While every philanthropic journey is unique, nearly every funder reaches points along the way where they feel more – or less – connected to the work they are doing. It’s easy to get bogged down in details and processes or overwhelmed by the enormity of the issues we seek to address. One of our roles at TPI is to help funders take a step back, reflect on their work, and set clear intentions for their work moving forward. We often build this in as an annual check-in exercise with our clients, to take stock and calibrate our work together. While this can be a very personal process, we have distilled some of the questions we use into an exercise for funders who wish to proactively and continually deepen their philanthropic experiences. 

If you feel like your philanthropic endeavors are on autopilot and want to reconnect with a real sense of purpose, I invite you to ask yourself the reflection questions below. Take your time. Be honest. Answer with your heart as much as with your head. Offer these questions to family members or to your board and staff as an exercise. There are no wrong answers. Where there might be indecision or different perspectives is often where you can learn about each other and become more intentional about your work. 

Reflecting on the Past 

  1. Among your accomplishments over the last year, which have been most personally meaningful?
  2. What might have gone better or differently, in retrospect?
  3. What did you enjoy most about your work engaging in philanthropy over the last year?
  4. What did you learn over the last year that you might bring forward?

 Planning for the Future 

  1. What parts of your philanthropic work are you most looking forward to next year?
  2. What goals do you want to set for the next year?
  3. Do you want to maintain or increase your giving rate over time?
  4. How are you feeling about the size and scope of your grantee portfolio?
  5. How is your funding style shifting, if at all, based on your experiences partnering with grantees?
  6. Moving forward, how do you want to spend your time doing the work of philanthropy?

Read the full article about deepening the philanthropic experience by Lisa Spalding at The Philanthropic Initiative.