Like Ben’s PRIs?

Platforms We Recommend

Fundraising offers donors and charities alike a wide variety of tools to meet their generosity objective. Of course, several factors go into determining the degree of success you may have in securing or offering donations to your chosen charities. Those we prefer and specialize in include, but are not limited to:

Principal Gifts

Typically $5 million or more, principal gifts are transformational donations. Donors capable of making a principal gift are generally very experienced philanthropists and usually use their trusted advisors to help them accomplish a donation of this scope.  Principal gift donations are often cash gifts but may include an element of deferred giving, depending on the size of the gift.  These gifts are also a handy tool for offsetting obligations generated by Program Related Investments.

Program Related Investments

PRIs, as they are often called, were a favorite philanthropy tool of American founding father Benjamin Franklin.  In essence, PRIs are philanthropic loans offered at a very low interest rate (recommended not to exceed 1% annually) that can be repaid over a defined period of time.  We prefer PRIs that use only the interest generated by the gift, so the principal is not at full risk; however, using the principal is possible with the donor's permission.  We also embrace PRIs because they are well-defined in federal statute, thus making them even less risky for prospective donors.  They do, however, require professional skill in structuring.

Social Impact Funds

Not as well-defined in federal statute are Social Impact Funds, which are a rapidly emerging philanthropic tool for ultra-high-net-worth individuals.  Social Impact Funds are more broadly focused than PRIs but highly impactful for the charitable initiatives they benefit.  Unlike PRIs, Social Impact Funds tend to generate a greater financial return for donors but must still deliver a measurable, overriding social benefit.

Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships (P4s)

Philanthropic collaboration these days often involves many parties working together to help fulfill a charitable venture’s mission.  The philanthropic partner, usually the lead charity (although there can be several committed charities involved in a funded mission), a private organization or several organizations that are generally for-profit, and, occasionally, a public partner that may be a governmental or quasi-governmental body assisting in delivering the socially beneficial project to the targeted community.  We love philanthropic collaboration wherever and whenever it can be promoted, and we especially love it when a well-funded philanthropic partner can take the lead in fulfilling a mission that ultimately benefits larger audiences. The P4s are a powerful new trend in 21st-century generosity.

Family Offices

Family offices are private wealth management advisory operations that serve many of the personal and professional needs of ultra-high-net-worth investor households. Family Offices, which can serve an individual family, a group of families (related and unrelated), or an anchor family with small family wealth, differ from traditional wealth management firms in that they offer a total solution for managing the financial and investment needs of an affluent individual or family. Many family offices offer budgeting, finance, insurance, wealth preservation and transfer, tax services, and, of course, charitable giving services.  Select family offices also handle real estate and personal property matters, health and medical needs, vacation and travel details, art collection maintenance, and much more.  Our family office operation supports the Generosity Institute’s work on behalf of our client families, as well as the charities of choice they and their families support.

Learn more about our Family Office.

Virtual Trusts & Endowments

Virtual has two meanings here. The first meaning is that we can help you establish a trust or endowment program without having to operate that program internally with your own staff. We can help you avoid the cost of professional expertise, which is usually way too expensive to fund in-house, a cost-to-raise-a-dollar ratio that's a budget buster, to say the least. The second meaning is that virtual trusts and endowments allow donors to generate the benefits of trusts and endowments now, before they are ever traditionally available to the charity or the donor’s family. Virtual trusts and endowments may enable donors to fulfill their desire to make a significant gift that might otherwise have to be postponed for economic reasons or for better timing. With the virtual trust and endowment program, you can help a prospective donor find a way to give now or sooner if they plan to make a gift through their will. Suppose that the donor chooses to make regular annual gifts. In that case, you can encourage that donor through the virtual program to establish a trust or endowment so that their annual contributions can continue far into the future, as well. You get the picture. It’s another powerful generosity tool to consider.

Enterprise Excellence Evaluations

Operating efficiently as a total organization is the objective of Enterprise Excellence.  Often relying on Lean Six Sigma, Baldrige Quality Standards, or a combination of the two, Enterprise Excellence helps ensure that donors and organizations alike that charitable donations are having their maximum effect for the organization at every level possible.  In other words, everybody is operating on the same page, for the same purpose, in support of the same mission.  This platform will ensure an initial analysis of the process, the availability of multidimensional toolsets to improve the enterprise, a structured methodology for the organization to follow and measure progress, and an engagement strategy to bring your entire team into the improved process for the benefit of the charitable venture.

Philanthropic Marketing

The message you want to convey to your intended audience, whether you are trying to reach donors or prospective donors to a nonprofit venture, or those who might care about your cause, is a strategically vital tool for successful fundraising and philanthropy.  A well-crafted call to action or awareness touch can certainly motivate the right people to join your effort.  Taglines can translate your mission into memorable, simplified messaging that compels donors to give and give again if they know what you are doing in the first place.  The images associated with that tagline and your messaging can also lead those donors or prospective donors to bring others into your generosity initiatives, if they are presented professionally and creatively.  Websites, advertising, public relations, point-of-entry events, special events, direct mail, direct response, tracking, tracing, data management, social media - it all comes together when you can blend your philanthropic marketing into a finely tuned operation that will make it easy for a donor to give, and give again.

Extra Special, Special Events

Yes, you are seeing double here.  Intentionally, believe it or not. We are indeed talking about special special events.  More special, actually. Extra special, special events start by spending less to raise more.  They are designed to be particularly memorable and thus impactful.  They are intended to be grand celebrations of excellence that go beyond simply hosting the point-of-entry event, the introductory tour, or even the formal Gala, which typically costs an arm and a leg.  Special events still aim to bring people together to discuss a charitable venture. Still, they also bring people together with others who are closing their principal gift at that hour, making that Program Related Investment final, or triggering that virtual endowment through their completed planned giving strategy.  There is an art to raising way more money than the ticket price or sponsorship for a golf tournament, fishing rodeo, or black-tie dinner.  We can show you how, and you may be able to use many or all of the tools listed above if needed.