donors

Consulting and Advisory Services

Helping You Focus Your Giving

If you would like assistance in bringing your philanthropic vision to fruition, we can help. The Community Foundation has decades of experience in assisting families, individuals, businesses, communities and even other foundations to help articulate their vision and structure their philanthropy to make their giving most effective, whether or not you are a current fundholder at The Community Foundation.

Philanthropic planning can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Our personal, confidential services are customized to fit your needs and are designed to support you on your philanthropic journey. We would welcome the opportunity to talk to you about any of the following:

Framing of Charitable Intent

Most donors know they want to make a difference in a general area, but they cannot pinpoint quite how. The discovery and framing of charitable intent is one of our most utilized consulting services. We can help guide you through the process of how to translate your passion into a philanthropic giving program. Through an in-depth exchange focused on your objectives and motivations, we can produce articulated, actionable goals that are ready for implementation.

Family Philanthropy Consulting

Families facing decisions about philanthropy often find that a third-party advisor can assist in bringing together all members’ and/or generations’ desires and hopes for long-term giving. We have a unique and proven method for helping families merge disparate goals into a unified plan for giving. Years of experience working with donors and grantseekers have enabled us to facilitate discussion that focuses the diverse interests of family members toward a philanthropic program that is beneficial to their causes and rewarding to the family.

Custom Investigation and Field of Interest Research

If you would like to probe further into an area of interest, we can assist you with custom research. Our research may uncover current assets employed in support of that area or reveal the absence of distinct levels of support. In either case, the process can be highly instructive in helping you decide if you might become involved in a particular area of interest.

Strategic Giving and Outcome Assessment

We are able to serve as the coordinator of the most important, interdependent elements of a successful giving plan. Once your charitable intent and strategy are established, we can help you implement appropriate plans for giving. We will work closely with your professional advisors (attorneys, tax accountants or financial advisors) to select the best gift vehicle for achieving your goals, with full consideration of key legal and tax implications.

Grantmaking and Evaluation

Clarifying what you want to accomplish, selecting grantee organizations to implement your goals, maintaining relationships with grantee partners, and learning from what your grants accomplish are crucial to a successful giving plan. With a gift vehicle in place, The Community Foundation is available to work with donors in any and all phases of the grantmaking process from developing a focus for giving to grant evaluation.