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Determine your destination

You cannot begin a journey unless you know where you want to go. This section will help you home in on your interests or focus areas. Figure out what motivates you to give and how to ensure your personal values are reflected in your giving.  

Finding your focus

R E S O U R C E S  F R O M

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Use these activities to help you define your focus areas and create a framework for decision-making, define your philanthropic goals and assess your program towards them.

Fidelity Charitable donors
Set up your mission statement on your Giving Account dashboard

I N S I G H T S   F R O M

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See how satisfying giving can be when it aligns with your values and interests

Guide dogs and giving

Kathy Wentworth followed her love of dogs to find a philanthropic focus: helping Guide Dogs for the Blind provide canine co-pilots to people who are losing their sight. Through decades of volunteering and recommending grants from her Giving Account, she has built a legacy of generosity – and a cross-country friendship.

Marsha Bulaka and Jewel

Marsha Bukala and Jewel

Lady Lake, FL

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Breaking the cycle of loss

Turning the loss of a loved one into something positive was the goal when Todd and Michelle Buelow established the Matt Tunno Make a Difference Memorial Fund. In their work at the Charlotte Rescue Mission, they've succeeded.

Michelle Buelow

Michelle and Todd Buelow

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte Rescue Mission

An airman's daughter

Fidelity Charitable donors Jim and Gini Mulligan share a unique connection: their fathers were prisoners of war together in Vietnam. Now, the Mulligans help the children of fallen warriors go to college debt-free by recommending grants to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. For Alison Loftis, daughter of Air Force Lt. Col. J.D. Loftis, the support is “a huge blessing.”

Gini and Jim Mulligan

Gini and Jim Mulligan

Wilmington, NC

Special Operations Warrior Foundation

Learn about the causes you care about

Expert research and advice are out there - you just need to know where to look.

Feedback

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Tell us what’s working and what’s not!

We want to know how to best support you in your philanthropic journey.