Philanthropy is an integral aspect of wealth management for high-net-worth individuals who seek to make a meaningful impact on society while managing their legacy. Effective philanthropic efforts require more than just financial resources; they demand strategic planning, insightful guidance, and a deep understanding of the causes that resonate with donors.
The best philanthropy advisers provide HNWs with tailored strategies to maximise the effectiveness of their charitable contributions. These advisers offer expertise in creating impactful giving plans, establishing foundations, navigating tax implications, and measuring the outcomes of philanthropic endeavours.
The type of philanthropy a client chooses to engage in can reflect their own background and interests, and the best philanthropy advisers can help them to refine their mission with a bespoke strategy alongside identifying opportunities to enact it. Spear’s philanthropy advisers can also help clients to understand the tax implications of giving.
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Best philanthropy advisers for high-net-worth clients: names to know
Alex Day – Recommended
Firm: Big Give
Alex Day, Big Give managing director, has been instrumental in driving the growth of match funding in the UK at the online portal established to help philanthropists discover charities and promote intelligent giving. The Big Give works with a network of philanthropic ‘champions’ to match fund charities. Day has led high-profile match funding campaigns and expanded the Big Give’s footprint to support various thematic areas.
Read Alex Day’s full profile at Spears500.com
Mark Greer – Top Recommended
Firm: Charities Aid Foundation
Mark Greer, managing director of giving and impact services at the Charities Aid Foundation, helps UHNW clients and their families to set up their own foundations and makes giving as seamless as possible by taking on administrative, governance, and compliance tasks. Greer believes in properly backing charities and providing them with flexibility to do their work. Clients describe him as incredibly knowledgeable about charity and social enterprise finance who is focused on achieving life-changing results for the end beneficiaries of donations.
Read Mark Greer’s full profile at Spears500.com
Nicola Johnson – Recommended
Firm: Stewardship
Nicola Johnson is the Chief Customer Officer of Stewardship, where she leads major donor activities and oversees over £160 million in charitable funds annually on behalf of over 800 clients. She promotes the use of vehicles such as the Donor Advised Fund to simplify the process of supporting good causes and has received recognition for her team’s philanthropic initiatives.
Read Nicola Johnson’s full profile at Spears500.com
Hannah Gibney – Top Recommended
Firm: Stewardship
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Hannah Gibney is the interim chief philanthropy officer at Stewardship, a Christian philanthropy advice agency in the UK. She oversees a team that serves about 900 clients and specifically advises the upper tier, called the Philanthropy Fund tier, with fund sizes ranging from £1 million a year to about 60 million. Gibney works closely with major donors and their advisers to provide expert, tailored support for maximum philanthropic impact.
Read Hannah Gibney’s full profile at Spears500.com
Methodology
In selecting and ranking the best philanthropy advisers for HNW individuals, the Spear’s Research Unit conducts extensive research of the market, including interviews with well-informed observers, industry insiders and of course the advisers themselves. These take place both face-to-face, and on video and telephone calls. Candidates for inclusion are asked to fill in a form to provide data and a description of their work and client base. In finalising its selections and rankings, the Spear’s Research Unit employs a proprietary methodology that includes a weighted scoring system. This takes into account factors including an adviser’s standing, reputation, client base, recommendations and testimonials, the firm they represent, their level of engagement with the process and certain industry-specific criteria.
Best philanthropy advisers for HNW individuals: the complete list
Find out more
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