Ideas to Impact Blog

Insights from the Impact Fund

Jessica shares her own life lesson about the value of expert guidance. Learn how you can do more with your strategic philanthropy when you work with an advisor who knows you and shares your principles.

This summer, I will turn 50. I’ve spent the last few months auditing my life - what have I done (mother, wife, career-check check check!), what do I still want to do (travel, ride horses, maybe a vacation house) and what do I need to do (pay for college, mortgage, retirement). I have goals and responsibilities and need a budget and plan to accomplish those. My husband and I enlisted an advisor because, after making rookie mistakes in our 20s, we realized we needed an expert to guide us.

Most Impact Fund donors we work with have philanthropic goals. They’ve come to the Bradley Impact Fund for help to achieve those goals. Our mission as philanthropic advisors is to help them maximize their resources to do so. We call this strategic philanthropy.

“There are many good charities, but fewer GREAT ones. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a neutral, knowledgeable third party to ask which groups are great?”

Jessica Dean
Senior Vice President, Bradley Impact Fund

Jessica-Dean

There are many benefits to strategic philanthropy and enlisting a partner to plan. A philanthropic advisor who knows your goals and the charitable landscape can help you and your family set reasonable expectations. For example, many of our donors want to give to their alma mater in a way that aligns with their principles, like the advancement of free markets. The Impact Fund can help identify a professor or program that teaches free market economics, thereby allowing them to fund an alma mater and align with their values.

A philanthropic advisor can help you focus on organizations doing the best work. There are many good charities, but fewer GREAT ones. If your mailbox is anything like mine, it’s filled daily with letters asking for contributions. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a knowledgeable third-party to ask about which groups are great? Often, the great groups might not even be on your radar, but if we know you have an interest in, say, election integrity, we can connect you to groups that may be of interest. That way you can quietly check them out and decide if they are a good fit.

There is another benefit of the Bradley Impact Fund: privacy. Not only can we help cut through marketing and fundraising pitches, but we can also provide a layer of privacy, which in a time of heightened scrutiny is becoming more necessary for donors who prefer to control who knows what about their giving.

Strategic philanthropy ensures the donor’s intent will always be followed during their lifetime as well as when they are gone. We all know stories about philanthropy gone awry, from big foundations like the Ford Foundation to donors who assumed younger generations held similar values, only to have them give to causes that were at odds with the donor’s beliefs. Working with a philanthropic advisor is like “philanthropy on rails” — your money will always stay on the track to causes you believe in.

At the Bradley Impact Fund, we offer philanthropic advice and planning so you can achieve your goals, ensure your intent is followed, and do more than you can do without an advisor who knows you and shares your principles. Add to that our competitive fees, customized investment options, best-in-class service, and you’d have to wonder — who wouldn’t want to utilize this opportunity?

My husband and I realized we’d be a lot better off in the long run if we hired a financial advisor who knows our goals, budget, and personalities. We found an advisor who understands us and keeps us focused on the long game. Through the Bradley Impact Fund, you can make the best of your philanthropy, too.

Jessica_Dean_2018“We offer philanthropic advice and planning so you can achieve your goals, ensure your intent is followed, and do more than you can do without an advisor who knows you and shares your principles.”

Jessica Dean
Senior Vice President, Bradley Impact Fund

 

Let’s talk about the impact you would like to make with your giving. Give us a call at 414.291.2500 to start your strategic philanthropy with the Impact Fund today.