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Philanthropy + Thoughtful Giving

At the forefront of our work is the importance of helping families clarify what is most important. We help families clarify their philanthropic values and their vision and mission for the change they hope to make.

Finding a way to engage the next generation is so important to a family’s giving. As families mature, and the next generation rises up to take their place at the family’s philanthropic table, families often face the challenge of flexing with the changing and diverse desires of their heirs, while staying true to their values.
While deeply fulfilling, this work can be challenging as it involves your mind, heart and soul.

To have the significant impact you want to achieve, Ginni Galicinao poses essential questions like, “Are you having fun with your giving?” And, “Is it filling your heart and soul?”

There are many ways of giving. There’s the unstructured approach, where you give a little something to every nonprofit who asks. Then there’s the more strategic approach where you take the time to work together as a family to determine what means the most to each family member, and collectively, as a family. In addition to their strategic giving, families often set aside a discretionary fund so that family members can make donations outside the scope of the Family Foundation’s giving guidelines.

Both strategies (unstructured and strategic) are valid. Questions to ask yourself are: “How much fun am I having with my giving? How much of my giving is filling my heart and truly satisfying my soul? In looking back over my life, what impact will I have hoped to have made?”

The work we do is in the realm of strategic philanthropy and thoughtful giving. We particularly enjoy working with families who desire the engagement of their rising generation in the process. Attached is a very broad overview and sampling of a journey we may guide you on in the creation of a strategy for:

  • Your giving
  • Engaging your rising generation
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of your giving

Philanthropy + Thoughtful Giving

At the forefront of our work at Dynamics of Family Wealth is the importance of helping families determine what is most important. We help them clarify their philanthropic values, vision and mission for the change they hope to effect.

Finding a way to engage the rising generation is so important to a family’s giving. As families mature, and the next generation rises up to take their place at the family’s philanthropic table, families often face the challenge of flexing with the changing and diverse desires of their heirs, while staying true to their philanthropic values.

While deeply fulfilling, giving thoughtfully and strategically is hard work as it involves your mind, heart and soul.

To have the significant impact you want to achieve, Ginni Galicinao poses essential questions like, “Are you having fun with your giving?” And, “Is it filling your heart and soul?”

There are many ways of giving. There’s the unstructured approach, where you give a little something to every nonprofit who asks. Then there’s the more strategic approach where you take the time to work together as a family to determine what means the most to each family member, and collectively, as a family. In addition to their strategic giving, families often set aside a discretionary fund so that family members can make donations outside the scope of the Family Foundation’s giving guidelines.

Both strategies (unstructured and strategic) are valid. Questions to ask yourself are: “How much fun am I having with my giving? How much of my giving is filling my heart and truly satisfying my soul? In looking back over my life, what impact will I have hoped to have made?”

The work we do is in the realm of strategic philanthropy and thoughtful giving. We particularly enjoy working with families who desire the engagement of their rising generation in the process. Attached is a very broad overview and sampling of a journey we may guide you on in the creation of a strategy for:

  • Your giving
  • Engaging your rising generation
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of your giving

Impact Philanthropy Advisor Certificate

Daylight Advisors is now offering a comprehensive learning opportunity for philanthropists and their advisors.

Philanthropic Advisor Certificate

Daylight Advisors is now offering a comprehensive learning opportunity for philanthropists and their advisors.

explore certificate program

Example of a family philanthropy process:

Example of a family philanthropy process:

  • Interview all family members and stakeholders who will be involved in the family’s philanthropic giving
  • Discuss and gather insights on the meaning of wealth
  • Explore issues and impacts you want to realize from your giving
  • Create of a philanthropic vision
  • Create of a philanthropic mission
  • Create of guiding principles
  • Set philanthropic goals
    • Prioritize what impact(s) you want your contributions to have
    • Define grant levels, setting minimums, maximums, and frequencies.
  • Engage the rising generation and determine if a Junior Board would be beneficial to your family
  • Author a thoughtfully strategic philanthropy plan comprised of the above discoveries/decisions

  • Investigate pros and cons of various giving structures (Family Foundation, Donor Advised Fund, etc.)

  • Create an investment philosophy/policy
  • Determine how investments will be made
  • Establish annual giving budget

Primarily for foundation:

  • Define roles and responsibilities
  • Determine skills that these individuals must have to contribute to the growth of the Foundation
  • Consider if you want to create an advisory board for your Foundation or Donor Advised Fund

  • Define roles and responsibilities
  • Determine skills that individuals must have to contribute to the growth of the Foundation or Donor Advised Fund
  • Set compensation and benefits

  • Determine qualifications and application process for nonprofits
  • Determine if nonprofits will be invited to apply or an open application process
  • If an open application process, establish with annual application date(s)
  • GuideStar and Charity Navigator
    • Decide on percentage allotted to administrative costs and how to address this publicly

For individual family members and others.

  • Create guidelines for discretionary grants
  • Determine whether family members/others have the authority to give discretionary grants in addition to grant making that meets the Foundation and Donor Advised Fund’s goals

  • Determine if all grantees will require an evaluation, including the discretionary grants
  • Set parameters to evaluate the success of your giving
  • Determine the information you want from nonprofits
  • Assign a lead to evaluate with a set frequency

  • Interview all family members and stakeholders who will be involved in the family’s philanthropic giving
  • Discuss and gather insights on the meaning of wealth
  • Explore issues and impacts you want to realize from your giving
  • Create of a philanthropic vision
  • Create of a philanthropic mission
  • Create of guiding principles
  • Set philanthropic goals
    • Prioritize what impact(s) you want your contributions to have
    • Define grant levels, setting minimums, maximums, and frequencies.
  • Engage the rising generation and determine if a Junior Board would be beneficial to your family
  • Author a thoughtfully strategic philanthropy plan comprised of the above discoveries/decisions

  • Investigate pros and cons of various giving structures (Family Foundation, Donor Advised Fund, etc.)

  • Create an investment philosophy/policy
  • Determine how investments will be made
  • Establish annual giving budget

Primarily for foundation:

  • Define roles and responsibilities
  • Determine skills that these individuals must have to contribute to growth of the Foundation
  • Consider if you want to create an advisory board for your Foundation or Advisory Board

  • Define roles and responsibilities
  • Determine skills that individuals must have to contribute to growth of Foundation or Donor Advised Fund
  • Set compensation and benefits

  • Determine qualifications and application process for nonprofits
  • Determine if nonprofits will be invited to apply or an open application process
  • If an open application process, establish with annual application date(s)
  • GuideStar and Charity Navigator
    • Decide on percentage allotted to administrative costs and how to address this publicly

For individual family members and others.

  • Create guidelines for discretionary grants
  • Determine whether family members/others have the authority to give discretionary grants in addition to grant making that meets the Foundation and Donor Advised Fund’s goals

  • Determine if all grantees will require an evaluation, including the discretionary grants
  • Set parameters to evaluate the success of your giving
  • Determine the information you want from nonprofits
  • Assign a lead to evaluate with a set frequency

Time to chart a new course?

Let’s navigate together.

Time to chart a new course?

We’ll help you navigate.

Beginning the conversation is the most significant step you’ll take.

the future awaits