Meaningful Giving Starts With What Matters to You

What makes a charitable gift meaningful?

For some, it may be supporting an organization that made a difference in their life. For others, it may be addressing a need they see in the community, honoring someone important to them or creating opportunities for future generations.

Whatever the motivation, meaningful giving often begins in the same place: taking time to understand what matters most to you.

• What's the best charitable gift you've ever given?
• What gift brought you the most joy?
• And why?

The answers tell us a lot, not just about where someone wants to give, but about the values and experiences that shape their generosity.

Start with Your Values

We all have values that motivate the decisions we make every day. Those same values can help guide your charitable giving.

Before deciding how or where to give, take time to think about the experiences, people and places that have shaped your life. What has made a positive impact on you? What would you like to make possible for someone else? What is something you wish were different in your community or our world?

These questions can help move your charitable giving beyond responding to the latest request and toward a more intentional expression of what matters most to you.

One of the biggest misconceptions about philanthropy is that it's only for individuals with significant wealth or that charitable planning needs to involve complex strategies. In reality, philanthropy can be meaningful at all ages and stages of life. The important thing is finding an approach that reflects your goals and circumstances.

If you’re looking for a place to begin, our online Giving Guide offers questions and exercises to help you reflect on what matters most and bring greater intention to your charitable giving.

Make Generosity a Family Conversation

Giving can also create an opportunity to share your values with the people closest to you.

We work with families who establish donor advised funds and invite their children to help make charitable decisions. Some set aside an amount for each family member to recommend grants, while others come together throughout the year to talk about the causes and organizations they want to support.

As families grow, those conversations can extend to grandchildren and future generations, creating opportunities to share what matters to them and learn what inspires others.

Your family doesn't have to agree on every cause or organization. In fact, learning what matters to each generation can be part of the experience. Giving creates an opportunity to listen, learn and practice generosity together.

Our personalized giving services can help create space for these conversations, bringing generations together to explore shared values, individual interests and what generosity can look like for your family.

Find the Approach that Works for You

Once you understand what you want your giving to accomplish, together we can consider the tools that will help you get there.

We often refer to donor advised funds as a “charitable checking account.” You make a charitable contribution to the fund and then recommend grants to your favorite charitable organizations over time. An endowed donor advised fund can function more like a “charitable savings account,” creating resources you can use for giving well into the future.

There are many other opportunities to consider, too. Gifts of appreciated stock and other non-cash assets can be effective charitable tools. A charitable gift through your will or trust can create meaningful impact after your lifetime. And charitable giving can be considered alongside your broader financial and estate plans.

You don't need to navigate those decisions alone. Your financial advisor, attorney, tax professional and the Community Foundation each bring different expertise to the conversation. When appropriate, bringing this team together can help you find a strategy that supports both your charitable intentions and your broader financial goals.

Learn More

I recently joined dsm Wealth podcast host Suzanna de Baca and Tom Houser of Dentons Davis Brown for The Gift That Grows: Turning Generosity Into a Strategy. We explored intentional charitable giving, family values, charitable planning and how generosity can create an impact for generations to come.