I can't believe that 2011 has already arrived!  It seems like 2010 flew by.  The past 12 months have seen remarkable generosity by our clients, their friends and colleagues - we surpassed the $2MM mark in annual donations and have strengthened relationships with organizations across Canada and developed new ones with charities in the United States.  Our approach to adaptive philanthropy is taking off.  How can you tap into this effective process of giving?  Here are four basic steps for you to create your own charitable giving plan:

1. Decide if you want to focus locally, nationally, internationally or a combination of geographic locations
2. Identify what issue or area of interest you want to address
3. Research charities that are operating in that area of interest (for a list of questions to ask see the first blog post of 2008)
4. Decide on how much and when you want to donate
5. Donate through Place2Give.com or directly to the organization(s)
6. Keep in touch with the organization(s) that you support and be clear as to the expectations that you have for your investment - how the funds should be used, when and how you want to get updates
7. Share your story to encourage others to join you in your philanthropy