SmartGiving: Planning Well To Do The Most Good - A Philanthropic Advisory Service


• Overview • Samples • FAQ's • Next Steps

1. Personal Mission Statement:

Articulating your Personal Philanthropy Mission Statement is the result of a formal process of thoughtful discussion with your Advisor and quiet, personal reflection on your part. Just two of the questions that help foster that thinking are shown below:

Sample Questions (PDF)

Here are some examples of completed mission statements:

"Our family's goal is to ensure the vibrancy of arts and culture in our community. We believe that integral to that goal is ensuring that those in our community with the most limited access to arts and culture receive that access. Therefore, we fund innovative community based programs, whether offered by individual artists, schools, theatres, museums or others, which contribute to our goal."

"As a Jewish woman and the sister of a gay man, social justice is the issue that concerns me most. Therefore I donate to and volunteer with organizations that work for human & civil rights for groups that are oppressed or otherwise discriminated against. I prefer to support organizations with which I am personally involved and organizations that are fighting on the front lines of these issues rather than at the public policy level."

"Our ability to give stems from our home-grown business which we started on the kitchen table of our first home. Through our donor-advised fund at the local community foundation, we make multi-year grants and micro-enterprise loans to minority and disadvantaged entrepreneurs and to those whose entrepreneurial vision includes lifting up inner cities."

2. Match Profile:

Matching you with worthwhile projects and/or causes involves, first and foremost, a clear understanding of what values you bring to your choices. Our questionnaire serves to elicit this information. Here is a sample of the questions you'll encounter:

Section 2: Engagement

1. Organization(s) I wish to support provide opportunities for active involvement (volunteering) by donors:
Not Important at All 1	Somewhat Important 2	Important 3	Very Important 4	Essential 5
2. Organization(s) I wish to support provide opportunities for involvement (volunteering) on the specific project funded:
Not Important at All 1	Somewhat Important 2	Important 3	Very Important 4	Essential 5
3. Organization(s) I wish to support provide opportunities for involvement in a leadership (Board and/or committee) capacity:
Not Important at All 1	Somewhat Important 2	Important 3	Very Important 4	Essential 5
4. I am willing to serve on a Board that requires an annual financial contribution ("give or get policy") from Board members?
____ Yes ____ No ____ Will Consider
5. Organization(s) I wish to support provide the opportunity to make site visits to projects funded:
Not Important at All 1	Somewhat Important 2	Important 3	Very Important 4	Essential 5

3. Grantee Snapshot:

The file below is an example of a Grantee Snapshot.

Sample Grantee Snapshot (PDF)

4. Sample Reports:

Just two of the many reports you will receive are included below:

Sample Report By Motivation (PDF)
Sample Report By Mission (PDF)

• Personal Mission Statement
• Match Profile
• Grantee Snapshot
• Reports