From Brilliant Blog to Business Opportunity

When I began blogging early last year, the blog that most people pointed me to was Sean Stannard-Stockton's Tactical Philanthropy. After a few years of being a tour de force of discussion and analysis in the philanthropic space, Sean is taking his ideas off the blog and starting a new philanthropic advisory firm: Tactical Philanthropy Advisors. This is the power of blogging in the 21st century.

The firm will work with clients with $1 to $50 million in philanthropic assets, and is meant to provide a more engaged approach to helping clients find meaningful giving opportunities with real impact. Sean's sense - one I share - is that people don't just want to check the box on their social responsibility and move on to other things. More and more, people (rich or otherwise) want to be active participants in the world and want to use their philanthropic activity to build bridges to real relationships and real impact.

I think Sean is spectacularly well-suited to help his clients achieve this mission, not only because his decade of experience with wealth management, but because as a high-profile blogger, he has literally had his fingers on the pulse of the industry for the last three years.

To be a successful blogger, one must read. A lot. Like, a lot. It's the only way anyone has anything interesting to say. The power of the Tactical Philanthropy blog has always been in it's ability to synthesize the most important conversations of the day into meaningful pieces that could invite not just experts but everyone into the conversation. As Sean has himself written, and I've certainly experience with this blog, that sort of discussion is one of the most amazing ways to learn about your field.

What's more, the blog has allowed Sean to grow relationships with leaders across the industry. I've talked to many friends in foundations who read his posts religiously as a benchmark of not only opinion on important issues, but what issues are important.

If this post reads like an infomercial, it is, in some ways. I think Sean has done an amazing good for the philanthropic space with his blog, and truly believe that it, combined with his professional experience and expertise, make this new firm an incredibly good bet for organizations and individuals who want to increase their philanthropic impact.

But it's also an infomercial for blogging. This new firm is in many ways shaped by opportunities that Sean created for himself by sharing his thoughts about the industry in public, and encouraging people to challenge him, provoke a conversation, and contribute their own ideas. This is the power of the internet in today's world, and I wish nothing but success for those who use new tools to push their fields, whatever they may be, to important new places.

Full press release after the jump.

Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, Serving High Net Worth Donors, Launches Today

Burlingame, CA – August 31, 2009 – Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, an advisory firm working with wealthy individuals and families, launched today. It is headed by Sean Stannard-Stockton, co-founder of a wealth advisory firm focused on philanthropists, a columnist for the Chronicle of Philanthropy and author of the industry leading blog Tactical Philanthropy.

Tactical Philanthropy Advisors has established working arrangements with Schwab Charitable, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund®, Calvert Giving Fund and Foundation Source to provide administrative, back office services to Tactical Philanthropy Advisors’ clients. Tactical Philanthropy Advisors will provide comprehensive, ongoing advisory services for clients with $1 million to $50 million or more in philanthropic assets.

“Having worked in the wealth management industry for the past decade, I know firsthand that the most effective way for wealthy donors to obtain advice is as part of an ongoing relationship with an experienced advisor,” said Mr. Stannard-Stockton, founder and CEO of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors. “The old model of philanthropy consultants who offer outsourced staffing services or bill by the project is not well-suited to the needs of most major donors. Individual donors give $250 billion a year to charity, making up 82% of all charitable giving. A growing number of these donors want to be sure that their philanthropy is actually making a difference."

Tactical Philanthropy Advisors launches three years after Mr. Stannard-Stockton founded the Tactical Philanthropy blog, one of the industry’s most popular destinations.

“Tactical Philanthropy has emerged as an important platform for some of philanthropy’s most critical debates,” said Jacob Harold, a philanthropy program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. “Sean Stannard-Stockton absorbs the range of viewpoints across the field and then offers his own. But, importantly, he also has welcomed dissent and conflict, allowing Tactical Philanthropy to serve as a place for productive disagreement across philanthropy—all with the goal of increasing our shared impact on critical social and environmental issues.”

