This is a great opportunity for worthy charitable causes that address social and economic justice, health and welfare, the arts, etc. to be in the spotlight on a day for giving. ‘Tis truly the season. The problem is that the need is not only once a year. We stuff the shelves at food pantries for Thanksgiving and Christmas but hunger is a year-round problem. We create this day for giving, but the good works of all these amazing organizations are 365. That charitable spotlight today is bright but it is crowded. It is extremely difficult for every worthy cause to get attention, and with too many hands out at one time donors will tend to concentrate on the few and the favorites.
In the last couple weeks we launched the WCM Charitable Fund, a donor advised fund, in partnership with the Triskeles Foundation. The idea is to provide donors a simple vehicle that has the most attractive features of a family foundation, right down to naming, and gives the opportunity to make the financial decision to fund once, or as many times as donors wish, and the opportunity to grant to a wide array of worthy recipients over days, months or years. Donors and their families not only have the ability to guide the granting but also the investing until that money is put to work. The WCM Charitable Fund offers mission-aligned and high impact investments that focus on environmental, social and ethical factors as well as on-the-ground, measurable positive impact.
Giving Tuesday is about philanthropy. Truly for love of mankind. If you are in donor mode and trying to sift through the thousands of possible recipients and do not know whether you can be more effective making one large gift or a lot of little gifts across many causes, think about contributing to a donor advised fund. You get your tax benefit in 2017 and you can allocate those dollars steadily and thoughtfully to the same organizations without the urgency of a single moment in time. If you are leading development for or running a not-for-profit, consider starting a DAF, or partnering with an established one. Make your organization the focal point for a donor’s giving plan, which inevitably includes numerous worthy causes, and you are more likely to be first in line when the checks are being cut. And, be sure the DAF of choice offers investment options that positively reinforce your mission or purpose. There are a lot of exciting options that do a good job of aligning people, planet and profit.
We would be very gratified to be your partner in philanthropy. You can click here for more information. But, it does not have to be with us and it does not have to be today. Allocating capital to charitable causes is another form of investment decision. Please give generously, give wisely, and take advantage of the tremendous resources out there to maximize the impact of your gifts.