Lawhorn: Remembering Marilyn

Published 11:28 pm Sunday, June 29, 2025

Years ago, I made a big career change and accepted the role of Development Director for Meals on Wheels Ministry. I was hesitant to take on the job, and I had a great reason to be – I had zero experience in fundraising. At least I was honest about that, and my boss at the time essentially told me not to worry; he knew someone who would teach me everything I needed to know.

That person was Marilyn Abegg Glass, and I found myself at one of her signature development workshops among several of my new colleagues. She had coffee and snacks, flip charts, and neatly organized notebooks, and a soothing but confident method of providing us not just with the tools of the trade, but importantly the assurance that we could all do this difficult but meaningful work. Looking back, I realize that I still employ the Marilyn Method in most of what I do within the nonprofit sector – as do so many others who learned the art of fundraising from Marilyn’s famous flip charts and cozy workshops.

Marilyn passed away on May 22, leaving behind friends and family who will miss her joyful and genuine love for all of us and the community that she was so dedicated to improving. She was considered by all to be one of the leaders in fundraising strategy and management, and she has left an impressive legacy of service and mentorship.

The Women’s Fund of Smith County is one of many organizations Marilyn was instrumental in forming. She was a member from the beginning, served on our Board of Directors, and was influential in the creation of the internal framework that made our giving circle what it is today. I reached out to a few of our members to help me with a remembrance of Marilyn, and former Board Chair Jackie Bruton, who remembers Marilyn as a unique mentor and beloved friend.

“It was my privilege to work alongside Marilyn for several years and also to know her on a personal level,” Jackie said. “She was smart, caring and classy. A schoolteacher by training, she was always organized and prepared for every meeting by providing color coded handouts, divided into sections, in 3-ring notebooks.”

Marilyn had a gift for helping her clients take a broader, more top-down look at their work and their organizations, which is difficult when much of our work is chaotic, complex, and yes – underfunded. It’s easy in this world to get caught up in the minutiae, but Marilyn helped us see the bigger picture.

“Yes, she helped many organizations create their own stories,” said Jackie, “but she also made sure everyone around her felt valued and appreciated. I like to think she recognized talent and strengths in board members, family, coworkers and employees. Marilyn particularly loved to mentor young people. She would be so proud of those she trained to carry on her work in the nonprofit community.”

Marilyn was also known for her love of hosting friends and colleagues at her home office. “Marilyn was such a gracious host for numerous gatherings in her home over the years,” Jackie remembered. “We always had to serve chicken nuggets, Goldfish, peanuts and of course wine.” Style note – the chicken nuggets had to be served on a silver tray.

Dawn Franks, another leader in this field who has made an impact on the community through her work as a Philanthropy Consultant, remembered working with Marilyn as the Women’s Fund began to take shape.

“I recall that through Marilyn’s strategic planning work with the Women’s Fund, we found our tagline of ‘Together is Better,’” said Dawn. The tagline came from a book by Simon Sinek, and Marilyn made sure everyone involved had copies of this little book that offered big inspiration.

“In many ways, this encapsulates Marilyn’s work throughout the community. She supported as many voices as possible at the table or in the room, whether with several hundred people at a strategic planning process for the Chamber or working with a local nonprofit organization,” said Dawn. “Marilyn knew how to connect dots, bridge differences, allow folks to learn, and then create their own best story.”

“I think that’s what she was best at – she wanted us to all create our own best story,” Dawn remembered. “And even though she was in our background and under our radars, she never took credit for any more than being a shepherd and applauding the story that came about.”

“’Why?’ was Marilyn’s favorite question, another nod to the author Simon Sinek,” Nancy Lamar, a longtime friend and colleague of Marilyn, recalled. “She used it to guide nonprofits to clarify their mission and shape their fundraising efforts. She used it to mentor emerging professionals, young people searching for their purpose and seasoned leaders working to reshape their work and even their lives.”

Marilyn certainly knew her own “why,” and she was one of the true believers, someone who genuinely loved her work in fundraising, never appeared to suffer from the burnout that plagues so many others in this field and always made herself available to organizations in need of her skills and colleagues in need of her support and expertise.

“Marilyn’s own ‘why’ was rooted in her heart, her deeply held belief that it was possible to make the world a better place, and that she had a role to play in that mission,” said Nancy. “Her authenticity, friendship, trust and tireless energy to work for the good changed our community and will remain an inspiration to so many.”

It would be impossible to overstate the impact of Marilyn’s life and work on this community, but not to be missed is the impact she made on the individuals who were fortunate enough to cross her path; be welcomed into her expansive network; individuals like me, who were offered genuine support, invited to share a tray of nuggets and some honey roasted peanuts, and to take our place in the family of philanthropy she created. We will miss you, Marilyn.