Informed Donors are Impactful Donors

Over four weeks, you’ll join an intimate group of private, individual donors like yourself for facilitated online learning (about one hour of content per week plus 30–90 minutes of weekly reflective activities) to more deeply dive into who you want to be as a giver and to draft an actionable giving plan.

What you’ll do:

  • Learn the landscape of philanthropy and how different approaches can advance your goals.

  • Clarify your values and interests, and create alignment in your priorities and giving.

  • Draft a functional and meaningful giving plan, utilizing a customized workbook designed by an academic researcher and philanthropic advisor — and hear how others are thinking about making commitments.

Program highlights:

  • Cohort model to foster rich peer dialogue and cross-pollination of ideas.

  • Four online modules (~1 hour of content each) with 30–90 minutes of reflective work between sessions:

    • Introduction to the philanthropic sector

    • Identifying values and giving priorities

    • Theories of change and cause exploration

    • Drafting a practical giving plan

  • Optional orientation/kick-off and mid-point check-in to connect with other donors and meet the facilitators.

  • Facilitators: Elizabeth Dale, Ph.D., and Farrah Azizi, CAP®. Learn about your facilitators here.

  • As this is part of a national research study by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, participants will be invited to answer brief pre- and post-program surveys to help the facilitators understand how donor education influences giving behavior. Learn more about the research here.

Participant Experiences

“It was very helpful at a time I had the large gifts from my in-law’s estate to designate, and began to think about how to structure my own giving from my inheritance and distributions from my IRA. This class will be helpful in years to come.”

— Participant

“Incredible opportunity to sit down with my wife and really talk about giving of time, talent, and wealth. I feel inspired that we can further our values with more strategic giving in all of these areas. It was helpful to share this experience with others on the same journey.”

— Participant

“The course helped me really define my charitable interests in a more specific manner than I had done on my own. This helped me reconcile my actual giving against the areas in which I am most passionate, which was a little bit of a surprise. This will help me better structure my future efforts in a more focused and intentional way.”

— Participant

Get Started

We’re partnering with select organizations across the country. If you’re interested in joining a cohort or offering this to your donors, please contact us.