Generosity Content
Generosity: Giving, Getting & Managing Philanthropy Preeminently is our first published work for the Generosity Institute. The book is organized into 24 chapters addressing the practice, science and art in fundraising and philanthropic wealth management excellence.
Chapter titles and descriptions are as follows:
The Practice of Philanthropy
celebrating generosity
What does it mean to be generous? Truly generous? How do does one come to be generous? Generosity explores the many elements that make one want to give, get or manage philanthropy preeminently. And, in this introductory chapter, we explore some living examples of people who are generous by nature.
experiences with the good . . .
Examples of people and organizations who are good at practicing generosity preeminently are featured in this chapter. How do they approach giving and getting? Who manages that effort for them? Why? Can generosity be shared? And, if so, how best do you share generosity preeminently?
the bad . . .
Just as is there is always a good way to practice generosity, there is also a bad way to do it, too! Without naming names or throwing someone or something under the proverbial bus, what have been those practices and how do we avoid being one of the bad examples ourselves? Can we use these lessons to better structure our own philanthropic initiatives so that they might maximize doing great public good?
And the ugly
Sometimes good and sometimes bad is not the only outcome when it comes to practicing generosity. Sometimes that practice can just be downright ugly. Not intentionally but certainly from lack of attention to detail. This chapter will provide you a road map on how to avoid the pitfalls of being messy.
The Science of Philanthropy
principal giving & signature naming
Principal gifts are donations, typically in cash or equivalent, of $5 million or greater. Their impact is often transformational to the beneficiary charity. But like any donation, gifts of this magnitude require expertise on both sides of the gift. What are the pros and cons of principal giving? What does it mean to a charitable venture to be entrusted with one's family legacy or family name in the process? What are the responsibilities a charity assumes in taking on this donor relationship?
pri's & social impact funds
One of Benjamin Franklin's favorite charitable tools was the PRI - a Program Related Investment. Over the years, the rules and norms for accepting PRIs have been institutionalized through federal code. What are those rules and how can one best utilize this very powerful giving tool? And what about newer Social Impact Funds? Forbes estimates that this rapidly emerging industry is already a multi-trillion dollar industry. How do you get in on it, responsibly and ethically?
family offices & private family foundations
Much has been written about these two sophisticated giving platforms. But, how do they work best with a charitable initiative? Do family offices and private family foundations benefit from principal gifts or PRIs? How do you most appropriately approach one for the benefit of your charitable cause? What are they looking for and who make the best candidates for their particular brand of generosity?
community foundations & donor advised funds
There are a lot of community foundations out there today and just as much opportunity seems to be hosted by associated donor advised funds. What are they? Who are they? How do you secure a gift or philanthropic investment from one of them? Should you?
Trusts, pensions & planned giving
Here is where the art of generosity comes into play at its most collaborative level. Structured properly, trusts, pensions and planned giving can and should be used to leverage your philanthropic objectives. Working with one of these platforms, however, requires great expertise and deft structuring. What are the challenges of working with a trust, pension, or planned giving program? What happens when it works well?
special events & special projects
In a traditional fundraising effort, special events and special projects can be very labor-intensive and exceptionally costly. Did you know that they do not need to be either big bucks or big time initiatives to work really well? Because they are so critical in introducing a charitable cause to a prospective and even existing donor, there has to be a better way to make them work without mortgaging the charity's future in the process or inviting negative publicity.
doing more for less
As technology improves and becomes more readily available to even the smallest charitable enterprises doing more for less is becoming the norm - the expected - among prospective donors. How can you responsibly drive down cost-to-raise-a-dollar ratios while delivering a higher quality, more impactful product at the same time? Is it possible? Who is doing it now?
boards & campaign cabinets
The bane and the bravado of any charitable initiatives, boards are an essential element of preeminent generosity. Campaign cabinets are an effective tool for expanding the influence of any board so that all-too-critical fundraising objective can be met in a more timely fashion. How can boards work more effectively so that they, too, can be classified preeminent? How are campaign cabinets best structured and what roles should they play, when?
enterprise excellence & high reliability organizations
With all of these preeminent generosity tools at our disposal, how do we ensure that a charitable enterprise is operated excellently? How do we make them more reliable in the process? Take our survey and see for yourself what it means to be a high reliability organization - an excellence enterprise worthy of a prospective donor's support.
The Art of Philanthropy
preeminent arts
Some of the the best generosity practices in the arts are profiled in this chapter.
preeminent education
Some of the the best generosity practices in education are profiled in this chapter.
preeminent faith
Some of the the best generosity practices in faith efforts are profiled in this chapter.
preeminent globe
Some of the the best generosity practices around the globe are profiled in this chapter.
preeminent health
Some of the the best generosity practices in health initiatives are profiled in this chapter.
preeminent humanitarianism
Some of the the best generosity practices in humanitarian causes are profiled in this chapter.
preeminent politics
Some of the the best generosity practices in politics are, believe it or not, profiled in this chapter.
preeminent sports
Some of the the best generosity practices in sports are profiled in this chapter.
a better way to give
There is indeed a better way to give and you can have it, too. The ball is in the donor's court and donor's have a right to expect, and do expect, to give more preeminently themselves. A better way to give relies on relationship-centered generosity, not transactional giving that has typified charity in the past.
a better way to get
Competition for that charitable donation is very intense these days. There is a lot of overlap among qualified charities. How a donor organization gets and gets preeminently is detailed in this chapter along with recommendations on what a donor organization should do to attract that all-too-important gift to your organization above and beyond what others might anticipate or realize possible.
a better way to manage generosity
Generosity is a two-way street. The act of giving blends (or should) with the act of getting when you manage generosity properly. Today’s philanthropic efforts have far more tools to work with than ever before, but we still tend to judge philanthropic success or failure by old, now often antiquated, standards of operating our nonprofits and charitable ventures. What is the process for better managing generosity today?
endnotes & citations
Research notes for elements of the book are noted in this section.
for your consideration
Recommended related charitable organizations are listed here for your consideration.
