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MARCH 2004
For anyone who is serious about their philanthropy, one of the
biggest challenges is to figure out how best to deploy their charitable
dollars. In the beginning, people often are overwhelmed—should
they start a family foundation? Should they endow a fund in perpetuity?
Should they identify a few organizations and support those? Should
they focus on “giving while living” and, if so, how
should they best do this?
Recently, I participated in a discussion at the Council of Foundations
meeting in New York on the pros and cons of “giving while
living.” The lively conversation reinforced the highly personal
nature of philanthropy and that there is no magic formula for effective
giving.
For many people, setting up an endowed foundation allows them to
support individuals and organizations working in areas that are
important to the giver, and provide an opportunity for their children
to continue their efforts in the future. For others, like me, it
is important to engage in philanthropy today and see the fruit of
the efforts in their own lifetimes. There aren’t clear rights
or wrongs. What is important is that individuals find a philanthropic
path that allows them to express their values and make a difference
along the way.
During the panel, I shared a personal framework that guides my
efforts. This framework is the result of a great deal of reflection
on my part, of reaching out to others who had “been there,
done that,” personal experience working with a variety of
nonprofit and community-based organizations, and discussions with
hundreds of people from foundation executives to scholars to community
leaders to philanthropists.
This framework isn’t meant to suggest that I have found “the
answer.” Rather it is offered as a sincere attempt to encourage
others who are crafting their philanthropic strategies to think
through some of the issues that I have labored over for more than
10 years.
Philanthropy should be part of a broader life plan and
purpose.
Everyone has different reasons for engaging in philanthropy and
in their goals for doing so. It is essential to understand what
you really want to achieve and to ask yourself the following questions:
- Is there a strong passion or cause in your life that you want
to act upon?
- Do you want to nurture in your children a desire to be civic
participants and leaders?
- Do you want to leave a legacy and, if so, what kind of legacy
and for what purpose?
- Is this going to be a casual or serious effort? This is perhaps
one of the hardest questions to ask, but it is important to be
brutally honest in the answer.
- Do you want to be directly and personally involved, participate
but be less involved, or delegate the responsibility for carrying
out your objectives to someone else?
- What kind of impact do you want to have?
Until you are able to answer these fundamental questions honestly,
it’s very hard to make any decisions about the direction your
philanthropy should take.
Establish the level of financial commitment at the outset.
It is very important to be clear about how much money you want to
devote to philanthropic initiatives. Understand the kind of financial
commitment you envision making to your philanthropy and over what
period of time. Whatever the number, make it significant if you
hope to have impact.
Take time to observe and learn before setting your plans
in motion.
The philanthropic terrain and processes are not what one might assume.
Take the time to understand the landscape, the issues facing the
people, and communities you want to help. Have patience with your
own learning and with the organizations you want to support. Before
we made our first grant, we took a year and talked to hundreds of
people to understand where our efforts might make a difference.
Most people are not going to spend that kind of time, but it is
worth investing the effort to talk to people who are expert in the
issues and causes in which you have an interest.
Stay true to your personal framework.
It is vital to remain true to your intent and personal values. Along
the way it will be tempting to change course. Having a clear framework
for your philanthropy is vital because it is too easy to lose focus
and dilute your efforts. I’ve held steady to my overall goals
and the approach we defined for philanthropic involvement, whether
through my personal philanthropy or through the philanthropic organizations
I co-founded. Certainly the way we go about achieving those goals
has evolved as we’ve learned and deepened our own understanding
of the issues. However, there has always been an underlying vision
that drives our efforts and we continue to evaluate our efforts
against that framework.
No matter what course one chooses, the important thing is to gain
a sense of what you want to accomplish with your philanthropy and
become engaged with those you wish to support. One of the gifts
in my work has been the chance to meet, learn from, and serve some
remarkable leaders. I am impressed every day by the passion, energy,
and commitment of the people and organizations serving youth and
families that we have the privilege to get to know and with whom
we work at VPP. If we can take steps that give these visionaries
the opportunities to grow and succeed with what they believe is
possible, then positive, meaningful change for children and families
will be a reality. And in my view, this is what philanthropy is
all about—using our talents and financial resources effectively
to help others have an impact in a significant and lasting way.
--Mario Morino
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