Social connections and community impact are two of today’s most important cultural trends. Combined, they add up to a growing commitment to philanthropy.
Not everyone likes to “do good” in exactly the same way, though. Understanding the ideal mix of charitable activities based on your social impact personality type–”investor,” “connector” or “activator”–can be useful.
“Investors” prefer to engage in social impact activities that are independent and do not require scheduling dedicated time or working directly with others in the pursuit of a charitable endeavor. Investors sometimes feel they have more money than time and would prefer to write a check or purchase a product that supports a cause.
“Connectors” prefer to engage in social impact activities that are social in nature, involving the opportunity to get together with other people, although not necessarily always in pursuit of the same specific charitable endeavor. This may include celebrating at community events or marketing a favorite cause on social media.
“Activators” are passionate about participating in one or two causes they care most about, and tend to focus on “changing the world” and impacting a single social issue on a broad scale. Activities generally require focused, scheduled and structured behavior oriented toward a task or community goal. A lot of people who serve on boards of directors are activators.
Whatever your personality type, Cobb Community Foundation can help. For example, if you are an “investor” type, our team can talk with you about:
–Setting up a fund at Cobb Community Foundation to organize your giving to charities.
–Structuring your estate plan to include a bequest to your donor advised fund at Cobb Community Foundation.
–Giving appreciated stock to your donor advised fund, instead of cash, to minimize capital gains tax exposure.
If you are a “connector,” here are things you might consider:
–Working with Cobb Community Foundation team to occasionally hand-deliver checks from your donor advised fund to charities as an opportunity to say thank you to the people working hard to improve the lives of others.
–Giving money from your donor advised fund to a best friend’s favorite charity.
–Collaborating with siblings, children, and grandchildren during the holidays to make one big gift from your family donor advised fund to a single charity instead of many small gifts to different charities.
Finally, if you are an “activator,” our team can discuss ideas with you, such as:
–Giving an increasing amount of money each year to a favorite charity based on the organization’s demonstrated results to improve the quality of life for the people its mission serves.
–Giving money to multiple charities that are collaborating to achieve a specific goal, such as increasing the graduation rate within a particular school, discovering new drugs to treat cancer, or rebuilding a community center in a blighted neighborhood.
–Giving to relief efforts after humanitarian tragedies.
Getting in touch with the ways you like to give back means you’ll enjoy your community engagement even more. That’s good for the community–and good for you, too.
