Philanthropy 3.0 - Your Giving Portfolio
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Spring is a great time to start planning out your giving for the year. You have filed your taxes, you set funds aside for the next big purchase and/or your retirement and spring is just the time for "cleaning house." Your philanthropic house should be on that list.

A good place to start is looking at the donation receipts you have from last year and create a spreadsheet with the following columns:
  • Name of charity,
  • Amount of donation,
  • Project supported,
  • Received a thank you note and/or received an update on the use of proceeds and
  • Follow-up required.

Once you have filled in your spreadsheet see if you can identify patterns in your giving (similar types of organizations, specific geographies, a connection who asked you to donate, etc.).

Consider these four components of an effective Giving Portfolio when evaluating your past giving and setting up your future philanthropic plan:

  1. Clearly articulated purpose of WHY you are giving
  2. Traditional philanthropy (cheque writing and volunteering)
  3. Impact or Venture philanthropy (riskier investments that support the testing of a solution)
  4. Ways to measure against your stated purpose

The articles in this newsletter address these different components of your Giving Portfolio. We have also provided you with links to external resources to help you on your philanthropic journey.
TIME, TALENT, TREASURES & TIES
WHAT ARE THE ASSETS YOU BRING TO THE TABLE?
Too often funders are only seen with one asset - Treasures. This can't be further from the truth. In fact funders and recipient organizations bring multiple assets to the table:
  • Time
  • Talent
  • Treasures and
  • Ties

When entering into a strategic relationship with a charity consider all the assets that you bring to the table, and what the organization has to offer as well. This will help you identify where some of the gaps are and as a result will highlight the risks that might need to be considered when supporting the organization or project.

We are currently working with a private foundation where the founder's contribution was a letter of endorsement for an organization that allowed that charity to secure a Data Scientist from a major tech company for a project. The company is paying the salary of the individual that would otherwise be cost prohibitive for the charity. In this case it was not Treasures that the Funder brought to the table but access to her network - TIES.

Read more about how you can identify the different assets you bring to the table.
PHILANTHROPY IS HARD WORK: The $1Billion Problem Facing Canada's Charitable Sector
Earlier this month the Globe and Mail ran an article "Giving Away Money is Harder than you Think" about the challenges family foundations face in giving away money effectively.

Because strategic philanthropy can be difficult we see family foundations go dormant within the second generation. In fact almost $1Billion is tied up in these dormant foundations.

Trusted family advisors are in a unique position to help reactive, re-energize and re-engage family members in the philanthropic legacy.

Here are some ideas to help you move the needle on these dormant foundations
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A GIVING PORTFOLIO ADDRESSING HYPER-LOCALIZED POVERTY - A CLIENT CASE STUDY
Cradle to grave poverty is on the rise. It is estimated that 8-10% of North Americans live in chronic poverty (more than one-generation at or below the poverty line). Federal and regional poverty reduction strategies have not reduced this number, but have maintained it at a steady state for over a decade.

Inter-generational poverty is largely due to the combination of complex issues including ineffective government policies, immigration, lack of financial literacy education, migration patterns of individuals seeking employment region by region (in-migration following industry booms and out-migration following busts), and lack of affordable housing.

It's the perfect storm.

Read more to learn how the Pink House foundation is tackling this complex issue.
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CONVENING STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
The traditional model of grant making has been the "Please Sir, can I have some more?" Where a charity comes in with an ask to help the organization move forward on a project. Very rarely do we see organizations truly collaborate on the funding application side, let alone on the implementation side.

This model is being challenged by a new wave of philanthropists where they are convening group discussions with multiple organizations, other funders, government representatives, front-line workers (i.e. store owners and beat cops) and end-users (those directly impacted by the problem and potential solution). These round-table meetings are effective because it creates a safe space for organizations and funders to really dig deep and explore the issue beyond the presenting problem.


A lab is convened either by the Funder who wants to explore an issue further, or by an organization (for-profit or non-profit) that recognizes the solution is beyond just a cash contribution. If money were the solution, we would have solved these problems a long time ago.

The conversations happen in the white spaces to get to the root issue. From there a solution can be designed.

What are the white spaces that you are exploring?
From our Network
Each issue we feature news from advisors in our network, charities, non-profits or social enterprises that our clients support.
Measuring for Impact: Immigrant Aid Foundation - The Economics of Supporting Immigrant Education
Each year Canada welcomes about 180,000 skilled immigrants and this number is growing. We rely on immigration to maintain net positive population growth and address key labour shortages. However, many internationally trained professionals face barriers to full employment become trapped in poverty and low-paid work because they lack the income, savings and access to credit required to afford Canadian training or reaccreditation.
 
Immigrant Aid Foundation (IAF ) micro loans make it possible for immigrants to gain the Canadian licensing/training they need in order to work in their field. IAF is the only program offering loans nationally with a full-circle model and high-touch approach that keeps newcomers at its centre.
 
IAF’s results are remarkable: 45% of the newcomers who apply for IAF loans are unemployed; of those who are employed, 72% earn $24,000 or less. By the time IAF borrowers pay back their loans 2.5 years later, their incomes have tripled from $16,000 to $50,000 on average. 75% of loan recipients are working in their field by the time they’ve repaid their loan.
Mothers day
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY - THE GIFT OF GIVING

Mom's do so much for us. One way to show your appreciation is to give the gift that pays it forward. The values that she has instilled in you can be shared with others.

TheCardThatGives is one such item. A charity GIVE card that allows your Mom to redirect the funds to her favourite charity.
Karma & Cents Inc.
#109, 5760 - 9th St. SE, Calgary AB T2H 1Z9, Canada
www.KarmaAndCents.com
1-866-936-GIVE (4483)
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