Define & Refine Your Philanthropic Aim

One of the greatest aspects of developing a philanthropic strategy is the sheer creativity and thoughtfulness injected into your aims of creating the positive change you seek in the world.

Philanthropy is personal and creates connection.

Intentions activate purpose.

And because of this, there is no ‘one size fits all’, which makes the work of philanthropy challenging, rewarding, and inspiring altogether. Through the collaborations of past and current CivicAIM clients, the journey of purposeful giving is exactly that – a roadmap of anticipated milestones, twists, turns, and surprises of knowledge and relationships garnered, and collaborations earned with other social change agents along the way.

So in the spirit of defining New Year intentions, below is a list of thoughtful bellweather resources in the field of strategic and intentional philanthropy.

*Nerd Alert* Yes, I proudly display my true colors of regularly consuming, evaluating, and referencing these great works of thought and research on the philanthropic sector’s contributions, challenges and transitions!

• National Benchmark Survey of Family Foundations a collaborative report by The National Center for Family Philanthropy and the Urban Institute
• Threads: Insights from the Charitable Community published by Independent Sector
• Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2016 published by Foundation Center in partnership with Lucy Bernholz

May these guides inspire and enhance your intentions of purposeful giving.

Share your intentions and predictions. What philanthropic practices were you proud of in 2015? What are your giving aims for 2016?

On behalf of CivicAIM, I look forward to the privilege to support your grantmaking vision and witness the fruition of your philanthropy’s ideas and investments of supporting community. — Erica V. Ekwurzel