Subscribe to our regular news bulletin and our quarterly magazine
International advisors
Quarterly Issue:
By:
This Provider Services resource lists philanthropy advisors' services, their unique selling point and the fees they charge, in their own words.
In our Quick guide, advisors have listed the services they offer. We have presented this in a matrix format so you can easily compare providers.
Active Philanthropy (Germany)
Our service
Active Philanthropy aims to be a one-stop-shop for all questions donors have on their way to becoming an active and effective philanthropist and to help them develop a tailor-made strategy for giving back. Our aim is to encourage an engaged, active approach to philanthropy throughout Europe because we are convinced that donors can create an impact not just by contributing financial resources but also with their professional experience, time and contacts. Active Philanthropy works with multi-generational families with an entrepreneurial background and philanthropic tradition. Services especially tailored to the next generation help to pass on family values and traditions and to involve the next generation in philanthropy very early, thus fostering inter-generational exchange and understanding within a family.
USP
We have a clear focus on families and individuals from entrepreneurial/business owning families. We are independent from any bank, asset management company or similar organisation. Building on interactive, innovative learning experiences, our approach focuses on learning from peers, in the field, and on showing that giving can be fun and personally enriching.
Fee
Written materials/resources are free of charge or at a low symbolic charge. For workshops and expeditions participants pay direct costs or according to the model ‘pay whatever you think it has been worth to you’. Individual advice is charged on a per-project basis.
King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium)
Our service
The King Baudouin Foundation gives advice to donors and intermediaries on the most efficient way to use a donor's assets to achieve a social purpose. As philanthropy is a very special discipline, the Centre takes the time to listen to donors, to study their ideas in terms of philanthropy and to provide professional advice. Over the last 30 years, we have built up a huge fund of experience in philanthropy as well as in civil initiatives. The vast international network of the King Baudouin Foundation also represents an enormous asset for our Philanthropy Centre. In 2007 the British magazine Euromoney awarded the prize to the King Baudouin Foundation for the 'best philanthropy consultant in Belgium and Western Europe'.
USP
We have a unique reputation and an excellent track record of helping donors achieve their philanthropic goals. This experience engenders trust in new donors; KBF’s advisory service grew out of a demand by donors impressed by our foundation work. We take a donor-centric approach.
Fee
For initiatives managed by the KBF, we cover costs. For example, we charge a management fee of 0.8% of the capital of a fund (so a fund of 100,000 euros would cost 800 euros in management fees). For donor supported funds (without capital) we charge 5% of the amount of grants. We charge a flat fee to cover costs for services such as organising a call for projects, conducting research or fundraising. We do not charge for connecting clients with other organisations.
Philanthropy Ireland (Ireland)
Our service
We offer very general guidance for current and prospective philanthropists, including the types of giving options that are available to them and where they can find information about which organisations to support.
USP
Our unique selling point is a 26-strong membership of organisations with different areas of expertise and approaches to philanthropy. Our members have helped us secure leading advocates to brief our members on key policy issues and to identify and distribute relevant research and guidance, meaning that smaller philanthropies are able to access leading minds in their programme areas and in philanthropy more generally.
Fee
We occasionally charge fees for training events, but these are set so as to cover the cost of the event, not a profit-making venture for our organisation.
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (US)
Our service
With a staff of 40 in three offices (four as of October 2009), Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors provides both project and ongoing support to donors. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ work is based on three factors: our mission-driven approach; our analytical capacity; and our experience with a broad range of philanthropic programmes. The mission of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is to help donors create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world. Our size and depth gives us significant capacity both in planning and implementation as we draw on the complete range of resources as well as the expertise of the project team.
USP
We represent the cumulative wisdom and knowledge of more than 100 years of philanthropy. Our senior staff have deep knowledge and experience in all major areas of giving. We have a global reach, serving donors in North America, Europe and Asia. In 2008, we advised on or facilitated $170m in giving to 30 countries.
Fee
Since all our work is highly-customized, our fee structure is also highly variable. Depending on the engagement, we may charge based on a per-diem rate, a flat fee, a retainer or as a percentage of the grants we are managing.
