This is the “giving season” — the time of year when many individuals and businesses focus on philanthropy and make their largest contributions to charity. Whether you’ll be donating $25 or $250,000, there are ways to make your giving more effective in this meaningful and generous time of year. First, consider these facts: In the… Read more »
Author: Bruce DeBoskey
Bruce DeBoskey is a Colorado-based philanthropic strategist working with The DeBoskey Group to help businesses, families and foundations design and implement thoughtful philanthropic strategies and actionable plans. He is the president of the Colorado Philanthropic Advisors Network, a teaching fellow with Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship and a frequent speaker at conferences on philanthropy.
Put the “Giving” back into Turkey-Day – A Tale of Two Umbrellas
It had been raining hard for days. Reports of 100-year floods were coming out of Boulder and Lyons to the north. A colleague and I were walking a few blocks to a nearby restaurant for a breakfast meeting. As we walked, a man who appeared to be homeless stepped out from the side of a… Read more »
Crowdfunding Fuels Philanthropy
Crowdfunding is a rapidly expanding Internet tool designed to allow large numbers of people to invest or contribute money in support of new businesses, people in need, interesting ideas or important causes. Its recent growth is impressive. In 2012, crowdfunding supported more than 1 million global campaigns. The amount raised was $2.7 billion, an increase… Read more »
Donor Advised Fund or Private Foundation – How do they Compare?
The philanthropic community continues to debate whether donor-advised funds or private foundations are better giving vehicles for major donors. After all, more than 175,000 DAFs hold more than $40 billion, and more than 80,000 private foundations hold more than $500 billion. There is no simple answer. Each tool offers its own advantages and disadvantages. The… Read more »
Philanthropy benefits the giver, too, with “helper’s high” and “giver’s glow”
Any discussion of philanthropy usually focuses on how a giver can help others — other people, other organizations or entities, or even the world. But a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that acts of philanthropy strongly benefit the giver as well. Researchers call these benefits the “helper’s high” and “giver’s glow.” “Every great moral… Read more »
Startups are including philanthropy in their DNA
Many entrepreneurs think of philanthropy as something to consider way off in the future when their businesses are mature and profitable. There is a better approach. Philanthropy works best when it is included in a company’s business plan from the very start — when it is part of a company’s actual DNA, growing and prospering… Read more »
Pain of tragedy universal, so what triggers our charitable response?
In April, we witnessed three horrible human tragedies, each man-made and each resulting in death, injury and destruction. The philanthropic response to these events varied widely, raising intriguing questions about what motivates people to respond with charity in the face of tragedy. The first event was the Boston Marathon bombing. This act of terrorism killed… Read more »
Should Foundations be “All-In” on their Charitable Missions?
What would our world be like if charitable law required foundations to invest all of their assets in ways consistent with their charitable missions? This important question was recently posed by Mark Finser, chairman of RSF Social Finance. Most likely, our world would be a much better place. Charitable foundations exist for one overarching purpose:… Read more »
Five Questions Every Nonprofit Donor Should Ask
Donors wishing to contribute their time and treasure to nonprofits face a vast array of choices. After all, there are more than 1.6 million nonprofit organizations in the United States that would be delighted to accept their resources. The challenge for donors becomes how to make the right match. In order to make the best… Read more »
Strategic co-funding expands the impact of giving
Philanthropists from families, foundations and businesses are asking, “Can’t we accomplish more by working collectively instead of in silos?” In “Strategic Co-Funding: An Approach for Expanded Impact,” a new report published by Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and REDF, the authors assert, “Strategic co-funding is a key way grantmakers of all types and sizes can expand… Read more »