Philanthropic Advisory

Assistance navigating the philanthropic journey to create a lasting, positive impact

A partner on the journey to define and craft your legacy

Philanthropy can be a way to help others and your community, set an example for your family, and leave a legacy. It’s also deeply personal and unique to individuals and families. We help you address all elements of your philanthropic plans and goals, no matter where you are in your philanthropic journey, so you can create a lasting and positive impact that supports your causes, communities, and loved ones.

Finding True North: Defining Charitable Mission to Guide Your Philanthropy

We review why a charitable mission is important and provide guidance on how to approach crafting a mission statement that enables you to take philanthropy beyond just “being charitable” or “giving back.”
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How to Set Up a Charity in Five Steps

Principal Kerri Mast discusses five steps for setting up a charity.
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Areas of Expertise

  • Getting Started

    Guidance on critical considerations to help shape your philanthropic approach and engage family and loved ones

  • Charting the Course

    Assistance defining the role philanthropy will play in your life and estate plan, including values identification, family engagement, and mission creation

  • Structure and Formation

    Advice on structuring your philanthropic activities based on your current circumstances and the forces driving your philanthropy

  • Governance and Administration

    Support for determining the framework, compliance, and other administrative policies and procedures that will govern your philanthropy

  • Strategy, Execution, and Impact

    Guidance on strategic philanthropy and execution, including crafting a strategic plan, building an effective team, designing grants, and measuring impact

  • Beyond Giving

    Assistance aligning your philanthropic mission with your direct involvement in charitable organizations

Race to the Finish: Year-End Tax and Estate Planning Checklist

The new year is almost upon us – are you ready? This checklist covers important income tax and estate planning tasks and reminders to be aware of before 2025.
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Maximizing the Impact of Your Charitable Gift: What and How to Give

Senior Wealth Planner Nicole Jackson Leslie walks through charitable opportunities, touching on what to give, how to give, and important tax considerations.
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We help you navigate the philanthropic journey – which can be a very personal experience and an expression of your or your family’s most closely held values.
Kerri Mast Principal and Senior Wealth Planner

How We Can Help

A couple who is planning to leave the vast majority of their estate to philanthropy voiced concerns about identifying grantees. The couple, who had made a few smaller donations during life, did not have a charitable mission statement and had not yet articulated their approach to giving.

By leveraging BBH planning tools, we helped the couple think through the causes that resonate with them, articulate their desires in terms of legacy and create a charitable mission. Ultimately, the couple decided they wanted to have a local impact and focus on smaller organizations. In order to identify smaller organizations, BBH helped the couple partner with an outside advisor.

An executive approached BBH when his company was planning to go public. As an early founder of the firm, the client had a large amount of low basis stock that he was planning to sell over various periods post-IPO. He wanted to avoid a large income tax bill and was interested in leveraging a philanthropic vehicle. However, the client was unsure of which charitable causes he wanted to focus on.

BBH helped the client determine the maximum amount he would be able to deduct in the relevant year as well as a carry-forward. After identifying the total, we worked with the client to convert the shares and fund a donor-advised fund. This allowed him to set up a charitable vehicle and avoid realizing gains while taking time to identify his philanthropic passions.

A global family had a newly established private foundation. The senior generation required assistance with engaging the next generation, which had a wide age range, in the foundation and preparing them to oversee it in the future.

BBH helped the family put in place a long-term plan for the foundation’s operations and grantmaking and define the future role of each next generation member based on skills and interests. Next, we helped the family outline specific actions they may take to involve and prepare the next generation. This plan enabled the family to map out and act on the long-term vision for the foundation and ensure the next generation was adequately prepared to carry on the responsibility.

A family had inherited a foundation that had been funded by a deceased member from the previous generation. The deceased family member was not philanthropic and had provided little guidance, and the inheritors had no philanthropic experience. The foundation was structured as a trust, and BBH Trust Company was named as trustee.

BBH helped the family set up the foundation’s processes from the ground up. Because members lived nationwide, BBH used an outside vendor to establish an online grantmaking platform through which organizations were invited to apply and where the family could review applications. In addition, we helped the family set up a website, structured several different types of grants for the foundation and helped with understanding governance and the regulations around foundations. Finally, we collaborated with outside counsel to advise the family on avoiding self-dealing issues. All of these factors enabled a family with no philanthropic experience to ensure that its private foundation thrived, and we are now assisting with preparing the next generation.

Sustainable Investing and ESG

We have found that many seek to incorporate their core values in their investment portfolio. Interested in our approach to sustainable investing and how we align your portfolio with your values?

Learn more here

Our Latest Insights

  • Abstract giving hand with read heart.

    Crafting a Lasting Mission: Your Blueprint for Meaningful Giving

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    Keeping It Private: Considerations for Private Business Owners with Private Foundations

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    Effective Nonprofit Board Governance in Tumultuous Times

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    How to Set Up a Charity in Five Steps

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    What Is Permitted? Election Considerations for Charities and Board Members

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    Investing for Good: Aligning Your Investments and Your Philanthropy

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    International Philanthropy: Supporting Causes Around the World

  • Illustration of many arrows changing way to converge toward objective on kraft paper

    The Future of Philanthropy: Blurring of Lines

  • A woman arranges red heart shape puzzles

    Maximizing the Impact of Your Charitable Gift: What and How to Give

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    Maximizing the Impact of Your Charitable Gift: Five Tips for Vetting Charitable Organizations

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    Endowments: Evaluating Spending Policies During Disruption

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    Finding True North: Defining Charitable Mission to Guide Your Philanthropy

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    Considering a Private Foundation or Donor-Advised Fund? You May Want Both.

Contact Us

This communication is for informational purposes only.  The information herein has not been based on a consideration of any individual investor’s circumstances and is not investment advice, nor should it be construed in any way as tax, accounting, legal or regulatory advice.  Individuals should consult their personal tax, accounting and legal advisers regarding any potential investment or strategy.  Any views and opinions are subject to change at any time.

This material does not constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where or to any person to whom it would be unauthorized to do so.

Investment Advisory Products and Services:

NOT FDIC INSURED   NO BANK GUARANTEE    MAY LOSE VALUE

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