When the Money Arrives Before the Plan Does

I was working with a client recently whose husband had passed. As a result, she has inherited a sizable trust with philanthropic vehicles and options to consider. There are children to consider as well, although they are well into their 40’s and 50’s and doing well. I also work with business owners who have sold their companies, the labor of their life, and employees of companies who have recently gone public. While each of these scenarios seems so very different, from inherited wealth, to a sweat driven exit, to an early, dedicated seed stage employee, where I arrive is very similar.

For many people, a liquidity event is the first time they have thought seriously about philanthropy at scale. Some grew up with a giving tradition and want to build on it. Some grew up with a giving tradition and want to explore something different. Some are entering entirely new territory, with no template to work from. All three are familiar and normal starting places.

It’s also common and normal to arrive at this place without a strategic giving plan. You’ve spent decades building a business, raising a family, learning a craft, showing up on Monday mornings when Monday mornings were hard. You did not spend those same decades planning what to do with money that only recently became this significant. The 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy found that only 40% of affluent donors have a giving strategy, which means about 60% of high net worth households are giving without a plan in place. This isn’t bad or wrong, but there is a better way.

You may be the first in your family to face meaningful charitable decisions, or the first to have the capacity to give at levels that require a legacy strategy. You may be inheriting from someone whose giving reflected their values, and you are ready to define your own. Whatever the specifics look like, you are in the position of building a giving practice, not inheriting one. That is a gift, and a wonderful opportunity.

The first place to start is values, then giving preferences, then understand your assets, then map these to nonprofits, execute, and learn through the impact. The impact and learning part takes time and grace, with careful evaluation and relationship management.

It’s never too late to build your legacy.

Strategic philanthropy begins with values. That is the work we do at Jonesing for Good.

Reference: The 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy: Charitable Giving by Affluent Households. Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in partnership with Bank of America Private Bank, September 2025.

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