Tell us a little about your business. – At the Community Foundation (GiveWesternIowa.org), we work with people to create impact that means something to themselves and families. The mission of the Community Foundation is to work with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create permanent charitable funds that help their communities meet the challenges of changing times.

How did you get started in the business? – My nonprofit work began when I was a young mom working part-time to supplementing our family income. There is a group of Catholic missionary priests in Bellevue, The Columban Fathers, and they needed an editorial assistant for their magazine. The work had a global reach, and I saw their impact first-hand. It shaped my view of our individual ability to create positive change, and how acts of kindness act like drops in a bucket and create a ripple effect that ultimately overflows with good. After six years at the Columban Fathers, I worked shortly in insurance and realized I had to return to work where I was connected to a charitable purpose. From there, I have made it my life goal to serve through nonprofit work.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – For me, the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of my career has been the crosswalk from corporate business development and relationship management to nonprofit fund development and donor relationship building. Shifting perspective from a place of scarcity to abundance not only made the difference in my nonprofit development career but also helped me educate others in the sector on how to make that shift to donor and relationship-centric thinking.

What has been your most important achievement professionally? – The creation of the Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa. When I joined the Community Foundation in 2018, I was immediately asked what we should do to help mitigate the issues facing women and their families. By gathering insights and working with leaders across nine counties, we were able to identify four key areas of necessary support; access to affordable, quality childcare, aging gracefully in community, education for women of all ages, and women’s health, safety and well-being. With the help of an active and engaged committee of leaders from across the region, we raised $2M to create an endowed fund. The fund currently grants $100,000 annually, but we need to do so much more.

Tell us a little about your family. – My family is truly my happiness. Larry Dostal and I celebrated 40 years of marriage in 2025, and we have two wonderful sons, who have amazing women by their sides, and are blessed with the most enchanting granddaughter. We are also parents to an aging Pomeranian we rescued named Ruby, and she really is the queen of our house.

What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I love spending time with my family, drinking coffee on our patio, baking, and learning watercolor painting.

Who inspires you? – Every day, I am inspired by my team at the Community Foundation. They are five passionate, creative, dedicated, intelligent, and knowledgeable women that have their priorities of family, community, service to others, and then self. They are amazing, and I am blessed to work with them every day.

If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – My one word would be passionate. Passion for creating impact, and for helping others fulfill their charitable purposes and goals, is what drives me every day.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – They can contact me directly at the Community Foundation for Western Iowa (GiveWesternIowa.org), either by email: ddostal@givewesterniowa.org or phone: (712) 256-7007.