Charitable giving isn’t just about dropping extra change in a donation jar or saying “yes” to a prompt at the cash register to tag on a dollar for a good cause. These practices are often categorized as “checkbook” philanthropy because they concern individuals writing a check, so to speak, after they’re prompted with an appeal for donations. This is a noble way for individuals to decide if some of their disposable income might find better use addressing an urgent cause.

But there’s another kind of philanthropy that’s more organized, strategic, and impactful, one that involves choosing a vehicle through which charitable activity is conducted. In this guide, we’ll take a look at three common charitable vehicles, weighing the benefits and tradeoffs of each—private family foundations, donor-advised funds (DAF), and limited liability companies (LLCs) used for philanthropic purposes—so you can determine which vehicle is best suited to put your family’s values into action and build a legacy.

Private Family Foundations

Private foundations are nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations often funded by a single source—typically an individual, family, or corporation. They’re tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3). The Council on Foundations (CoF) reports that around two-thirds of all private foundations are family-managed. This is what people mean when they say “private family foundation,” which isn’t a distinct legal entity from a private foundation, but rather a way a private foundation is managed.

For instance, a private family foundation would be funded by members of one family and remain under the management of at least one family member. According to the CoF, “in many cases, second- and third-generation descendants of the original donors manage the foundation.” This makes the private foundation an ideal charitable vehicle for families who want to make a long-term philanthropic commitment with a deep involvement in how their charitable dollars are spent.

What makes private foundations attractive is the high level of control they offer. Families can define the mission, decide where grants go, hire staff, and manage investments. As for responsibilities, private foundations must distribute at least 5% of their assets annually to charitable purposes. They also must fulfill their administrative requirements, like filing IRS Form 990-PF each year and paying an excise tax on investment income.

Pros:

• Control: Full authority over investments, grantmaking, staffing, and mission. Families can determine how assets are managed, what causes to support, and who is involved in the decision-making.
• Legacy: Designed for long-term, multi-generational involvement. Successors can be named and integrated into the foundation’s governance, creating continuity between your family’s values and future generations.
• Versatility: Foundations support a relatively wide range of charitable activities, including international giving. Private foundations can also run their own programs directly.

Cons:

• Cost and Complexity: High upfront costs and ongoing expenses must be expected in private foundations, as well as legal, accounting, and administrative requirements.
• Regulatory Burden: Annual filings, detailed reporting, and compliance with distribution rules may become burdensome.
• Excise Tax: A 1.39% tax on investment income reduces total funds available for grantmaking. It’s minor, but worth factoring in for long-term planning.

Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a great choice for families who aren’t interested in the administrative and managerial responsibilities of a private foundation. A DAF is an account that allows donors to contribute assets and recommend grants, while the fund is ultimately managed by a sponsoring charity (often a financial institution). In other words, the donor retains advisory power, while the sponsor retains control of the fund. 

DAFs are a good fit for families of donors that are looking for simplicity, streamlined recordkeeping (since you don’t need to keep track of every gift acknowledgement), and tax efficiency without losing say in how their contributions could be used. For instance, you could recommend that your donations be used as a source of long-term funding for any IRS-qualified public charity.

Some people enjoy the anonymity that DAFs make possible while donating to causes, but DAFs can also be established in your family’s name. To that end, you can recommend successors to build and maintain a legacy of giving while the sponsoring charity handles all compliance, investments, and distribution. Once a contribution is made to a DAF, you receive an immediate tax deduction.

Pros:

• Immediate Tax Deduction: Contributions are deductible in the year they’re made, even if grants are distributed later. That timing flexibility makes DAFs a useful year-end tax planning tool.
• Low Maintenance: The sponsoring organization manages compliance, accounting, and investments, which means families don’t have to. There’s also no need to form a separate legal entity or file annual tax returns. It’s as close to hassle-free philanthropy as you can get.
• Tax-Free Growth: Assets in a DAF can grow without being taxed, increasing the pool of funds available for future grants.

Cons:

• Limited Control: As a donor, you only have advisory power over a DAF. Final decision power rests with the sponsoring charity. Typically, donor recommendations are approved, but there’s no legal guarantee.
• No Mandatory Payout: Unlike private foundations, there’s no minimum annual distribution requirement. Funds can sit idle for years unless the donor takes initiative. This makes it easier to delay or avoid actual charitable activity.

