Welcome to the interactive online giving guide from Marga. As you move through the slides with the navigation in the bottom right of your window, we will work together to assess your interests and giving philosophy. Click the right arrow to continue.
Whether you have provided millions or thousands of dollars in support to your favorite charity or have provided as little as one dollar to your favorite church, you are a philanthropist. At Marga Incorporated, a global consulting firm that develops multi-stakeholder partnerships and philanthropic initiatives, we know the potential of all of your contributions no matter the size. And we know how much more powerful you can be when you have a vehicle for fulfilling your interests through giving, adding greater meaning to your life and helping people simultaneously.
The truth about individual and family giving is that it tends to be personal and relational. People give to those institutions and issues that touch them directly – their churches, their alma maters, and the like. These are all important, as they provide both donors and recipients great fulfillment. But, in addition to those more obvious giving choices, where can your philanthropic dollars be funneled to provide the best possible combination of personal fulfillment and social relevance?
Here are the steps we at Marga Incorporated take to advise individual philanthropists on how to match personal interests with areas of need in society:
Marga Incorporated’s broad understanding of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector gives donors an experienced, professional dimension to their giving. We begin this by conducting an assessment of you.
Assessment is an important first step to help you understand where you have been with your philanthropy, and begin to imagine where you might want to go. What fulfills you and where do you most want to make a difference? What social causes do you want to address? In assessing the potential of your philanthropic giving, first take a glance at how you have been giving to date. Can you discern a portfolio, and identify categories and characteristics? Please complete the following table based on your current giving:
This column should total 100% and reflect your overall giving. The total is calculated for you at the end.
Now that you have filled out the table, what does it tell you? Would you like to keep a similar composition? Where do you think this combination has made the most difference? In what ways would you like to consider changing your portfolio?
After preliminarily considering the direction you want to take, given your personal interests and where you want to make a difference, what do you envision doing two or three years from now? Try filling out the same table again to visualize the direction your giving portfolio might take. You can fill it out again after additional research and dialogue and planning, which comes later in this process.
These are organizations, people, places, or things that you would like to support
These can be general (such as education) or be very specific (such as success in college)
These are organizations to which you want to contribute when they ask
Are you in the same place, or have you changed considerably? Why?
Either way, let’s think about who are some people relevant to your chart as we move into the next step, Partners. Who else is giving in your areas of interest? What are some of the types of organizations and institutions and individuals who are working in the areas where you want to make a difference?
This completes the first step in developing your strategy and provides some insight as to what’s coming in the next part. Thank you for participating. If you would like to continue developing your strategy or would like to provide feedback please continue to the next screen.
Thank you for completing the assessment.Your responses will be emailed to you at the address you provide below.