When philanthropic needs surround us, how can we avoid being overwhelmed?

Seth Godin raises this question in a post where he develops a theme from the secular preference utilitarian ethicist Peter Singer:

Singer is famous for posing a stunningly difficult question, paraphrased as, “If you are walking by a pond and you see a child drowning, do you save her? What if it means ruining a very fancy pair of Italian shoes?” Okay, if we assume the answer is yes, then Read the rest of this entry »

I had the privilege of attending the first FoundationWise^SM conference at Focus on the Family the week before last.

FoundationWise^SM is meant to help people who “own” and operate private foundations to do a better job.

As I looked at the various workshops available for participants, it seemed to me that there were to primary tracks: one having to do with succession planning–passing on the vision and purpose to the next generation, and one having to do, more, with success on the “business” end of things–keeping good corporate records, ensuring your within the bounds of the law, investing successfully, and so forth. I followed the “succession planning” track.

One of the key questions I hoped to answer had to do with passing responsibility to the next generation: How can I know that they will carry on pursuing a vision that I would want them to pursue? Put another way: if I’m leaving them significant funds for charitable purposes, how can I ensure that they won’t take those funds and potentially turn them to uses possibly diametrically opposed to those for which I would have given them?

I mean, it is so common for nonprofits to wind up doing things very differently than their founders intended!

Intermixed in this larger question: How do we encourage our children in the ways of generosity?I thought some of the answers were very insightful. Here are some of the things that people suggested (not necessarily in order): Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve talked about this often enough in the past. (See the “Related posts” list at the end of this one!) But it bears repeating . . . especially if and when it can be said briefly. And I think this is the briefest way I have ever said these things.

What follows is from an interview I did five and a half years ago with the newsletter editor of one of the non-profits we support. I quote his questions and my answers: Read the rest of this entry »

World magazine’s March 28 issue includes an interview with Roberta Green Ahmanson, a journalist and wife of Howard Ahmanson, Jr., a multimillionaire philanthropist.

At one point, the interviewer asks, “What have you learned about grantmaking?”

Her reply: Read the rest of this entry »

Charitable giving comes in many forms. Cash donations and hands-on volunteerism are only two.

I have mentioned before the Sonlight Rice Bag Project. The repercussions of that project continue to reverberate in my mind and heart.

This morning, I woke up with the idea that I should write to some people with whom our family business competes. Not about our business, per se, but, rather, about opportunities we–both they and we–have to influence our customers for good.

This is a slightly edited version of the letter I sent. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 6:3-4 records a statement of Jesus:

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

This passage has always made me very nervous. I don’t want anyone to know what I have done, especially when it comes to giving!

So, then, why would I write a post like the one I did last Saturday–Strategic giving? I mean, I got into some pretty fine details! Am I not in danger of disobeying this teaching of Christ? Read the rest of this entry »

The following is not exactly a rehash of what I covered in Tithing, Law, Grace and Teaching, a post I wrote nine months ago in direct response to a “challenge” laid down by our legacy planner at the time. But when I ran into this on Saturday, I realized I wanted–and needed–to re-post it, with slight modification, here. This was the first article that caught my eye on Saturday, but, if you saw my post yesterday, you will realize it is the second among my rediscoveries that I am posting.

(Originally posted, in slightly different form, at Tithing: replaced by grace?

Read the rest of this entry »

I dealt with Public v. Private Foundations last year. Lately I’ve begun to learn about something called a “supporting organization.”

Yesterday I met with Doug Johnson, president of a relatively new community fund here in the Denver metro area that is called, simply, The Charitable Fund or TCF.

As with other community foundations, TCF offers Donor-Advised Funds (or DAFs) . . . and these supporting organizations (SO’s)–specifically Type I SO’s.

So what is a supporting organization? What, more specifically, is a Type I SO? And why should you care? Read the rest of this entry »