WHATGIVES Summer 2018

(Left) Bill Medich, South State Bank Executive Vice President and Charleston Regional President; (middle) Patti Byrd, South State Bank Assistant VP, Private Banking;
(right) South State Bank’s lobby, packed for CCF’s Bridge Philanthropists launch party this past fall.
“CCF works to
support all efforts
to improve the
community. I look
at the Foundation
as a group that
funnels information
and resources at a
larger scale, and
then disseminates
[those things]
where needed.”
- Patti Byrd,
South State Bank
Assistant Vice
President, Private
Banking
South State Bank
Community Partnership Program Produces Results
When you step into the lobby of South State Bank on Charleston’s
historic Broad Street, the vaulted ceilings and marble floors belie
what’s about to happen… you are about to be greeted by the
most friendly, down-to-earth and caring banking staff you may
ever encounter.
Even before a mention of a meeting with Regional President Bill
Medich, several employees were greeting and assisting—this was
more than just a dose of expected southern hospitality. A man,
waving down from the polished bronze second floor balcony
railing of the grand old building, volunteered to lead the way.
Mr. Medich’s stellar community reputation precedes him. His
service on the Spoleto Festival USA Board among many notable
bio items—including his longtime involvement at CCF—made
being shown to the “head honcho’s” office a bit nerve wracking.
The appointment was to speak with Bill about South State’s
unwavering involvement in the Community Partnership
Program—the Foundation’s annual, tiered fundraising campaign
to gather the unrestricted dollars necessary to operate at proper
capacity and effectively steward $280 million in philanthropic
assets.
The nerves soon melted away since Bill and everyone else were as
genuine and welcoming as the lobby team. The mindset that “a
bank can only be as successful as the community it serves” makes
it second nature for Bill—who has been a banker his entire life,
and here in Charleston for 23 years—to volunteer in several sectors
and remain heavily involved in nonprofits at the local level, along
with his employees and their families.
“We don’t have a ‘corporate’ perspective on giving and volunteering.
We think as residents of the community. We have 650
employee families who are residents. They live here, play here, go
to school here, and are strongly vested here,” he notes. “Whether
it is coaching little league, teaching Bible school, volunteering at
the synagogue, or serving on nonprofit boards, our support of the
community is driven by the interests of our employees.” He adds
that giving people a genuine feeling of purpose at work results
in very little turnover and adds to South State’s teambuilding.
Over a decade ago, Bill was looking for another volunteer opportunity
at an organization that he felt could really “make a difference.”
That’s how he found CCF and the Grants Committee—his
gateway into community foundation work.
When describing his learning curve about the many aspects of
foundation philanthropy, Bill says it’s sometimes “difficult to
concisely explain without getting into the weeds.”
This knowledge and recognition of the Foundation’s complexity
is no doubt what makes him so passionate about describing CCF.
For Bill, beyond learning acronyms and fund types, foundation
philanthropy faces a common misconception of a community
savings account, just sitting here with an open supply of capital to
be deployed at the Foundation’s discretion. He explains, “It really
is about connection. Informing and connecting donors to things
that are important in the community, and making connections
to the things that are important to the donors.” Bill respects and
applauds the Foundation’s expertise in managing endowed capital
and deploying it in a strategic way. He also applauds the next
generation getting involved and giving back, including South
State’s young leader, Private Banker Patti Byrd.
12 coastalcommunityfoundation.org