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Hello Megan,
Today's newsletter was written by Shelby Newton Goodrum, the founder of Giving Advisors. Shelby has experience guiding people on their giving journey and was kind enough to share some of that expertise with us. Hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
Megan, Bleckley and Cass
From Shelby Newton Goodrum, Giving Advisors
Clients often ask me, “How can I make a thoughtful and effective difference when there are so many problems in the world and organizations to choose from?” While this is admittedly a big question, here are some smaller topics to help you narrow it down:
- Get strategic by defining what you care about and the issues you want to address. What one thing would you fix if you could?
- Think about where, who, and what you want to support.
- For instance; do you want to make a difference internationally, nationally, or in your community?
- What population do you want to serve? (age, demographic, disability, etc.)
- Determine your personal or family’s philanthropic budget. Segment it into three buckets based on an allocation that feels right to you:
- The issue(s) you care about and want to support/impact (perhaps 70%).
- Friends and family who ask (perhaps 20%).
- Charity, emergency, crisis, or just because support (perhaps 10%).
- Research organizations that have mission alignment. Three third-party accreditation groups that may be helpful, particularly for first-time donors: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and BBB Wise Giving Alliance. With 1.8 million nonprofits, you may find that the smaller organizations are hard to evaluate. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t donate to them, but you may have to do more research.
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Once you donate, pay attention to the organization’s impact so you know how you helped that organization improve the world. The goal is to feel good about your giving. If you can volunteer or sit on the organization’s board, do so! It’s a great way to see how the organization runs, and that inside perspective is often deeply valuable.
When I work with clients, I remind them that this “heart and head work” is difficult. But doing the work of knowing why you and where you are giving will provide joy, which is what this is all about! Shelby Newton Goodrum, Giving Advisors
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