Donors give for a variety of reasons. For some, the mission of the nonprofit aligns with their values. For others, a life experience may have influenced where they direct their philanthropic support. Some donors simply give because they were asked (by a development professional, friend, or colleague). There is no “right answer” on why people choose to give, but there are good reasons to think strategically about your giving and create a philanthropic vision. 

 

In an article titled, Reflections on Two Decades of Poetry and Practice,  Peter Karoff of The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) presents The Philanthropic Learning Curve. The Philanthropic Learning Curve contains six steps in the journey to becoming a strategic philanthropist:

1)      You Become A Donor

2)      You Decide To Get Organized

3)      You Become A Learner

4)      You Become Issue And Results Oriented

5)      Your Philanthropy Is Leveraged

6)      You Align Your Mission, Passion, and Interests

 

TPI and our friends at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, and The Boston Foundation teamed up to create an interesting activity at http://givingadventures.org/ to help you gauge where you are on your philanthropic  journey.

 

We're here to help you be a changemaker, strengthen Grand Rapids and give strategically to causes you care about. If you have any questions, you can reach me by calling 616-454-1751, emailing sshira@grfoundation.org or tweeting @shaunshira.