A mindset of generosity leads a professional and personal purpose

Pat Monat learned early that what you earn matters, but what you do with it matters more.

She grew up outside Jesup, Iowa, where everyone in her family had a role on the farm. 

“I grew up on a dairy farm with seven siblings. We got up early, did chores every morning and night,” Pat said. “I think the hardest and best thing I learned was hard work.”

Her father also taught her how to manage money. When the milk check came in each month, the children received a small share.

“He made us save half, and we could spend half,” Pat said. “We learned how to budget and save money.”

Those lessons carried into her career. As founder of Milestones Financial Planning, Pat has spent decades helping families make important decisions about their futures. Over time, she realized the work depends on something deeper than financial strategy.

“Once you have that trust, it’s a very sacred thing,” she said. “Clients trust you with everything they do.”

That trust often opens the door to conversations about values and giving.

“Usually I know pretty quickly if someone is a giving person,” Pat said. “If they are, it becomes almost a challenge to figure out how we can help them give back.”

For many families, that path leads to the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. Through her service on the Foundation’s board of directors, investment committee, and as a long-time member of CFNEIA’s Women for Good program, Pat has seen how the Foundation connects generosity with local needs.

“I trust the Foundation totally,” she said.

That trust matters to the families she advises. Many want their giving to stay close to home, supporting the communities that have shaped their lives.

In 2020, Pat established the Patricia and Daniel Monat Family Fund, a donor advised fund with the Community Foundation, to do just that. More than a way to give, the fund is a way to involve her family in decisions that reflect their shared values.

“My goal was to start a fund my family could manage down the road,” she said. “I want to teach them how to explore their options and start giving back.”

For Pat, generosity is a natural extension of a life built on trust, responsibility, and relationships.

“I just like to see other people be successful,” she said. “Not everyone will succeed, but if you give people an opportunity, you’ve given them a chance.”