ThinkingGiving: Your journey to better charitable giving

Welcome to ThinkingGiving, helping you to give better.

How do I know my donation is making a difference?
What should I look for on a charity’s website?
Should I support a large, national charity or a small, local one?

Welcome to ThinkingGiving, an education course designed to help individual donors answer these and many other questions.

Whether you’re a long-time but frustrated donor or just starting on your giving journey, ThinkingGiving will give you the tools to maximise your impact and build meaningful relationships with charities along the way.

It provides straightforward, practical guidance to make thoughtful, effective and ultimately more satisfying charitable decisions.

ThinkingGiving is specifically designed for UK-based individuals who make their own giving decisions. Below you’ll find the course trailer and a link to sample the ThinkingGiving course for free!

Visit ThinkingGiving Sample the Course

^{ThinkingGiving is a 3-hour virtual course created by SylviaBrownSmartDonors and the Beacon Collaborative.}

3 August 2022

3 Reasons to Invest Philanthropically in Mental Health

“Sound mental health is the foundation of everything that’s needed to thrive,” begins Holly Elliott. And yet, 300 million people worldwide are experiencing depression alone. Drawing on examples from her work at mental health charity StrongMinds, Holly makes donors aware of three key ways they can help to fight back for strong mental health.

26 July 2022

Where are the women in philanthropy?

The 2022 Sunday Times Giving List, which features the top 100 givers of the year, has just three overt mentions of funding ‘women.’ This set alarm bells ringing for Lucy Hart, given how consistently women’s issues are discussed. In this article, she asks how funding can be expanded.

14 July 2022

Social equity in philanthropy – management or measurement?

Should funders of all sizes be measured against the same yardstick? In this article, Cath explores why it is tricky to hold funders of vastly different resource levels to exactly the same standards, but that all funders can make progress by applying a social equity lens to their grantmaking.

28 June 2022

Philanthropy Right Now: Stimulating Intergenerational Dialogue

We are in the midst of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history. But many family foundations are still run by older generations. In this article, Marie-Louise Gourlay opines that tackling our social problems requires breaking down the intergenerational barrier and embracing younger voices, too.

21 June 2022

From Business to Philanthropy: John Stone’s charitable giving.

Investing in philanthropy is a lot like investing in business, says John Stone. Except you’re seeking a social return, not a financial one. We sat down with John to discuss his charitable activity through the Stone Family Foundation, and why taking a business approach can be so effective.

8 June 2022

How To Be The Philanthropist That Makes A Difference

It’s only natural to want to get the most for your money in any situation. Philanthropy’s no different. In this article, our guest author Emmanuel Ayoola speaks to two heads of charities about how you can develop the most rewarding relationship with the charities you support.

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