INSPIRE

Toi Salter: A Million Dollars and More Through the Power of One

Pricilla Stratten and Lisa Rollins, UNCF Chicago area development directors, Toi Salter and Chicago sculptor Deborah Hand

Toi Salter accepting an award from Pricilla Stratten, area development director, UNCF

NBA Players and UNCF “A Mind Is…” Gala co-chairs Darrick Rose, Anthony Davis and Toi Salter

Michael Cox, regional development director, UNCF; Darrick Rose, NBA player and UNCF “A Mind Is…” Gala “ Co-Chair; Priscilla Stratten, area development director, UNCF; Toi Salter; Lisa Rollins, area development director, UNCF; and Anthony Davis, NBA player and UNCF “A Mind Is…” Gala Co-Chair

Toi Salter doesn’t just meet expectations. She blows through them. Driven by her commitment to youth, education and her beloved Chicago, Salter is a perfect UNCF partner who stands atop the world.

A wealth and business manager whose clients include NBA All Stars, Salter is known for her philanthropic efforts and has been the driving force behind several successful fundraisers for various charities in the Chicagoland area. Salter was invited in 2017 to meet UNCF staffers and prospective UNCF “A Mind Is…” Gala committee members.

After the meeting, she was all in: Salter brought in close to nine times the amount each committee member was asked to raise. Chicago’s 2017 “A Mind Is…” Gala was the beginning of something special between UNCF Chicago and this extraordinary volunteer.

In 2019, Salter made history as the first African American woman to raise more than $1.1 million for UNCF Chicago as the AMI Gala Chair without a co-chair or a committee but the assistance of two UNCF Chicago staffers. In 2020, Salter teamed up with gala co-chair Charles Matthews, president and CEO of Peoples Energy, with a $1.5 million goal, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Gala’s cancellation. Salter insisted they continue fundraising because she believed current events made providing scholarship money more important than ever. True to form, history was made again as Salter’s NBA clients with a heart for African American students in need donated generously to UNCF Chicago, contributing $1.6 million with only a few phone calls from her.

“I see the outstanding work, planning, commitment and resources that UNCF puts forth to make it possible for those who are challenged financially to go to college,” Salter says.

For Toi Salter, UNCF truly checks all the boxes for an organization through which she could align herself. She understands the disparities and the financial challenges that stand in the way of African American students seeking higher education. And that’s why she ardently supports UNCF. “It’s a blessing to help UNCF with the resources I have been blessed with to assist them with their mission.”

And, thanks to amazing dedicated individual donors and volunteers like Salter, UNCF’s HBCUs and their students continue to be able to push ahead, despite herculean challenges, fueling better futures for us all.