LLCs Used for Philanthropic Purposes

Unlike foundations and DAFs, LLCs that are used for philanthropic purposes are not tax-exempt entities. They’re for-profit limited liability structures that some families and high-net-worth individuals use to pursue their goals, like grantmaking, political advocacy, and impact investing, without the constraints of traditional nonprofits. While sometimes informally referred to as “charitable LLCs,” this is a bit misleading—these entities aren’t charities in a legal or tax-exempt sense. What distinguishes them is their ability to blend financial returns with social goals in one flexible platform.

The primary appeal is control and range. LLCs can make grants to nonprofits, fund political campaigns, lobby lawmakers, and make equity investments—all under the same structure. These activities are more constrained under a 501(c)(3) foundation. As such, LLCs are often used by high-net-worth individuals or families who want to engage in more nontraditional and flexible forms of philanthropy.

But this flexibility comes at a tax cost. LLCs are typically taxed as “pass-through” entities, meaning any income the LLC generates is passed directly to owners, shareholders, or investors and reported on the members’ personal tax returns, regardless of whether that income is actually distributed. Likewise, LLCs don’t offer the same upfront tax deductions as the other models. Deductions would only apply if the LLC itself donated to a qualifying charity, not if a contribution was made to the LLC.

Pros:

• Flexibility: LLCs aren’t bound by nonprofit restrictions and can engage in lobbying, for-profit investing, and political giving. That makes them a powerful tool for donors who want to influence systems to address philanthropic and business concerns.
• Control: Owners retain full operational control without oversight from a board or nonprofit regulator.
• Privacy: LLCs don’t have to file public disclosures like Form 990. Salaries, grants, and investments can be kept private, which may appeal to families who value privacy.
• Tax Strategy: While not tax-exempt, LLCs offer flexibility in how losses and gains are handled. Impact investment losses can be used to offset other income, while profits can be recycled into future projects.

Cons:

• No Upfront Tax Deduction: Donors only receive deductions when the LLC gives to a qualifying 501(c)(3), which adds a step and limits immediate tax benefits. This may be a concern for families with near-term planning needs.
• Tax Exposure: Income from the LLC flows through to members and is taxable, even if it isn’t distributed. That means donors could face tax bills on earnings they don’t actually receive.

Choosing the Right Structure

There’s no “best” charitable vehicle—it depends on your family’s goals, tax situation, and appetite for control and complexity. Private foundations are ideal for families who want to be hands-on, create a lasting legacy, and directly shape how charitable funds are used, but they do require significant administrative work and costs. Donor-advised funds are streamlined, cost-effective, and tax-efficient, but they offer less control and may require donor initiative to maximize charitable outcomes. LLCs offer maximum flexibility and privacy, but they don’t provide the same tax benefits and require more coordination to be effective.

Families often combine structures to meet their needs. For instance, a DAF can support regular grantmaking with minimal effort, while an LLC can handle impact investing or other activities that a traditional nonprofit can’t. As your charitable vision grows or as your interests shift, the vehicles you use can shift too.

About the Author

Bo Parfet is Head of Growth at DLP Capital, a 5+ billion-dollar company, and a 3X author, speaker, and mountaineer. He received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern and a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Michigan. Among his mountaineering adventures, he’s climbed the Seven Summits and K2, and is embarking on an endeavor to ski down Mount Everest to raise money to bring eyesight to 100,000 blind people. He lives with his wife and two sons in Boulder, CO. You can find him on other social media platforms @boparfet.

Disclaimer: Statements are those of Bo Parfet only and are not guaranteed, nor should such statements be relied upon. Forward-looking statements are expressions and beliefs of Bo Parfet and should not be relied upon.

Past performance is not a guarantee or indicator of future results. The information provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation, an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy. Investment decisions should be made based on your individual financial situation and objectives. Please consult your attorney, tax advisor, or financial professional before making any investment.

The post Charitable Vehicles for Families: Foundations, Funds, and LLCs appeared first on Green Prophet.

In November 2024, with the festive spirit on the horizon, Tempest Photography collected additional funds for its charity partner Raise Your Hands. The photography leader worked with local businesses in Cornwall, collecting prizes for a grand raffle and bake sale.

Tempest Photography’s Partnership With Raise Your Hands

Tempest Photography partnered with Raise Your Hands in 2024, offering to donate 5% of all monies when families purchase a charity photo pack. This product has proved popular with customers, whose orders are helping the photography experts support the philanthropic initiative.

