September 7, 2000 | Read Time: 2 minutes
By DEBRA E. BLUM
Private foundations have an important role to play in drawing wealthy people to philanthropy, says a new report. Among other strategies, the report says, foundations should support programs run by community funds, United Ways, or other charities to teach donors about giving.
The report about donors, commissioned by nine of the nation’s largest private foundations, was written by The Philanthropic Initiative, a Boston non-profit group that helps individuals, foundations, and corporations learn about ways to contribute to charity. It is based on a survey of 63 grant makers and philanthropy consultants, and on other research, including telephone interviews and reviews of Web sites.
The report defines three stages in what it calls the evolution of new and emerging donors. At the first stage, the report says, the donors are “dormant but receptive.” Next, donors are “engaged, getting organized.” Finally, the donors are “committed, become a learner.” At each stage, the report says, donors have different needs, and the report outlines opportunities to meet those needs.
At the first stage, for example, fund raisers should educate donors about all kinds of giving opportunities at charities, and not just focus on acquiring a single gift for their institutions. At the same time, the report says, financial advisers should discuss with their clients broad philanthropic issues, rather than focusing on charity only as a tax-planning tool.
But that goal may be out of reach for now, according to a second report released last month by The Philanthropic Initiative. The report, based largely on surveys and interviews with hundreds of lawyers, financial planners, and other money managers, says that such advisers are reluctant to discuss philanthropy with their clients, primarily because they feel uncomfortable raising an issue that they consider to be highly personal. One of the report’s suggestions: teach philanthropic counseling in professional schools and include the subject on professional licensing exams.
The 85-page report about donors includes many recommendations of its own, mostly aimed at foundations. Among the suggestions: support the creation of an Internet search tool to enable donors to find giving information.
For free copies of both reports, “What’s a Donor to Do? The State of Donor Resources in America Today” and “Doing Well By Doing Good: Improving Client Service, Increasing Philanthropic Capital: The Legal and Financial Advisor’s Role,” go to The Philanthropic Initiative’s Web site at http://www.tpi.org.
For more information, contact the group at 77 Franklin Street, Boston 02110; (617) 338-2590.
