in corporate communications, publishing and graphic design. Ten years ago, she began an unexpected and rewarding new journey after her young son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, founding Tyler Type One Diabetes Foundation.

“Thankfully, I navigated my way as an executive director in this new community with the help of amazing mentors,” says Margie. “Ultimately, this experience led me to my current position in the philanthropic world.”

As President of Your Philanthropy, Margie now uses her skills to lead the company in serving and supporting private family foundations in their giving. She also understands the unique perspectives and challenges of the nonprofit organizations that apply for grants. 

“I’ve always believed that work is simply a means of developing meaningful and helpful relationships that connect one another’s gifts and talents. It is never one-sided,” she noted. “We have so much to give and learn from each other as we accomplish so much more together.”

When Margie is not on the job, she loves to cook and spend time with her family. With both sons happily married now, she and her husband enjoy quiet evenings at home watching a movie or reading a book. Fishing and golfing round out her favorite activities in beautiful East Texas.

Tammy Prater

Grants Manager

How to best serve? The answer to that question for Tammy started in Education. A love for reading, literature, and the arts led to a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Texas in Austin and a stint as a classroom teacher.

Marriage, a move to Tyler, and a constant thirst for more knowledge led to the Tyler Public Library where Tammy worked as a reference librarian for fourteen years.

But that desire to lead and to serve drove her to non-profit management. Having fallen in love with the humanitarian mission of the American Red Cross as a volunteer, Tammy’s next step was to accept the position of Executive Director of the Smith County Chapter. There, she found a way to utilize her teaching skills, broad-spectrum knowledge, leadership, and compassionate heart to alleviate suffering “by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

Her deep understanding of this symbiotic relationship between donors and charitable mission called Tammy, after almost twenty-five years as American Red Cross Chapter and Regional Executive, to Your Philanthropy.

As Grants Manager, Tammy works with organizations to put their best foot forward to meet their Mission needs and most importantly, helps donors feel confident that their philanthropic goals are being met.

Linda Richey

Grant Associate

Linda studied Business Administration, Nonprofit Management and Volunteer Management at UT Austin, North Texas University and Tyler Junior College. She soon began her career at a public relations firm for the largest bank in Dallas at that time, and then went on to work for an advertising agency as well. From there, Tyler became her home where she began working for KLTV, became immersed in the nonprofit community, married, and raised her children. Today, she has 2 grown daughters and 3 grandchildren: her pride and joy!

“I’ve worked with volunteers and nonprofits for over 40 years, serving in a volunteer capacity and in paid staff positions. Serving on the boards of the American Red Cross Smith County Chapter, East Texas Crisis Center, Steering Committee and Board Member for Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County, and various community coalitions. I also volunteered with United Way of Tyler/Smith County as a Loaned Executive and also served on various United Way committees. I was Executive Director for several nonprofit organizations, including Smith County Senior Citizens Transportation Minibus, Parents Anonymous, American Cancer Society, and Director of Volunteer Services for UT Health Science Center at Tyler. I was also Assistant Director for Tyler Main Street when it first came to Tyler and worked at the Smith County Courthouse, Andrews Center, a title company and a telephone company.”