By Ellie Buteau, Hannah Martin, and Charis Loh, The Center for Effective Philanthropy

The biggest source of philanthropic support for nonprofits in the United States is giving from individual donors. Of the $428 billion in total charitable giving in 2018, individual donors contributed 68 percent. However, the recent decline in giving among small- and medium-gift givers means that major donors are becoming increasingly important to nonprofits. The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) surveyed its Grantee Voice panel of more than 600 nonprofit leaders across the country to learn what support nonprofits receive from major donors, what major donors can do to support nonprofits better, and how nonprofits’ relationships with major donors differ from their relationships with staffed foundations.

Across the world, philanthropy is undergoing a rapid transformation that offers both exciting opportunities and complex challenges. As a more unified global culture around giving and social investment emerges, new players, vehicles, strategies and approaches are creating commitment, enthusiasm and optimism. Yet shifting attitudes toward philanthropy, intense debates about power and effectiveness and difficult operating environments require philanthropists and social investors to demonstrate their value to a wide range of stakeholders. And, as many philanthropies broaden their activities from grantmaking to impact investing, knowledge-building, advocacy and coalition-building, they face the need to change how their organizations assess and allocate non-financial resources. With so much in flux, emerging donors and established funders are seeking new models not only for funding strategies and impact measures, but also for organizational design and management systems that will serve them well into the 21st century. Leaders are asking how philanthropies achieve impact as institutions, not just as sources of funding. In response to this surge of interest, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors developed the Philanthropy Framework, a tool to give an emerging or established philanthropy (whether in the form of a foundation, trust, funder collaborative, LLC, donor-advised fund or direct giving) a structure to align resources for maximum impact.

An inventory of approximately 200 organizations across the United States that work to support the philanthropic activities of high net worth (HNW) donors by Stanford PACS.

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You may have heard funders and philanthropists talk about the joy of charitable giving. To be sure, there are few acts from which you can acquire greater satisfaction and effect meaningful change based on your values and belief systems.

But there’s a catch.

The philanthropic journey can be arduous, filled with unexpected detours, twists, and hazards. But it’s a trip eminently worth taking.

The potential rewards are immense as the need for impactful giving grows ever larger. Not only are you in a position to make a difference, but you can define exactly what that difference looks like.

These articles provide an overview of how to make your philanthropy more effective and impactful. There are also links to more comprehensive resources. No doubt, there is a lot to learn. But take your time. Don’t be overwhelmed. That’s what makes a life of giving so exciting. You determine what works for you, be it where, when, what, and how to give.

Your philanthropic journey awaits. Now all you have to do is go.

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