Strategic Philanthropy

Why we need strategic philanthropy, not just good financial records…

There has been a lot in the news over the past few months about transparency in the charitable sector.  Most of these articles end up honing in on the cost of raising a dollar, overhead expenditures and tax compliance.  While these financial issues are definitely part of the equation, they should not be the basis upon which strategic philanthropy is based. 

Addressing complex social issues is not just about the financials, it is about the effectiveness of solving the social problem.

I gave a presentation this morning to a group of wealth managers at a large investment firm in Calgary.  It was a fairly informal conversation around what my services are and things were chugging along until I was asked, "What organizations are on your top list?"  Read more »

In the latest of Advancing Philanthropy magazine, a publication of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), there is a column by Jacklyn Boice, Miachel Nilsen and John Skendall about intentional innovation in the charitable sector. 

There are three main stakeholders for charitable organizations, the employees of the organization, the volunteers of an organization and the financial investors to the organizations.  These three groups feed into a system.  This system described in a report “Intentional Innovation: How Getting More Systematic About Innovation Could Improve Philanthropy and Increase Social Impact” released by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is one that “is not afraid to fail and tests new ideas before implementing them into the whole program.”

In previous posts I have discussed the role of collaboration between agencies and how donors can act as bridges between charities.  In this piece, the role of the donor can be seen as a change agent.  These individuals, “foster innovation throughout the organization, both on specific projects and in structural ways that impact daily operations.” (Great Idea!, Advancing Philanthropy, Jan./Feb. 2009)

How are you acting as a change agent for the agencies that you donate to?  Traditional models look at how community investors can act as connectors.  Morphing this traditional role to the resources available today, specifically the evolution of social-media technologies and Web 2.0, how have you adapted your role?

The Karma & Cents winter newsletter highlighted how organizations are going to have to start clustering and collaborating more in order to survive the recession.  What role are you playing in facilitating this?  How are you encouraging the organizations that you support in moving towards each other, perhaps in unique ways?  An example that I share with client is the Storehouse 39:3:10 group in Calgary, Alberta.  Storehouse is a group of four organizations, each with unique missions, who have banded together to share workspace and some human resources.  They even have a joint fundraising professional!

In today’s non-profit marketplace, the role of the donor or community investor is not only financial – the intellectual capital that you bring to the table is critical – AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO SIT ON THE BOARD!  Organizations that foster innovation will encourage you to try and test your ideas without having to be part of the decision making leadership.  They will encourage you to take on this role, because they are the type of organization that recognizes the need for new ways of thinking, doing, trying and testing.

I look forward to hearing how you have encourage innovation within the charities that you support.

Kickback: A remarkable new law reveals how you get what you want by putting others first by Robert Urbanowsk

This book was promoted at the AFP National Philanthropy Day luncheon in Calgary, Alberta in November 2008.

CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World by Tom Watson

I have had this book sitting on my shelf for about a month.  It was on the holiday reading list but was pushed aside for other catching up's.  Sean Stannard-Stockton whom I have referenced in previous blog posts recently wrote a review on the book on his blog: Tactical Philanthropy.

Before I get into the body of this post I just wanted to give a shout out to a few people who were recently honoured as part of this year's Top 40 Under 40 by Calgary Inc Magazine.

Carey Fraser, President of The Fraser Group.  Carey is a regular reader of this blog and while we talk about what I write here over coffee she has yet to leave a comment... Though surprisingly has a lot to say about what I write...  Thanks Carey for reading and congrats on the award!

Jay Baydala, Executive Director of ChristmasFuture.  I have written quite a bit about the work that he is doing and the positive impact that his foundation and the NGO 2.0 model is having on International Development.

Blythe Butler and I met through Leadership Calgary a couple of years ago.  Blythe was one of our Program Guides and currently sits on the program committee for Leadership Calgary.  This program is offered through Volunteer Calgary and is geared at providing tools and resources for individuals looking to develop new skills and adopt critical thought processes.

Vincent Fung owner of Alberta Dancesport who braved getting his feet stepped on as I attempted to waltz my way around the VRRI gym a few times.  Needless to say, my competitive dancing days were numbered.

Congratulations!!!

Now for this week's post...

Yesterday morning I sat down with Mr. Harley Hotchkiss, local businessman, former little league hockey coach, owner of the Calgary Flames and philanthropist; to discuss what effective philanthropy was and to share some of his wisdom.

This interview is part of a series of conversations I am having with Canadians who are investing their resources (time, intellectual and financial) in making our world a better place.  The purpose of these conversations is to share their experiences with those who are just starting down the path of generating social capital.

Almost two hours later, my face hurt from smiling and my head was a-buzz with ideas.  I came out of our meeting with a Top 10 List of Strategic Philanthropy.  This list is by no-means scientific or comprehensive, but it is something that has been repeated in different ways by the individuals that I have sat down with over the last little while.

The List

10. Love what you do (charity), not because someone asked you to do it.

9. Get engaged personally before you write a cheque

8. Some of your closest friends you will meet through community activities

7. Your priorities are family THEN job.  Your job will provide you with he means to support your community financially, but your family is what connects you to that community.

6. You don't have to be wealthy to be philanthropic. (Mr. Hotchkiss's first philanthropic activity was flooding the community hockey rink and coaching the kids)

5. When you are ready to give, it should "hurt" a little.  If your donation doesn't make you consider giving something up (even if it is a latte a week) then you are not giving enough.

4. Talk to your kids about philanthropy.  Don't place YOUR expectations on THEM.  Let them discover their own philanthropic dreams.

3. Surround yourself with competent, energizing people (volunteers, other charitable investors, innovative employees)

2. Use your philanthropy to support innovation AND operations

1. Your philanthropy should be about building community not just giving money.

Sean Stannard Stockton, author of the Tactical Philanthropy blog and founder of Ensemble Capital Management, was recently highlighted in an article in Wealth Manager Magazine on the growth of philanthropic advising services as part of wealth management services.  For the complete blog post click here.

I read Sean's blog on a fairly frequent basis and have sited him several times in my own posts.  What is exciting about this posting for me, is that it legitimizes the work that Dexterity Consulting is doing in networking with financial investment firms across Canada.

Philanthropic advising services as laid out by Ensemble or Dexterity Consulting are no longer seen as a value add, rather they are seen as a must have service.  While we are still on the leading edge of these services, as an end user, you should be demanding this support from your wealth managers, if for nothing else, so that you know the impact that your donation will have on the issues that you aim to address.