Donor Education

Give with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

The Purposeful Giving Program

A pathway to impactful, rewarding philanthropy.

Starting Fall of 2025

Are you ready to make your giving more intentional, impactful, and gratifying? Would you like to move from donating reactively to giving strategically? Are you curious about the best vehicles to support your philanthropic goals?

The Purposeful Giving Program is designed to help you develop a clear and thoughtful plan for your philanthropy. Through guided reflection and practical tools, you’ll create a personalized roadmap to guide your charitable decisions aligned with your values and goals. Topics covered include.

Motivations for Giving – Understanding and choosing your “why.”
Deciding Where to Give – Navigating the abundance of options.
Ways to Give – Evaluating which vehicles are right for you.
Understanding Impact – Tracking the effectiveness of your giving.

Whether you're just beginning your philanthropic journey or looking to refine your approach, this FREE course will empower you to give with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Keep scrolling to explore the curriculum, course details, and register today…

Course Format

Six Live Zoom Sessions
Held between October and May
One-on-One Consultationswith Spur Staff
Customized support for your personal situation
Optional In-Person Group Opportunities
Such as nonprofit site visits and deeper-dive discussions between sessions

Register

Curriculum

Session 1: Motivations for Giving

Understanding and choosing your “why”

Exploring Your Motivations and Values
Reflecting on Your Giving Journey So Far
Identifying a Focus
Choosing a Philanthropic Approach: Financial - Time, Talent, and Ties - Family

Session 2: Deciding Where to Give

Navigating the abundance of options

Finding and Vetting Organizations
Accessing Resources and Guidance
Direct exposure, relationships, and experimentation

Session 3: Ways to Give

Understanding and Choosing the Right Giving Vehicles

Unrestricted vs. Restricted Giving
Annual Giving, Capital Campaigns, and Endowments
Giving from Income vs. Giving from Assets
Giving Now vs. Leaving a Legacy
How to be an Effective and Thoughtful Donor

Session 4: Ensuring Effectiveness

Tracking the Effectiveness of your giving

Identifying Reliable Sources of Information
Balancing Data and Stories: Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Setting Realistic Expectations for Impact

Session 5: Developing a Giving Plan

Create a personalized strategy for your giving

Set Your Giving Budget
Define Your Giving Objectives
Establish a Timeline
Identify Who to Involve
Know When to Revisit and Revise

Session 6 : Wrap-Up and Reflections

Gathering together (potentially in-person)

Sharing take aways from the course or the plans you’ve made
Q&A

You don’t need to have a fund at Spur or make a donation to participate—this program is open to anyone looking to deepen and strengthen their approach to philanthropy.