Alessandro M. Forte, FCII, CFP, is about to pay for his cup of coffee when a stranger behind him leans forward and tells the cashier he’ll pay for it instead. Someone else had done so earlier for the stranger, and his only condition was that the 26-year MDRT member from South Yorkshire, England, UK, continue the kindness for a different person in the next 24 hours.

“I think a lot of people have the misperception that philanthropy involves giving lots of money,” said Forte, the new President of the MDRT Foundation. “Actually, philanthropy comes in many different forms — from giving time to a service project, buying someone a cup of coffee, or giving a half-hour of time to share ideas and help people grow.”

The coffee incident took place in 1996, the same year Forte started his own business and one year before he became an MDRT member. Since then, in his personal and professional life, and especially in work with the MDRT Foundation, he has embraced a simple philosophy: Acknowledge that success always includes help from others, aspire to be like others who can help you grow, and at the same time reach out to help others.

Looking back

When Forte was 8 years old, his father died of lung cancer, and his mother told him he was now the “man of the house.” With his mom and three younger siblings to support, Forte helped before and after school at his father’s restaurant. But with no financial plan in place, Forte’s mother went bankrupt and had to sell their house and transfer ownership of the restaurant to Forte’s aunt.

“What my mother inadvertently bestowed upon me was this desire to help others and to support and nurture those around me,” Forte said. “Experiencing the riches-to-rags story and seeing my family lose everything put into sharp focus the importance of doing everything we can to help people in similar circumstances,” Forte said. “As I started my business, I always felt it was incumbent upon me to take my place in the community and do what I could to help others.”

In 2001, a high-profile TV/radio host agreed to become Forte’s client if Forte helped raise £7 million for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The money was used to create safe video conferencing facilities in court so children could provide testimony against abusers without having to do so in front of the perpetrators. Forte’s fundraising helped increase the conviction rate in these cases from 16% to 73%.

“It was a huge sea change for the organization, and it was the catalyst to think about what I can do for other organizations,” Forte said. “So, I’ve run a couple of marathons, climbed a pretty massive mountain eight times, cycled, rowed, built playgrounds and slept on the streets, personally raising more than £26 million, or $32 million.”

Forte’s MDRT Foundation involvement began in 2002 when William E. McMann Jr., a now-38-year MDRT member from Danville, Virginia, USA, asked Forte at the MDRT Annual Meeting Foundation booth if he’d donated to the Foundation yet. Forte said he hadn’t but only had his credit card with him.

“‘That will do nicely,’” Forte recalls McMann replying, half-joking. “It started a love affair for me with the Foundation.” That included volunteering every year at the Foundation booth, becoming involved with Foundation committees, supporting other MDRT members on MDRT Gives Day, and reaching Royal Order Excalibur Knight lifetime giving status.

Having traveled to 92 countries, Forte has seen the impact of work in communities from Mumbai, India, to building a playground in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, for a service project honoring the MDRT Foundation’s 50th anniversary. “Everything we’ve done from the west coast of America to the east coast of New Zealand has been amazing, reaching places I never would have done on my own,” he said.

Looking ahead

In his role as Foundation President, Forte aims to enhance awareness about how to apply for MDRT Foundation grants and helping members understand where the money goes. He already is drafting a collection of 40 facts, highlighting what the Foundation does and how members can get involved. He also sees an opportunity to use technology to identify what members have contributed and what more they need to do to help them reach the Knight level of giving. More information and more involvement benefits both members and the Foundation, just as more volunteers participating in the annual MDRT Gives Day leads to more money being raised.

For example, a number of the Foundation committees will have more members than in previous years to increase involvement. The major donor committee will call on the Foundation trustees to leverage their relationships with MDRT friends. Already the Foundation Network is on track to have many more volunteer members compared with the previous year to expand awareness of Foundation activities.

“We have all been the beneficiaries of philanthropic gestures in one way, shape or form,” Forte said. “I would love to see more people recognize that and then identify what they can do, in their own small way, to get back to the basics of human kindness — because kindness changes lives.”