about : faq

What makes Advisors in Philanthropy different from other non-profit philanthropic associations?

We are not affiliated with any for-profit company nor are we part of a charitable agency or foundation. Our independence is our strongest asset. It allows us to think and act independently for the good of our members who are, on the most part, independent in their own right. We are client focused philanthropic professionals who wish to give independent unbiased advice to our donor/clients that will enable them to connect their money to their meaning and transform their own communities through inspired giving.

What is the meaning of the Advisors in Philanthropy logo?

The 'heart man' was first introduced at the National Association of Financial Planners 1999 conference in Kansas City with the catch phrase The Heart of Philanthropy. When NAPP wanted to create an updated logo for their Web site, they used the original icon as inspiration to create the visual theme of NAPP's mission --to advance donor advocacy by bringing the heart of philanthropy to the business of philanthropy. When NAPP merged with NAFWC to become Advisors in Philanthropy, the icon offered continuity. Today, our symbol represents the lifting up of philanthropy to the world as strategy, as vision and as mission. The heart signifies love for humankind, while the human symbol embodies the collective empowerment of both individual members and their clients.

What is Conference Philanthropy?

The term Conference Philanthropy was first used at the 1999 NAPP conference in Kansas City. Since then, at each annual spring conference we practice what we preach by reserving one evening during the conference to donate our time and energies to a local charitable organization. Members and guests, wearing specially designed T-shirts and toting a box dinner, board buses to a local outreach organization for an evening of fellowship, painting walls of a homeless shelter, packing food for Project Share, manning a food bank, or whatever is needed at the time.

What is the Advisors in Philanthropy Donor Advised Fund?

During the 1999 Conference Philanthropy “Helping Hands. Helping Hearts,” the members of the National Association of Philanthropic Planners (NAPP) volunteered to spend a day at the Minute Circle Friendly House, a daycare center in Kansas City with an empty playground. The playground was void of the usual swings, slides and bars that keep children healthy and happy. Minute Circle leaders told us that the playground equipment donated to the House was in storage because they didn't have the funds to have it installed. NAPP members wanted to help. Members pledged $2,500 as a matching grant toward installation of the playground equipment, and the community responded with another $2,500. The playground equipment was installed in January 2000. The NAPP Donor Advised Fund grew from this initial humanitarian act. Now, as a Fund for Advisors in Philanthropy, we will continue to look for opportunities to “walk our talk” about philanthropic largess by seeking worthy causes for which to donate our time and money.