In the 2024 holiday season, Tempest was keen to go the extra mile to support Raise Your Hands. It launched the raffle and bake sale, which raised £750. The raffle offered high-value prizes like hotel stays, afternoon cream teas, escape room experiences, and treat-packed hampers. Numerous people got involved, and the winners were delighted with their prizes.

About Raise Your Hands

Raise Your Hands provides essential financial support and advice to 16 small children’s charities. As the biggest 5% of charities receive 88% of funding, the non-profit organisation ensures that smaller charities also receive the funds they need to achieve their missions.

Whether they work to reduce HIV or suicide, these charities are experts in their niches. They have the ability to transform and save lives. Raise Your Hands recognises that, in many cases, smaller charities are better placed to address specific challenges than bigger charities. This is because they are often specialists.

Tempest Photography in Conversation With Raise Your Hands

Tempest Photography has interviewed Raise Your Hands’ Partnerships Manager Madelaine Jones on the charity’s essential work.

Jones explained that great ideas only tend to receive backing in the corporate world. In the philanthropy space, this is typically only the case for well-known charities with big budgets. Even when small charities have the most effective ideas, they don’t usually have the marketing budget to reach lots of people.

That’s why Raise Your Hands provides long-term funding for small charities supporting children. Over the past decade, it has raised more than £2 million for these organisations. The donations are unrestricted, which means the charities can pour the funding into the resources they know they need most.

When Tempest asked about the challenges Raise Your Hands faces, Jones explained that the difficult economic climate can make it difficult for companies to back the organisation. However, plenty of companies looking to support young people do get involved and help the organisation with its critical work.

As a result, in 2023, Raise Your Hands’ charities’ income climbed by 17%. Their staff teams grew by 12%. And the number of children they supported rose by 25%. This is a fantastic milestone given that the number of young people in the UK needing support is higher than ever.

Thanks to Raise Your Hands’ support, various charities — like Football Beyond Borders — have grown so much they’ve passed the £2 million threshold the organisation uses to define a small charity.

About Tempest Photography

Tempest Photography sits at the forefront of the UK’s photographic industry. Since Horace Tempest founded the company over eight decades ago, it has supported schools, nurseries, and universities all over the UK with its classic and fun portraits, group photos, and ceremony shots. Since then, Tempest has added military and travel photography to its services, not to mention yearbooks, hoodies, and visual marketing.

Photography aside, Tempest is committed to creating social impact. The company is proud to support Raise Your Hands and hopes its customers will continue purchasing charity packs to support the organisation.

The post The Bigger Picture: Tempest Photography’s Philanthropy appeared first on Green Prophet.

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, understanding SEO is like finding the map that leads your small business through the huge and sometimes confusing web visibility maze. The details of SEO management best practices change as we get closer to 2024. This means that you need a method that not only increases organic traffic but also makes your digital mark stronger. This article is your guide to mastering SEO if you are an entrepreneur or small business owner in the sustainability news field. In order to ensure that your valuable content reaches the right audience, we want to provide you with a comprehensive SEO plan.

In 2024, why should small businesses put SEO first?

Today, when the digital world is getting more and more crowded, it’s important to stand out. With its promise of organic exposure, SEO is no longer a choice; it’s a must. It’s a great chance for small businesses, especially those that write about sustainability, to connect with an enthusiastic and involved audience that will bring them more customers and make a difference.

What Is the Format of a Complete SEO Strategy?

Technical SEO site architecture, interesting content, and authoritative backlinks are all part of a strong SEO plan. But how can you make these things work well together? Here are ten techniques that will help you not only find your way through the SEO maze in 2024, but also beat it.

Accept technical SEO as the basis of your online presence

Technical SEO makes sure that search engines can crawl and index your page. Without it, even the most interesting material can’t be seen. Start with a strong site structure, put mobile optimization first, and make sure pages load quickly to please both users and search engines.

That being said, context is truly king

It is imperative to create high-quality, interesting material. In 2024, though, circumstance is just as important. If you want your content to really connect with people who are interested in sustainable news, make sure you answer their specific questions and address their specific problems.

The words “your guiding stars”

Keywords are like direction points that lead people to your content. Do a lot of study to find search terms that match the needs of your audience, especially ones that have to do with sustainability. Then, use these keywords in all of your material, from the titles to the meta descriptions, without making any changes. Make a Mark on the Map with Local SEO

Local SEO is very important for small businesses

Claim your Google My Business page, make sure your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) is correct everywhere online, and get reviews from people in your area. This approach works especially well for businesses that want to make a difference in their local community.

