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As you set out to articulate the problems you want to solve, it’s important to consider your values and stay focused on your motivations for giving. Understand the approaches to finding the most effective solutions.

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Understanding the problems, their causes and approaches to solutions

Understanding an organization's activities, outcomes and impact

Aligning investments with philanthropic focus

Understanding the problems, their causes and approaches to solutions

R E S O U R C E S F R O M

Use these activities to reflect on the problem you’re trying to solve in your focus area and figure out which approaches will achieve your philanthropic objectives most effectively.

Reading

Before you pick organizations to support, it’s important to understand the problem you wish to solve and its possible causes. There are five types of approaches to solutions: Direct services, Research and the development of knowledge, Changing governments or corporate policies, Changing societal mindset and systems, Funding prizes.

Read "Guide to Effective Philanthropy - Chapter 5"

Activities

Develop your problem statement

Pick an approach

I N S I G H T S F R O M

Volunteers hugging with arms around each other

The Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative is a grantmaking program of Fidelity Charitable separate from its donor-advised fund program. Its purpose is to strengthen the resilience, sustainability and effectiveness of the social sector’s infrastructure—the shared resources, information, networks, research and advocacy that all donors and nonprofits need so they can achieve their intended impact.

Learn about the Fidelity Charitable Trustee's Initiative

Read our report that identifies the biggest gaps in the framework and opportunities for funders like the Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative to make a broad impact on the greater nonprofit ecosystem.

Read the report

Understanding an organization's activities, outcomes and impact

R E S O U R C E S F R O M

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.

Reading

"Ideally, an organization will rely on some form of evaluation to assess whether it is actually achieving its intended outcomes. But some organizations do not have the resources to conduct evaluations."

Read "Guide to Effective Philanthropy - Chapter 6"

Activities

Nurse-Family Partnership's Theory of Change example

Search for an organization on GuideStar

Search for an organization on Charity Navigator

Fidelity Charitable donors
Log in to your Giving Account for limitless searches with Guidestar

Aligning investments with philanthropic focus

R E S O U R C E S F R O M

Reading

“While philanthropy can be an effective way to pilot a program or innovation, philanthropy is not big or powerful enough to solve most social programs alone. Impact investing uses the power of the marketplace to achieve scale, and more financially secure solutions."

I N S I G H T S F R O M

Learn about impact investments available to Fidelity Charitable donors

There are a number of funds that consider social, environmental and governance (ESG) factors.

Socially responsible investment funds

Many nonprofits engage in impact investing. Learn how you can support them using your Giving Account.

Impact investing nonprofits

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

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Keep exploring

Fidelity Charitable has highlighted resources that can help donors like you in your journey with four broad stages, each containing a unique set of activities that will help you get the best results.