The Philanthropy Toolkit - Conversation Starters

When proactively starting the conversation, you may want to gauge your client’s interest in philanthropy with a few opening questions. These questions allow you to get to the deeper values and motivations behind your clients’ philanthropy. Feel free to mix and match questions as you see fit.

Is philanthropy (charitable giving) important to you right now, or is it something you’d like to revisit in the future?

Tell me about your family’s values.

What are some values that you and your family share?
What values do you want to pass along to your family?
How might these values inform your wealth planning process or your charitable giving?
Is this something you would like to explore further in our meetings?

What issues are you (and your family) passionate about? Why? (Tell me more.)

Are you aware of any organizations that are working on these issues?
Are you involved with any of these organizations?
Have you given to any organization that you are excited about? If so, why?
Is this something you would like to explore further in our meetings?

Tell me about some important life experiences that have affected you.

How might these experiences inform your wealth planning and/or your charitable giving?
Is this something you would like to explore further in our meetings?

What aspects of your identity are important to you?

How does this affect how you view your wealth planning or your charitable giving?
Is this something you would like to explore further in our meetings?

Have you thought about what kind of legacy you want to leave?

Is this something you would like to work on now, or something you’d like to revisit in the future?

If using these starting questions seems intimidating, consider role-playing the conversation with a colleague to prepare for a client meeting. Experiment with these questions until you have identified which questions, or how to revise these questions, so they feel natural to you.

Conversation Starters