E-A-T: More Than a Meal

Google uses the words Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) to judge the quality of material, especially when it comes to YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics like sustainability. Use well-researched pieces, expert interviews, and reliable sources to show off your knowledge. Link Building: How to Make Online Friends

Backlinks from high-quality, trustworthy sites not only help your SEO, but they also make your site look more trustworthy. Focus on getting to know sustainability blogs, news outlets, and eco-friendly companies so that you can get these useful links.

How the user feels (UX) is what SEO is all about

A smooth UX keeps people on your site longer and lowers the number of people who leave right away, which tells search engines that your site is important. To improve the user experience, make sure the site is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and works well on mobile devices. Voice search optimization: now is the time

As voice search grows, it’s more important than ever to optimize for conversational questions. To reach this growing group, use long-tail terms and try to get into Google’s featured snippets.

Video Content: A Treat for the Eyes

Adding videos to your site can make your SEO much better. Make movies about sustainability that are interesting and use descriptive titles, tags, and transcripts to help them get more views and comments. Analytics: Check, Study, and Change

Use tools like Google Analytics to keep an eye on how your site is doing on a regular basis. Figure out what works and what could be done better, then change your approach to stay ahead of the curve.

You need to be patient, persistent, and ready to change with the times if you want to use these tactics. But the benefits—a strong online profile, more visitors, and, eventually, more business growth—are well worth the work.

As we learn how to use SEO, keep in mind that it’s not about getting quick results; it’s about building a long-lasting, trustworthy online brand that speaks to your audience. Small companies, especially those that cover sustainability news, can succeed in the digital world by giving a comprehensive SEO strategy top priority.

In conclusion, small business owners are still finding their way through the SEO maze, but these tips should help them get there in 2024 and beyond. Take on the task, learn as much as you can, and watch your business grow in the vast world of computers.

The post Navigating the Maze: 8 Must-Know SEO Strategies for Small Business Success in 2024 appeared first on Green Prophet.

Nullker: Who We Are and Why Us?

We won’t brag. We did NOT invent a revolutionary way to save the planet – we simply discovered it! It was hidden in plain sight, in everything that surrounds us, in nature per se.

Nature has been managing itself for millennia, making everything work and stay balanced. Human activity has disturbed this balance. Yet, knowing nature’s ways, we can easily restore equilibrium by synchronizing with it.

In the natural world, everything exists in the form of networks and closed cycles, where all the elements engage in multiple beneficial connections. Think of ecosystems. Everything is at its best. And nothing is ever wasted – it just gets redistributed, reformatted, and reused. The same should be done with the resources people consume and the effort we put in to preserve those resources. 

Translated into the language of economy, the revolutionary way lies through uniting the already existing environmental effort and channeling it in a manner that would enrich all the parties involved: business, communities, and nature.

On “Natural” Economy. 

We believe that the economy should become more… natural (pun unintended)! People should stop fighting against consumption, for it is now an integral part of the modern economic and social reality. What we can and should do instead is change the format of consumption to make it less wasteful and more inclusively beneficial. If you take from the environment – give back in any form convenient. It is already a win-win situation. However, Nullker knows best!..

Our Win-Win-Win Strategy. 

Many of you have heard of the non-zero-sum game – a theory where one participant’s gain does not necessarily mean the other one’s loss. This theory is applicable to economy, as well as ecology. When we consume, nature should not necessarily lose. When we invest into the environmental effort, the economy should not automatically lose. It’s as simple as that. It is the “eco Nash equilibrium” of sorts, where “eco” stands for both ecology and economy.

Nullker went even further and took the standard win-win scenario to a whole new level. The resulting “win-win-win” approach presupposes that people take from nature, give back, and still receive more – from other people and businesses who also value nature and with whom they can create more joint initiatives mediated by Nullker. We bring sporadic eco effort together in a self-perpetuating cooperation on a single platform, making economic and cultural growth easier and more integrated. 

In essence, the key to saving the planet is in working together to unify and multiply the efforts. And this key is held by every single member of the growing Nullker community. The more of us – the bigger the impact.

Same Money – Different Outcome. 

Nullker’s philosophy is the money spent for connecting people and businesses, for popularizing green ideas and brands, for growing the community of people who care – about each other, about the economy, and about the planet.

