Giving with Impact

Over the past decade or so, we’ve seen significant shifts in philanthropy’s approach to addressing some of society’s biggest problems and the growing popularity of market-based or market-inspired solutions to these challenges. Philanthropy and private equity used to be very distant worlds. Today, the idea of venture philanthropy has become more widespread. How can donors take a venture philanthropy approach?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or TCJA, made reductions to income tax rates for most individual tax brackets. But it also made changes to itemized deductions, which caused many in the non-profit sector to worry that this might lead to a reduction in total charitable giving by individuals. Now that we’ve reached year two of this legislation being in effect, what does the data show? How do taxes, or the economy more broadly, impact philanthropic giving? And what approaches should donors consider if they want to continue to give with impact?

There are a range of organizations and solutions to help donors navigate the philanthropic process, including community foundations and national donor-advised funds. These organizations can help donors deploy their philanthropic resources in a thoughtful and proactive manner in order to improve the impact they have on the causes they support. Listen in as our guests discuss current best practices to maximize donor impact and the opportunity for community foundations and national donor-advised funds to work together to help donors support local, regional and national nonprofits.

Traditional beliefs about philanthropy, including who gives, how, and with what effect, can lead to misunderstandings, and actually stand in the way of achieving social impact.

One area in which misperceptions persist is the subject of women’s charitable giving. While a superficial glance at the data would make it appear that women give less in total dollars, and give to fewer organizations than men, the reality is very different, and far more nuanced. Are there differences in women’s and men’s approaches to philanthropy? Do women apply a different set of criteria than men when making philanthropic decisions, and if so, what does this mean for philanthropy writ large?

The landscape of modern philanthropy has changed dramatically in recent years, affecting the approach to charitable giving by corporations, foundations and individuals. In this episode, our guests discuss how shifts in charitable giving are re-defining America’s approach to philanthropy and how individuals can increase the effectiveness with which they give.