A Different Type Of Gifting

South Africa boasts a rich history of philanthropic giving, from both corporates and individuals alike. In the past, it has generally been unstructured, and although stemming from good motives, has lacked strategic goals and sustainability, thus diminishing its effectiveness and long-term impact.

With the advent of the King Report on Corporate Governance and an ever-greater understanding of the real needs in South Africa’s emerging economy, a more strategic and sustainable approach has been adopted, focusing on a better integrated and collective response to exert a greater and further-reaching impact on clearly specified outcomes.

Jean de Villiers, Head of Philanthropy at Citadel, says there are many generous corporates and individuals who would like to make contributions to worthy causes, however, they are deterred due to the lack of time or expertise to do so effectively.

“In a country where so many are sceptical of corruption, many have been deterred from making contributions to worthy causes due to  bad press about fraudulent Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) that have been involved in corrupt activities,” says De Villiers.

To reclaim the positive reputation that philanthropic giving should have, the Citadel Philanthropy Foundation believes that transparency is key. “By using a trusted organisation to facilitate donations, one has peace of mind knowing that their hard-earned money is going to make the biggest social impact per rand,” says De Villiers.

Think bigger than a handout 

Attitudes to giving have changed from merely providing handouts to creating hope, opportunities and sustainable solutions, but donors have every right to want peace of mind about where their contributions are going and how it will be used. People are aware that simply giving handouts does not solve the actual problems. It is by giving sustainably that solutions are found, and permanent change can begin.

“There is considerably more emphasis on responsible and strategic management of funds, directed at specifically defined aims. Rather than giving to randomly selected charities and institutions, we are focussing on those organisations that have a proven track record, to create maximum impact and strengthen their hand to achieve more,” says De Villiers.

Use professionals to vet organisations on your behalf  

The Citadel Philanthropy Foundation provides strategic guidance so that donations are channelled to organisations through structured, sustainable investing. All charities and institutions are thoroughly vetted to ensure that the necessary Public Benefit Organisation or Non-Profit Organisation documents are in order, that they are tax compliant, that one can review their financials and impact reports and that a site visit is undertaken to see the initiatives in action.

While considered as one foundation, the Citadel Philanthropy Foundation is a collective with many sub-accounts that are used to determine how the money should be invested and distributed to vetted charities, based on client recommendations. The foundation specialises in understanding the unique goals of clients which enables them to manage their socio-economic spend. This offers full transparency and ticks all the boxes that donors are looking for.

“The foundation is an excellent alternative to a private foundation because it offers all the benefits, but with lower associated costs and zero administration, making it particularly attractive to those who want to contribute, but lack the knowledge or expertise,” says De Villiers.

Anyone cans start giving today, with any amount

“It is our philosophy that every donation counts and, once judiciously applied, can make a huge difference where it is most needed,” explains De Villiers, and one does not need to be a Citadel client to make use of the services provided by the foundation.