Giving with Heart

So many of us make our charitable contributions in a knee-jerk way.  For example: 

  • a friend asks us to support a cause that is important to him or he
  • a solicitation is presented that strikes a chord for some reason and we react; or
  • we feel an obligation to support a cause due to a past relationship or sense that it is something we just “should” donate to. 

But what if giving was an expression of who we were, what we believed and what we wanted to see in the world?  What if giving engaged those closest to us in conversations around our values and vision for the future?  What if we really explored those issues and made thoughtful and conscious decisions about where and how we wanted to make a difference?

Giving with Heart is possible! But how does it happen?    

First of all, it’s important to explore and articulate the values that motivate how you make decisions, your areas of interest, and in what ways you would like to make a positive difference - that is the impact you would like to have. 

If you choose to engage your family in your giving, it is possible to first individually articulate your values, interests and desired impact and then come together in a safe environment where you can openly share and discuss these and get to understand more about the commonalities amongst you.  Together you could build mission and vision statements that will guide you in how you make gifts going forward.   

Giving with heart provides a personal expression of what you think is important.     No wonder it is very rewarding.

In future blogs I will describe some exercises that I use to help my clients to articulate their values and desired impact – individually and as a family.

 

““Janice Loomer Margolis is an icon in planned giving.
Nobody even comes close to her knowledge.””
— Susanne Dubé, Senior Manager, Philanthropy and Legacy Giving, Pearson College
““I have found that among its other benefits,
giving liberates the soul of the giver.””
— Maya Angelou
““I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely
more serious and difficult task of wise distribution.””
— Andrew Carnegie
““Wealth is not new. Neither is charity. But the idea of using private
wealth imaginatively, constructively, and systematically to attack
the fundamental problems of mankind is new.””
— John Gardner
““My father used to say, ‘You can spend a lot of time making money.
The tough time comes when you have to give it away properly’
How to give something back, that’s the tough part in life.””
— Lee Iacocca
““Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.””
— Margaret Mead
““Think of giving not only as a duty but as a privilege.”

”
— John D. Rockefeller
““What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have
done for others and the world remains and is immortal.””
— Albert Pike
““You make a living by what you get. You
make a life by what you give.””
— Winston Churchill
“Phil-lan-thro-py – the practice of giving money and
time to help make life better for other people”
— Merriam-Webster Dictionary
““The process that you led was very important to me and we certainly came to a good outcome. We all enjoyed your company and you fit well into our situation.””
— EP - Client