The San Francisco Business Times has a nice write up of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors today (subscription required):
A new kind of philanthropy advisory firm for high net worth individuals has taken root in an understated Burlingame office park.
…Whereas philanthropy consultants work on specific projects, Tactical Philanthropy Advisors operates more like a traditional wealth manager, helping donors devise a philanthropic plan. The firm is paid up to 1 percent of assets under management, and the relationship is conceived as long-term and highly personal.
“I think there is a huge number of high net worth donors who need this high level private client service in their philanthropy,” Stannard-Stockton said, dismissing the notion that donors won’t want to pay additional fees to give their money away. “Most donors do line-of-sight giving; they give to what they see. But the field of philanthropy is so exciting and is moving so fast right now, we are positioned to bring new research studies or issues or ideas to our clients’ attention.”
The firm grew out of requests for this kind of service that Stannard-Stockton has fielded almost since he began his Tactical Philanthropy blog back in 2006.
…Bill Somerville of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation in Oakland has joined Tactical Philanthropy Advisors. The firm is also working with Jed Emerson, a leader in the social entrepreneurship movement, and IDEO to build something called the Tactical Philanthropy Knowledge Network, to apply design thinking to expand relationships and knowledge for social change.
The company also hopes eventually to work with local community foundations.
“Community foundations offer deep local knowledge, which we will never have in all sorts of small areas. My hope is we will be able to work together,” Stannard-Stockton said, though he acknowledged that some community foundations might see his firm as a competitor.
You can read the full article here (subscription required).