Finding Your Focus

To develop focus areas and set a budget, consider your motivations, values, risk tolerance, and interests.

The first step toward effective philanthropy is to decide on your particular interests, or focus areas. This chapter helps you consider the following questions:

• Why should I have philanthropic focus areas?
• What motivates me to give?
• How do I align my values with my tolerance for taking risk?
• What personal values should be reflected in my giving?
• How do I decide what causes or issues to fund?
• How do I allocate my philanthropic budget and time to my focus areas?