Being a philanthropist is one of the few areas of your life where you can start with a blank piece of paper.

It usually means you are accountable to no one but yourself or your family. You are free to define success in your own terms. Of course, as a philanthropist you can expect to be applauded for your motives. You can expect to be thanked by the charities you support.

But a desire for effective philanthropy takes you beyond this. It is an opportunity to ask the sort of questions that Warren Buffet is asking?

How do we know that our money is really changing anything?

For many philanthropists, being effective is no longer about good intentions and polite behaviour. The extensive pledges recently made by America's largest philanthropists have led one eminent philanthropist to claim that a quantum leap in philanthropic effectiveness is now an urgent priority. That is also true in Australia.

To address this, the starting point is being clear about the outcomes you are trying to achieve and being committed to measuring their progress. It is also about being creative and enterprising with the solutions you find.

Philanthropy needs to be both strategic and innovative

However, for many of society's problems, none of this is easy. New ideas carry risk. Even for large donors, keeping the drive to measure results in a reasonable proportion to the funds being donated is a challenge.

This is where PSI Managers can help.

We will help you make smarter gifts. We will help you do so cost effectively. In the process we aim to optimise your time and measurably enhance the quality of your philanthropic experience.

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