GADGETS: Philanthropy advisor: a concrete help to invest in charity

The problem was already felt 2400 years ago: Aristotle, one of the fathers of Western philosophy, had already imagined how difficult it was to engage in philanthropy by investing for others: "Giving money away is a fairly simple action, but for the gesture to be virtuous, the donor must give to the right person, for the right reasons, in the right measure, the right way, and at the right time”. 

Even today, those who want to devote themselves to others by investing in projects for the benefit of the community often have no certainty as to how their money has been invested and what kind of return and impact the donation has had.

The philanthropy advisor therefore was created as a professional figure, already prevalent in Anglo-Saxon countries, providing clients with tools to evaluate organizations and projects to support.

Their role is not only to guide donor choices, whether private, business or foundation, but also to make sure that committed resources are best used by the companies that receive them. They work to identify philanthropic goals, meeting strategies, and measures for success.

In America and the United Kingdom, private charity has a long tradition and specialist consultants are being employed to advise on how to donate, based on rational elements such as the existence of a real need, compatibility with resources, measurable social outcomes.

The Foundation Source, for example, one of the most renowned philanthropy advisory agencies in the US, has thousands of clients and manages over $ 8 billion in capital.

Despite the initial distrust of this new professional figure, it is important to rely on more independent figures who take care of the optimal use of the resources the philanthropist entrusts them, to avoid unnecessary charity.

Their role is therefore different from that of fundraisers, which, on the other hand, seek donors for organizations.