Design Fundamentals for Meaningful Giving #6: Which Way

Taking A Closer Look at 4 Functional Roles for Making Change

Itʼs important to determine which style of giving is best for you when it comes to translating your
resources into truly meaningful giving. Answering this question starts with stepping back from the
common labels of “funder” and “grantee.” Instead, it makes sense to take a closer look at four
functional roles in any change-making ecosystem: stakeholder, entrepreneur, accelerator and
advisor.

Stakeholders—this is often the broadest category, including any and all people with an interest in
the issue in question. For example, everyone living in the Colorado River watershed is a stakeholder
when it comes to water conservation and allocation policies.

Entrepreneurs—these are people with an idea AND an operational plan for making change on the
issue in question. Entrepreneurs may be first movers, but they also typically seek to organize and
enlist others in pursuit of impact. Take, for example, the work of climate activist Greta Thunberg
organizing a youth-led movement of school strikes and other direct actions to protest inaction on
climate change.

Accelerators—these are people using their resources (financial and otherwise) to get behind
someone elseʼs plan for making change on a given issue. McKinsey Scottʼs philanthropy ($5.7B in
2020 to 300 or so non-profits working across several distinct issue areas) is a classic example.

Advisors—these are people using their knowledge, and perhaps also their social, political and
cultural capital to help others make better decisions in pursuit of positive impact on the issue at
hand. In some cases people play this role as their professional focus—as philanthropic advising
firms do. In other cases, non-profit leaders do double duty as informal advisors to philanthropic
institutions. Similarly, some experienced foundation executives and individual donors spend much
of their time advising fellow donors as well as social entrepreneurs.

Which Ways of Giving Make the Most Sense for You?

The four roles in the change agent ecosystem correspond with four ways of giving. A key question
for you as a donor is: Which style of giving best maximizes your impact AND your sense of joy and
fulfillment? Getting your giving style right is key to landing in the meaingful giving quadrant as you
gear up your giving.

Entrepreneurial: You and your immediate team are the ones generating the ideas as well as the
operational strategy for making change. Your path to impact and fulfillment is about mobilizing and
engaging others around an effective plan. Then you work that plan with all youʼve got. The
entrepreneurial style also fits those who pursue their vision for social change by directing their
business operations towards a social purpose. Take for example Australian mining entrepreneur
Andrew Forrest. He is putting his $8B fortune into play with dramatically outsized investments in
R&D that bet his companyʼs future on clean hydrogen technology and carbon-neutral steel.

Accelerative: Your path to impact and fulfillment is about being a talent spotter. You find great
leaders and organizations with great ideas for making change on the issues that matter most. Then
you do everything you can to speed them on their way. There is plenty of scope for being strategic in
this role, but more at the big picture level, not so much the operational and programmatic level.

Advisory: You are focused on helping others generate the best possible ideas and decisions on their
own terms. You draw on your expertise, access and know how to do so. This is not typically your
primary giving style if you define yourself as a “donor.” But it may still be a vitally important part of
how you operate and add value to others. An advisory style of giving may be especially important for
you if your “wealth stock” includes a lot of intellectual, social, cultural or political capital. More on
this in worksheet #3: WEALTH STOCK

Stakeholding: In this style of giving, your own experience and proximity to the issue is a key source
of inspiration. Some of the most effective entrepreneurial funders are also stakeholders with
proximity to the issue they are working on. Take for example Dustin Moskowitz and Cari Tuna. They
focus on reshaping the culture of philanthropy by helping fellow donors give more effectively.

These four giving styles are not mutually exclusive.

On any given issue it may be possible to show up as an advisor in some instances, and an entrepreneur driving a plan, as well as an accelerator of othersʼ efforts in still other ways. Similarly, perhaps you are already stakeholder on the issues that matter most to you, with an interest in the outcome no matter what other roles you play.

 Questions for Reflection 

If you could only play one of these 4 roles as you move forward with your philanthropy (stakeholder,
entrepreneur, accelerator or advisor), which would it be?

And which of these giving styles matters least to your impact and sense of fulfillment?

Think about your best experiences bringing joy and impact through your giving so far? Which roles
were you playing then?

Is there a role others have been asking you to lean into more? In which of these roles do you have the
most untapped potential?

Download the worksheet

Check out the video, download the worksheet, and stay tuned for the next segment in this series, where we'll look at how you choose to focus your giving geographically with Design Fundamental #7: Where.