A donor can be an individual, an institution or an organzition. They help others by making strategic and informed giving decisions with their resources and monetary awards. Donors and potential donors can find resources to help with their philanthropic giving.
Learn About Philanthropy
Philanthropy Glossary
A glossary of terms related to philanthropy and grantmaking.
Philanthropy Basics
An introduction to philanthropy and the different types of foundations and grantmakers.
How to Begin
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Starting a Private Foundation provides information for donors on tax implications and restrictions, identifying and establishing the donor’s mission, foundation structure, and operations from the planning to initializing stage. Available from The Philanthropy Roundtable.
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Starting a nonprofit in Connecticut - In order to start a grantmaking foundation, you need to incorporate as a nonprofit. The Connecticut Nonprofit Alliance has many resource links and materials on this topic. |
Resources
Relief for Disasters and Tragedies
Find disaster and tragedy relief information and resources for funders or individuals who want to support organizations in regional, national or world wide responses.
The 10 Mistakes Donors Make Most Often
The 10 most common financial mistakes people make when giving to charities—and how to avoid them. WSJ surveyed financial advisers and philanthropy consultants about the most common mistakes, big and small, that donors make when choosing, or giving to, charities and how to avoid them.
Eight Tips for Deducting Charitable Contributions
Did you make a donation to a charity this year? If so, you may be able to take a deduction for it on your tax return. Here are the top 8 things the IRS wants every taxpayer to know before deducting charitable contributions.
Links
GiveSmart
The Bridgespan Group’s GiveSmart website is designed to help philanthropists make better decisions and get better results from their giving. The website shares effective practices, including case studies, how-to guides, and other decision-making tools, as well as contributions from Bridgespan, informed by its 10 years of collaboration with philanthropists and foundations, and leaders in the field including the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, the National Center for Family Philanthropy, The Philanthropic Initiative, and the Philanthropy Roundtable, among others.
Glasspockets
This Foundation Center has taken the lead in communicating about their work, particularly using online resources and social networks. Visitors to the site will find essential facts about all 97,000 U.S. foundations, illustrations of philanthropy's impact on the issues that people care about, and information on the ways in which foundations are striving to become more transparent.