Tactical Philanthropy Advisors (US)
Our service
Tactical Philanthropy Advisors is a full-service advisory firm. We serve high net worth donors with between $1m and $50m or more in philanthropic assets. Our services include setup, administration, and ongoing advice for private foundations and donor advised funds. We also provide services for wealth managers, estate planners, CPAs and family offices to help them better serve their clients’ philanthropic needs. We have created working arrangements with Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund®, Schwab Charitable, Calvert Giving Fund and Foundation Source to provide robust, institutional quality back office, administrative services to our clients.
USP
At Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, our services are delivered by an experienced advisor who is focused on building a relationship with each client. Our fees are based on a percentage of philanthropic assets under advisement, which means that rather than simply delivering discreet answers to your questions, we are incentivized to deliver a complete, personalized, high-touch advisory experience. Our minimum account size of $1m means that we work exclusively with high net worth clients. We provide a level of service unmatched by organisations with much lower minimums.
Fee
We have a single fee structure based on assets under advisement. All clients have access to all of our services under this agreement.
The Philanthropic Initiative (US)
Our service
The Philanthropic Initiative is a non-profit working across the globe to advance the field of strategic philanthropy and advise the most ambitious family, foundation and corporate donors in their quest for deep impact on the pressing issues of our times. Twenty years since our founding, we continue to conduct vital research, convene diverse voices, and train others in effective giving’s best practices. Our advising work runs the spectrum from strategy and governance to programme design, implementation and evaluation – and includes every aspect of training and education that you would expect from one of the most established names in strategic philanthropy.
USP
The Philanthropic Initiative, Inc. works with ambitious donors who, regardless of their experience or skill level, strive for deep and sustained impact on the critical issues facing society. With two decades at the forefront of the field, TPI has the creative thinking, the network of experts, and the track record of success to ensure change will be realised.
Fee
TPI is social business which relies on its philanthropy advising revenue to fulfill its mission. We charge for time completed at standard and discounted daily rates that range from $1,600 to $2,400 depending on team member and assignment.
VALUEworks (Switzerland)
Our service
VALUEworks is a fully independent family office, located in Zurich, the financial heart of Switzerland. Our goal is to provide a personal, premium quality service to international families, individuals and charities and to build lasting relationships with them as their trusted advisor. Our professional team knows its customers, their needs, wishes, ideas and beliefs and offers a high level of technical knowledge to create state-of-the-art solutions for them. We can offer structural support, international and Swiss legal and tax advice, fiduciary and book-keeping services and can supervise wealth management and banking matters. We have built a global network of selected experts and advisors to implement the best possible solutions for clients.
USP
We offer philanthropy advice as an integral part of our personalised estate planning services for wealthy international families. We accompany and coach our clients in their philanthropy interests and develop their individual giving strategy which reflects their personal values. We advise on charity structures, establish and manage charitable trusts, foundations or endowment funds. Amongst other services we undertake specific research into charities to assist clients in their choice over which ones to support and monitor these charities accordingly.
Fee
No advice fees, and reduced fees for further general administrative and charity services. Fees are charged for special projects such as structuring or founding a charity.
wise (Switzerland)
Our service
We support donors and their families in fulfilling their philanthropic aspirations through three core elements:
- A tailor-made approach: We offer personalised, confidential and tailored services. wise’s experience in social action enables us to guide and assist donors throughout their engagement. Seeking to strategically create change, we want our donors to have a meaningful and enjoyable giving experience.
- Added value for partner organisations: We provide planning and management tools alongside professional insight to increase impact.wise takes a non-bureaucratic and highly focused approach.
- Independence: central to wise’s identity, is our intention to stay independent from banks, while regularly working with them. We personally visit and evaluate organisations we recommend.
USP
We are an independent philanthropy advice firm with a selfgenerating business model; we do not rely on grant funding and no more than 20% of business revenue comes from any one client. We have numerous families and individual donors involved in 23 ventures and have impacted the lives of 1.2 bn people by the end of 2008. We have good networks and are open about the services we offer, and those we can offer in partnership with other organisations.
Fee
We are fee-based and charge by the hour or set packages and not directly in relation to the amount of the donations.
Latest News
-
Posted on 3rd May 2012
-
Posted on 3rd May 2012
-
Posted on 3rd May 2012