“You can’t trick fate, but you can mold it with passion, bend it by ambition, and turn it toward a better world.”
– Final stanza of Larger Than Life by Peter Karoff, Founder of TPI
In his collected writings published one year ago today, A Generous Life: Reflections on Inspired Giving by our founder Peter Karoff offers a conversational guide through the phases of becoming a philanthropist. The journey can begin with the initial calling to do something with newly acquired or expanded assets, in some cases simply as a dutiful member of society. But such a venture can begin to feel responsive rather than proactive, or more of an obligation than meaningful engagement. These inner rumblings start early on, or for some after a few years, but those rumblings are a sign you have reached a tipping point.
For those who are restless to go further and deeper with their philanthropy, the tipping point can follow a vague feeling that one could be doing more – and perhaps thinking very differently about how to make a difference in their community or in the world. This transitional mindset may be marked by a series of questions:
- I keep giving and doing more for organizations I care about, but is my giving rooted in a clear sense of what I care most about?
- How can my philanthropy be a more joyful, fulfilling, and integrated part of my life – and less a response to requests and expectations?
- How can I engage my family in ways that spark passion and excitement about the power and potential of philanthropy?
This tipping point is a signal that you are ready to move forward on your philanthropic journey. What could your unique role be? What changes do you want to see? What will your story be about your place in the world?
“What is the story I want to write about my philanthropy? How might it be told 20 years from now?”
At TPI, we believe philanthropy is most meaningful and effective when it starts with your values and passions. It can go much further than writing checks to a few good organizations – an invitation to put “your whole self” in, leveraging your skills, your experience, your networks, and so much more. You may choose to follow the “universal human tradition of helping others help themselves” or to tackle an issue or need that infuses you with purpose. When you start down that more meaningful path, the doors begin to open to your calling within philanthropy.
“What public persona do we (as a family) have today, and how do we wish to present to the outside world in the future?”
As individual family members feel the pull of their own callings and begin to explore what that might mean or look like, many are eager to involve other generations at some point. What are the values underlying a family’s place in society?
One early TPI client’s story may serve as an inspiration. This client inherited a large amount of money and started a foundation. She wanted to involve her teenage children in some way. Why when they were so young? She told us that she thought of her foundation as a “third child” and wanted her daughters to know this other “sibling” as well as they knew each other, for the foundation’s work to be “deep inside the psyche of our family life.” TPI worked with her and the family to create that central story with buy-in from everyone involved. Over the years, their shared work evolved with changing family members while staying true to the philanthropic values that were so important to this remarkable woman.
Do I think of my giving as a creative process, as a duty, or both? What would I like it to be?
Philanthropy has the potential to be an energizing experience. At its best, it can involve exploration of ideas and conceptualization of new approaches, informed by knowledge, experiences, and thoughtful input from any number of collaborators. Starting with clear goals, this type of creative process can lead to different ways of thinking about entrenched problems. Perhaps there are new approaches that deserve to be tested, cross-fertilization of ideas, or opportunities to utilize new research in ways that could be transformational.
“I like the surge of intensity, passion, commitment, and even obsession that joins the heart and the mind in the making of things. It is how we wake up out of the somnolence of the everyday and how we go deep into our humanness… I think it is the same for each of us in our own search for meaning – we are most fully realized as a ‘maker of gifts.’”
– Peter Karoff
If TPI can help you consider your calling and discuss the potential that strategic philanthropy holds for you, your family, your foundation, or your business, please reach out to us at info@tpi.org.
If you are intrigued by the reflections of Peter Karoff, our founder, the quotes herein are from a collection of his writings, A Generous Life: Reflections on Inspired Giving. Click here to learn more.
