I stepped out of the sunroom to a sunny, cool morning. Then I realized it’s mid-June, and the year is half over. Summers used to mean running barefoot through the neighborhood, walking to the corner store for an ICEE, and trips to the nearby park for serious swinging.

Summer is a good time to reflect on giving. Here are three questions to help us get started: How much do I know about the organizations I like to support? Where do I want to focus my giving to make the most difference? Finally, how much impact can I expect at my level of giving?

Summertime Resistance

I know you’re resisting because it’s summertime. Aren’t these questions for October closer to when I give most?

While tempted, we know how it really works. In October, the mailbox fills with donation request letters, following all the event invitations that showed up in August.

And, you start getting busier as October goes along with the holidays about to consume everything.

So, the summer is the best time to ask yourself these questions. A slower giving process makes for better decisions.

3 Lessons from Melinda Gates

Let’s look at the questions from the perspective of a philanthropist, Melinda Gates. I saw an article in the Kiplinger Personal Finance newsletter that might help us: Melinda French Gates Models Three Strong Lessons for Philanthropists.

Gates recently departed from her role at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is quite large and heavily staffed. Many people are involved in the decision-making process.

But Melinda Gates is embarking on a personal giving journey, modeling three clear lessons.

• Always have a plan, a critical part of starting her solo giving journey.
• Second, autonomy can be a superpower. Melinda has long experienced making decisions with a large staff and her now ex-husband, Bill. Now, she is asking what she wants to accomplish with her giving, what she wants to change, what her giving focus is, and how she will know she’s making a difference.
• Double down to effect the greatest change. That means developing a super focus, getting educated about the issues in that focus area, and knowing what success looks like.

Yes, her giving pockets are deeper than ours, but her questions are not different. Her process is a gift to the organizations she supports.

Let’s revisit our questions

• How much do I know about the organizations I like to support? Melinda started her process by deciding how to end her giving work through the Gates Foundation, and ours is clarity about how and when we give. Let’s get clear about our favorite organizations and watch for information about their work, leadership, and funding challenges.
• Where should we focus giving to make the most difference? It’s okay if no donor focus suits your giving style. It’s easy, with few decisions to make. Wait for a request or invitation, quickly decide, give, then move on or pass. But for some, it’s important to focus giving. This is a decision that reflects values and priorities. Melinda Gates is focused on women and families. There are countless ways to give within that focus.

Tips for Better Focus

• Decide how important the focus area is and the number of people affected. Is it a small targeted group, but for those individuals it really matters. Or does the gift need to affect many people? Your decision matters.
• Is the focus area one that needs to be addressed? It may be important work, but few donors are involved. It could be a place to make a gift truly count.
• Will the gift we make help an organization gain traction? Are there clear ways to participate in the work and a strong possibility of progress?

Melinda Gates Final Lesson

Finally, there is one last question for our summer work.

• How much impact can I expect at my level of giving? Knowing if even our small gifts are counted toward important work is important. Think about what you need to know or learn as their work progresses. How do you measure success?

We can’t give like Melinda Gates, with those deep pockets, but we can still be intentional about how we give. Carve out a little quiet time to think about your philanthropy journey. Explore your Giving Fingerprints, or add my new book, The Gift of Giving, to your summer book stack.

You’ll be ready when the giving season arrives.

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Thanks to Sage Friedman from Unsplash.