How can your organization use philanthropy to create a positive social impact?

1 What is philanthropy?

Philanthropy is the voluntary act of donating resources, such as money, time, skills, or goods, to support a social or environmental issue. Philanthropy can be done by individuals, groups, or organizations, and it can take various forms, such as grants, sponsorships, partnerships, or employee engagement. Philanthropy differs from charity in that it aims to address the root causes of a problem, not just the symptoms.

2 Why is philanthropy important for your organization?

Philanthropy can offer your organization a range of advantages, such as enhancing your reputation and credibility, building trust and loyalty with stakeholders, improving your competitive advantage, attracting and retaining talent, and creating positive change in the world. It can demonstrate your commitment to social and environmental issues, provide meaningful opportunities for employees to contribute to causes they care about, and address some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities that affect your organization and society.

3 How to choose a philanthropic focus?

Choosing a philanthropic focus that matches your organization's vision, mission, values, and goals is an important step in using philanthropy effectively. You should also consider the needs and expectations of your stakeholders and the community. To do this, you should identify the issues that are relevant and important to your organization and its stakeholders. Sources such as surveys, reports, media, or feedback can help you understand the social and environmental context and trends that affect your organization. Additionally, prioritize issues that align with your organization's core competencies, strengths, and opportunities. You can use a matrix or a framework to evaluate the issues based on their impact, urgency, feasibility, and alignment with your organization's strategy and values. Lastly, select the issue or issues that you want to focus on and define your objectives and outcomes. A logic model or a theory of change can help you articulate your philanthropic vision, mission, goals, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts.

4 How to implement a philanthropic strategy?

Once you have chosen a philanthropic focus, it is essential to implement a strategy that maximizes your social impact and ensures accountability and transparency. To do this, you should develop a plan that outlines your budget, timeline, resources, partners, and indicators of success. Utilizing a project management tool or dashboard can help organize and monitor progress and results. Communicating your plan to stakeholders and the community is also important. This can be done by utilizing various channels such as newsletters, social media, websites, or events to share your philanthropic story, values, and goals. Executing your plan and delivering activities should also be done through methods such as grants, sponsorships, partnerships, or employee engagement to create value for your organization and society. Evaluating your plan and measuring impact is the final step. Surveys, interviews, focus groups, or reports are useful tools to collect data and feedback from stakeholders and the community to assess performance against objectives and outcomes.

5 How to improve your philanthropic practice?

Philanthropy is an ongoing process that requires learning and improvement. To make sure your practice is up-to-date, it's important to review your plan and impact regularly and critically. A SWOT analysis or feedback loop can help you identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Additionally, you should seek feedback and input from stakeholders and the community through surveys, forums, consultations, or co-creation. Adapting and innovating your plan and activities is also key. Brainstorming, prototyping, or testing are some techniques you can use to generate and implement new ideas. Finally, don’t forget to share your learnings and best practices with others through blogs, podcasts, or webinars. Doing so will help you inspire and influence people to join or support your philanthropic efforts.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?