Philanthropic Planning

Whether you are a new fund advisor or an experienced one, The Foundation's philanthropic planning services will enhance the rewards that come with giving. Your philanthropic plan will be personalized to reflect your core values and concerns. Our knowledge of community needs and our assistance through the entire planning process will develop your awareness of the issues you care about most and guide you through each important step of charitable giving:

Focus Your Vision
Make Informed Decisions
Create Your Plan
Determine Your Plan's Effectiveness
Benefit From Administrative Support

Focus Your Vision

The San Diego Foundation will help you develop a mission statement that gives focus to your charitable intentions. Through a needs assessment analysis, you'll identify areas where your passions are aligned with community shortcomings. These are the points where your philanthropy has the best chance to bring about meaningful change.

Make Informed Decisions

The Foundation provides numerous research opportunities for you to learn more about your areas of concern. We help our fund advisors connect with experts in the field, review relevant reports and information, and visit organizations that interest them. Through donor dialogues, receptions, and other special events, you'll be introduced to local and national experts as well as others in the community who share your views on the value of philanthropy.

Create your plan

Once you've set realistic objectives for what you'd like to achieve, a carefully conceived strategic plan will ensure the best match between your deeply-held values and philanthropic goals. Your plan should answer questions about the size, scope, frequency, and timing of grants you would like to make. These decisions will impact the effectiveness of your grant making. They also help you determine a realistic philanthropic budget.

Determine Your Plan's Effectiveness

Evaluation measures are an important part of our philanthropic planning process. You'll want to make sure the resources you commit have their desired impact: Are the problems being addressed most relevant now? Is the infrastructure in place for future progress? The San Diego Foundation will assist you in monitoring your grants and reviewing your philanthropic portfolio.

Benefit From Administrative Support

The administrative tasks that come along with charitable giving should not interfere with your desire to affect change in the community. The Foundation will assist you with these tasks, easing your concerns while making sure you get the greatest returns on your contribution. We'll issue quarterly account statements and help with record keeping and documentation of contributions for tax purposes.