For us, donation is not a matter of “how much” but more a matter of “how”.

Same money can make a different impact. Here is an example:

#1 A direct donation to an account of an animal shelter is what it is – a good act with a proportional, converted value. The donor’s money converts into a certain amount of food, vaccines, rehab, etc.

#2 A donation via the Nullker platform splits and restructures charity to convert it into a direct monetary input PLUS an investment into bonding with the like minded people and brands, immediately returning to the donator in the form of new contacts, discount points (NULLs), and information.

In the first case, animals get help and donors get moral satisfaction. That’s good, but could be better.

In the second scenario, animals get help, donors get moral satisfaction and NULLs that they can further use to their benefit, for example, by choosing among our partner brands to discover more eco products and services, more stories of people who care. In response, the partner brands are expected to invest more in the ecological initiatives. The bigger the donor base – the bigger the brands, their quantity, and their interest.

All in all, money is the same, but the impact is of tremendously different proportions and reach.

Would you like to join the green new world in the making? Join now https://nullker.com/ Let’s unite our natural and economic resources for a greater and more balanced future!

The post Nullker: A Sustainable Global Community where “ECO” stands for Ecology as much as Economy  appeared first on Green Prophet.

Hand-made or store-bought, brand new or gently used: the idea was to cover the heads of as many of the camp’s 60,000 children as possible before winter winds arrive.

Nighttime temperatures in Jordan’s eastern desert drop dramatically and winter can be surprisingly cold.  Unobstructed winds push freezing air through the flimsy walls of this fabric tent city.  Folks who upgrade to uninsulated sheet metal huts fare no better, particularly when it snows.

See a few of the bags of hats we collected, awaiting shipment to Amman, below.

This is a typical housing unit in the Zaatari camp where the hats will be delivered. 

I’d been to the camp before with Canadian artist and philanthropist Jean Bradbury.  She ran a raucous art workshop for kids and I jumped in with some knitting fun with their mothers and big sisters. The women were fantastic. Aside from the setting (ring-fenced in barbed wire, air sometimes chewable with sand and dust), there was no difference from the vibe of my Amman Stitch ‘n Bitch gang. We talked about clothes and food and men and music while swapping tips and techniques on our needlework. Many knew knit and crochet basics and were happy to teach others in the group, but they lacked materials to create new items.

So every day we hauled in bags of donated yarn, and every next-day they’d come back to show us what they knocked off their needles during the night. These chicks blew my (hand-knit) socks off.  Like magical Middle Eastern elves, they made jumpers, dresses, and hand-warmers.  They made scarves in the colors of the Syrian flag.

It’s amazing what you can do when you have no home kitchen to cook in, books to read, gym to workout at, games to play, car to drive or TV to watch…getting a glimpse into life in a refugee camp?  This one is the fourth largest city in Jordan.

The experience solidified our aim to create a steady stream of art, educational and craft materials to the camp to allow the community to continue regularly scheduled classes and workshops.  But what about those who have no interest in arts and crafts? Don’t they get cold too?

We put a call out to our own circle of friends and family.  Thanks to social media (and connections made from our nomadic lives) we soon had people in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Jordan and Great Britain stepping up to collect hats.

No disrespect to hip-hop artists Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, but it clearly takes more than two to get a thing done right!  We hoped to collect a few dozen hats and some cash and wool contributions.  Instead, within weeks, we received nearly 4,000 hats alone.

US, Canadian and UK shipments are coming by mail and the kindness of people with extra luggage allowances. Our Irish organizer (and Green Prophet Brian Nitz‘s better half), Virginia Nitz, single-handedly collected over 3,000 hats and even arranged for donated air freight to Jordan!

Want to get in on the wooly action? Check out the phenom on a Facebook page created expressly for this project, Save the Babies: Hats for War-torn Syria – link here. And peek at Jean Bradbury’s Studio Syria, the NGO that incited all of this and under whose umbrella the project is being run – link here.

Throw a few bucks (or hats) (or yarn) our way.  If you don’t want to dig around the links for info, send me a personal message for details (Laurie@greenprophet.com). We’ll be posting pictures of hordes of warm headed kids shortly.  Syrian cats in hats – dig it.

All images from Nitz, Bradbury and Balbo

The post 4,000 Handmade Hats Collected for Syrian Refugees by this Green Prophet appeared first on Green Prophet.