Do you know where you are on your journey of generosity?

Britt Ramroop, Director of Fundholder Experience

Have you ever stopped to think about your own answers to why you give, where you give, what you give and so on? Taking time to reflect on where you are on your journey of generosity can be very beneficial – not only for the present but also for the future.

Be intentional and set aside some time to really think through the following questions.

• Are you a reactive or proactive giver? Do you give when you are asked/approached — whether by a friend, a mailer or a campaign with an organization that you have a strong attachment to like a child’s school, alma mater or church? Do you give when major events happen like wildfires, hurricanes or COVID? Have you ever sought to find an organization that does work in an area of interest to you?
• What’s your giving focus? Are there issues that tug at your heartstrings and can you name two organizations in your community that do work in that area? How many different organizations have you given to in the past? Do they have anything in common? When you look at your list do you feel like you are missing an area that you want to focus on but haven’t yet? Is geography important to you? Have you ever been to visit the organizations that you’ve given to and do you know how your donation was used? If you had a magic wand and could fix one problem for many people, what would it be?
• Who else do you know who gives? Do you know others in your community that give? Have you had conversations with other givers about what they support? What do you see as the big issues in your community that would benefit from philanthropy? What do you want your philanthropic legacy to be? Have you ever worked with other donors to help pool money to make a bigger impact?
• If you’re a fundholder, why did you open a donor advised fund? You may have initially opened it because of a tax benefit, but why open a fund that would allow you to advise how the funds are spent instead of just giving to our grant cycle? Did you grow up in a family that gave back? What inspires you? What keeps you up at night?Need more help with your Journey of Generosity? I’d love to chat! Contact me at bramroop@cfneg.org or 770-813-3380