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Earning Professional Expertise in Philanthropic Advising

 Learning to be an expert in philanthropy, and specifically in Philanthropic Advising, is a daunting challenge. It’s not something most people set out to do, but building a full array of skills and knowledge among our Foundation staff enables the Foundation to be most effective in achieving our mission of helping people who care with causes that matter. As this profession has grown in recent years new resources have been developed. One we’ve been looking at for a couple of years is the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) educational program. Offered by The American College of Financial Services, this graduate-level self-study program focuses on the tools our staff need to help donors articulate and advance their highest aspirations for self, family, and society. For the Foundation, this program is one more step in providing world-class support and advising services directly to donors and as part of their advising team.  Philanthropic Advising, done well, can open up new worlds and possibilities to people who want to have great impact in the world. We can, and in the future will be even better at, turning your vision into reality. A vision that can engage your children and grandchildren. Knowing how to give to get the result you intend. And all of this with a process that incorporates your personal financial and estate plans in the smartest and most sophisticated way possible. Taking what can be a daunting process and making it simple, intuitive, comfortable, and enjoyable. A philanthropy advisor represents you and your values, identifies opportunities which resonate with you, gets you exactly the information you need to make sound giving decisions and does the follow-up to make sure your gifts have their intended result. Philanthropic advising is a very specialized field, but one which we have been doing for years. One of the greatest advantages of working with the Community Foundation is our experience. I’m so proud of our staff and the long-term relationships we have built in the community. It doesn’t take too many years in this field to develop great skills when you make hundreds of grants each year. And over the last 10 years we’ve made more than 6,000 grants, distributing almost $70 million. Every single grant is the result of a relationship, and many of those grants are the result of weeks or months of careful research and planning. But we will never stop learning and through the CAP program will continue to increase our ability to help philanthropists and investors find innovative ways to maximize the impact of their resources. We make philanthropy simple, powerful, and effective. Chris Askin, President & CEO, 775.762.1932 or caskin@cfwnv.orgConnecting people who care with causes that matter.