Building on the success of the Tactical Philanthropy blog, Tactical Philanthropy Advisors hopes to bring the vibrant, innovative approach to philanthropy that Mr. Stannard-Stockton discusses on his blog to wealthy individuals and families who want to ensure that their philanthropy is effective.

Greg Miller, former director of philanthropic affairs at Google.org, said: “Working at Google.org I had an opportunity to be exposed to some of the most innovative ideas in philanthropy. Sean always stays abreast of cutting edge issues and fosters debate and learning with his Tactical Philanthropy blog. For donors plugging into the latest philanthropic trends and tools, Sean’s firm Tactical Philanthropy Advisors is a great match.”

Ken Berger, CEO of leading nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator, said: “Sean Stannard-Stockton has emerged as a leader in helping people understand what makes for good philanthropy. He is one of the most passionate, motivational and strategic thinkers in the field. By working with Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, I think most donors can become good social investors by improving the way they approach giving.”

One of the core services of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors is to act as a trusted intermediary between major donors and the professional field of philanthropy. The firm is in the process of launching the Tactical Philanthropy Knowledge Network, a network of professional grantmakers who are committed to the idea that knowledge sharing leads to greater social impact. Philanthropy thought leader Jed Emerson has agreed to act as Chair of the Network. In addition, the design firm IDEO will be involved in designing the Network and facilitating Network gatherings.

In addition to working with individual and family philanthropists, Tactical Philanthropy Advisors will also help leading wealth managers, tax accountants, family offices and estate planners ensure that their clients’ philanthropic plans are as robust as their financial plans. Unlike many other firms, Tactical Philanthropy Advisors will offer comprehensive services for both private foundations and donor advised funds, making them an objective source for donors and client advisors seeking advice on structuring their charitable giving.

Tactical Philanthropy Advisors is committed to creating social impact through advancing the field of philanthropy. In addition to working directly with clients to achieve this goal, the company has committed to support the work of the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, a public charity that helps donors of all levels of wealth to engage in creative philanthropy. Philanthropic Ventures Foundation is led by maverick grantmaker Bill Somerville, author of “Grassroots Philanthropy.” The firm has also engaged the services of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation and Bill Somerville to design grassroots philanthropy solutions for Tactical Philanthropy clients.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Philanthropic Ventures Foundation to collaborate with Tactical Philanthropy Advisors and bring together a diversity of talents and knowledge for serving donors,” said Mr. Somerville. “This is a unique offering to donors, and one which will add to the significance of personal giving. Tactical Philanthropy Advisors will give Philanthropic Ventures Foundation a national audience for its brand of creative philanthropy while at the same time committing itself to the growth of the Foundation and allowing it to broaden the services it offers.”

The financial crisis has forced wealthy families to ensure that their financial plans are in order. Major donors are undergoing the same sort of reassessment of their giving plans. “Major donors already seek out professional advisors to help them with their financial accounts, their tax planning, their business planning and legal issues,” said Mr. Stannard-Stockton. “We offer a similar advisory role for donors who do not want to ‘outsource’ their giving, but want to maximize the impact of their giving by working with an expert advisor who acts as a guide to the field of philanthropy.”

About Sean Stannard-Stockton

Sean Stannard-Stockton is CEO of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, a philanthropy advisory firm that serves individual and family philanthropists. Sean is the author of the Tactical Philanthropy blog, writes a monthly column for the Chronicle of Philanthropy and is a former columnist for the Financial Times. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Council on Philanthropy & Social Investing and has been quoted or referenced in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Financial Times and many other media outlets. Prior to founding Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, Mr. Stannard-Stockton co-founded Ensemble Capital Management, a wealth management company focused specifically on serving the needs of philanthropic individuals and families.

Journalists and bloggers interested in more information should contact Tactical Philanthropy Advisors at 888-521-2555 or 650-581-2180, by email at press@tacticalphilanthropy.com or visit the Tactical Philanthropy Advisors website: http://www.tacticalphilanthropy.com/