Calvin Edwards & Company is a donor advisory consulting firm. We
help affluent persons, family offices, private foundations,
and government agencies maximize the good they achieve
through strategic giving. We perform organizational,
program, and grant evaluations on the local, national, and
international level.
Although a significant number of financial planners, tax advisors,
and lawyers are available to help high net worth families move money into
private foundations, charitable remainder trusts, and planned giving
instruments—very few organizations work to help move money out of
foundations and into the hands of nonprofits and ministries.
Before making a grant, the number of choices and decisions before
donors is enormous, and questions arise at every step: Who is the best
recipient of a gift? Is it better to give money domestically or
internationally? How much should be given? Should repeated gifts be given or
only a one-time gift? Is it better to give smaller gifts to many groups or
focus on just a few groups? How does one stop giving once started? What
stipulations should one require for a gift? What rights does one have as a
donor?
Hundreds of thousands of nonprofits exist, with new ones appearing
constantly. The array of choices can make giving complicated and confusing.
The endless number of opportunities can be a source of paralysis, leaving
the donor less eager to give.
Making a strategic gift to a nonprofit is more than writing a
check. It requires knowing which causes are most important to the donor,
which organizations are doing excellent work in a sector, how the gift will
be used, which organization can create a high “return“ on the gift, and what
programs work.
Every client has a unique set of needs and interests.
Correspondingly, we provide a diverse set of philanthropic consulting
services. The majority of our services can be grouped under one of four
areas: donor consulting & giving strategies, nonprofit & sector research,
evaluation & due diligence, and venture philanthropy. Each engagement is
customized for the client’s specific situation.
Although many clients select discrete products for their particular
needs from our portfolio of services, we also offer a comprehensive program
to guide donors through the giving process and to help them maximize the
good of their giving.
Because Calvin Edwards & Company is a niche firm, in addition to
explaining our services, it is often necessary to emphasize what we do not
do. We are not financial advisors and do not perform financial calculations
or projections, nor offer advice on tax minimization strategies. We help
affluent persons, family offices, and private foundations move money out of
foundations, not into them.
Because of our focused
commitment to serve donors and our need to impartially consider their giving
opportunities, we do not work for nonprofits and will not accept a nonprofit
as a client. We do not raise funds or design campaigns, we do not solicit
donations, nor do we guide nonprofits to potential donors. Our sole
objective is helping donors maximize the good they achieve through their
giving.