Giving Back Fund Programs & Services

    Our programs and philanthropic consulting services are designed to highlight philanthropic
    role-models, promote best practices, and help to foster a strong and dynamic philanthropic
    community with an emphasis on the sports and entertainment industries.   

    We welcome collaboration with other nonprofit organizations but due to the volume of
    requests we receive, we cannot assist charities in finding a celebrity spokesperson.  We will
    keep any information sent to us requesting a celebrity spokesperson on file should an
    appropriate opportunity arise

    A sampling of our programs and services:

    Philanthropic Consulting

    The Giving Back Fund offers our expertise and our unique network of relationships to help
    make your charitable giving one of the most rewarding things you do in life. The Giving Back
    Fund’s approach is dynamic, confidential, and completely customized to fit our donors'
    unique schedules.

We  work collaboratively with the donor to deliver the highest level of personalized services to
him and his team of representatives.  Initially, The Giving Back Fund explores, clarifies, and
articulates the donor’s philanthropic vision, values, and mission.  This may include interviews
with the donor, his family, and anyone else who is involved in his philanthropy such as close
friends, colleagues, and representatives.

Based on our assessments, The Giving Back Fund can provide a range of philanthropic
consulting and management services, including housing donor-advised foundations.

When you work with The Giving Back Fund:

  • You benefit from our charitable network developed over years in the field.  We
    regularly meet people from around the country and the world who are interested in
    philanthropy and social change.  This provides for a unique opportunity to “mix-and-
    match” people we meet with causes and charities that interest them.
  • You build momentum quickly using our contacts and leveraging our experience.
  • You share the administrative and management costs of your charitable efforts with
    others with whom we are working. These costs may include: day-to-day accounting,
    dues and subscriptions, office and administrative expenses, salaries and benefits,
    filing fees, and insurance.
  • You receive one-to-one individualized service. We work with you, and whomever you
    designate as your representatives (i.e. agents, publicists, financial advisors), to help
    you identify, develop, and implement your vision for your charitable efforts.
  • You simplify your life by formalizing and centralizing your philanthropic activity.  You
    can direct all charitable inquiries and requests to us to screen and review.  We will
    only forward on requests to you that match your predetermined charitable interests
    and goals. Other inquiries we will politely decline on your behalf.

    We can help you:

  • Explore, clarify and articulate your philanthropic vision, values and mission into a
    confident and proactive charitable plan that adds to your personal legacy.  
  • Receive peer advice from some of the nation’s most prominent leaders in
    philanthropy and others who have worked with us over time to implement their
    personal giving programs.
  • Help you select the most worthy beneficiaries of your giving or provide you with ideas,
    research and feedback on how to create novel philanthropy.
  • Use public relations to advance your goals and spark interest in your ideas.
  • Properly evaluate requests for support, assess outcome measurements, negotiate
    grant terms and reporting requirements, conduct site visits and meetings with senior
    leadership teams on your behalf, conduct post-grant evaluation and results tracking.


Unlike many community foundations, we do not normally charge a percentage of assets
under management.  Instead, we provide the initial strategic philanthropic consulting meeting
for free.  We meet (preferably in person but it can be on the phone) with the donor and his
team of representatives, family members, and other advisors to discuss his goals.  

After the meeting, we prepare our recommendations with several fee options.   If the donor
expects to only distribute a few grants during the year, we can offer a percentage of assets or
a nominal flat rate.  

In other words, we are not a one size fits all company.  We customize our services based on
what the donors want and we adjust to the donors’ needs.  

We also keep marketing and professional goals in mind during our planning. We understand
that the stronger the donor's and foundation's brand, the better it is for philanthropy.  

We are not fund raisers but we do help with cause-marketing when possible. However, not
every athlete’s foundation is ready for cause-marketing right away!   

We  work with outside fund raisers and help oversee the fund raising to make sure that it is in
compliance with state and federal regulations.  If the donor has a publicist we coordinate
media with them.  If not, we manage the PR.    And of course, we collaborate with everyone
the donor designates to make sure that we are working toward common goals.  This means
we work with financial advisors, marketing experts, agents, etc. to make sure that we are
complementing each other.

We've been providing philanthropic consulting to high-profile individuals for ten years.  We
know what works!

Giving Back 30

An annual list of the largest personal public donations to charity by celebrities.  Our inaugural
list was released in People magazine.  The 2007 list will be released in the spring.


Case Studies

    In collaboration with leading business schools, The Giving Back Fund is preparing case
    histories on some of the most successful celebrity philanthropists. We will make these case
    histories about best practices in celebrity philanthropy available online to help guide up-and-
    coming celebrity philanthropists, as well as others in the philanthropic, sports, and
    entertainment communities. Sign up to receive an email notification when these are available.

Lunch with Leaders

A luncheon series convened by The Giving Back Fund at which ten business and non profit
leaders have the opportunity to meet one another in an informal social setting over a five-star
lunch to consider various philanthropic and community issues.  


Please contact us at 310.649.5222 for more detailed information about our services or
sponsorship opportunities.
Help us engage athletes and
entertainers in effective
philanthropy
Spotlight Program:

12 Reasons to Give 2005 Celebrity
Philanthropy Calendar

This calendar honored twelve
generous and diverse high-profile
individuals within professional
sports and entertainment who
have demonstrated a strong
commitment to philanthropy. The
Giving Back Fund identified the
donation of time, talent, and a
million or more of charitable
dollars as qualifying
characteristics for honorees. The
2005 calendar honored notable
philanthropists (l to r) Angelina
Jolie, Russell Simmons, Sting,
Leonardo DiCaprio, Alonzo
Mourning, Edward Norton, Andre
Agassi, Sarah McLachlan, David
Robinson, Amy Grant, and the
much-missed Giving Back Fund
Advisory Board member
Christopher Reeve. More
Copyright © 1997- 2008 The Giving Back Fund
www.givingback.org
the premier philanthropic resource
for the sports and entertainment communities
DONORS

In addition to our current donor
advised foundations, The Giving
Back Fund provides
philanthropic consulting to
independent 501(c)(3)
organizations, individual donors
who wish to make direct gifts to
charities, and corporations.  

Current and previous clients
include: