Guidance
Giving is personal—and it doesn’t have to be complicated. We offer tools, local insight, and trusted guidance to help you or your clients give with intention, connect with real needs, and make an impact that reflects your values.
Quick links
Guidance for purposeful giving
Guidance at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis starts with access—to information, to local context, and to people who understand this community. Whether you’re just beginning to think about giving or have been supporting causes for years through a charitable fund, we help you make sense of your options and take meaningful next steps.
Some guidance is available to everyone. Some is tailored for fundholders and professional advisors. All of it is grounded in trust, local knowledge, and a shared commitment to strengthening the Mid-South.
Create a giving plan
Mid-Southerners are generous—but many of us give reactively, responding to requests or moments that move us. A giving plan helps you slow down and be more intentional, so your generosity reflects what matters most to you.
Creating a giving plan doesn’t require wealth, legal documents, or a long-term commitment. It simply means taking time to clarify your values, the causes you care about, and the kind of impact you want to have—now or in the future.
This free framework is a place to start, whether you give occasionally or are thinking about a lasting legacy.
A simple giving plan framework
Use these questions to reflect on your priorities and shape a more thoughtful approach to giving—at your own pace.
Think about the issues, experiences, or communities that matter most to you. This could be shaped by personal history, faith, neighborhood, family, or the change you want to see locally. There’s no right answer—only what feels meaningful to you.
Do you want to meet immediate needs, support long-term solutions, or help organizations grow stronger? Clarifying your goals can help focus your giving and make it more fulfilling.
Your giving might include one-time donations, recurring support, volunteering, or planning for future gifts. Understanding your options helps align your generosity with your life and resources.
Track your giving and its impact. Revisit goals regularly and adjust your approach as your interests evolve.
Reliable information and local insight matter. Tools like LIVEGIVEmidsouth and guidance from the Community Foundation can help you connect your intentions to real community needs.
LIVEGIVEmidsouth
Our free community information system connects you to the information you need for the impact you want. By researching Mid-South data and exploring local nonprofit organizations, you can make informed decisions to address our region’s needs.
For fund holders
Take advantage of concierge services from Philanthropic Services team members.
Philanthropic advising
Schedule personalized advisory services to help clarify your values and develop a strategy for fulfilling your charitable goals.
Philanthropic Services FAQ
See common questions and a quick guide to making gifts and grants through your fund at the Community Foundation.
Investment performance
Examine the most recent quarterly investment returns, demonstrating how our pooled funds are performing.
For professional advisors
We offer professional advisors expert and strategic charitable giving solutions that enable you to build expertise and to knowledgeably guide clients’ charitable giving.
Guidance for smarter giving
Good news keeps coming: Retirement plans and charitable giving
QCDs keep getting better. New legislation could extend them beyond IRAs — and that's a conversation worth having with your clients now.
Split-interest charitable gifts: Need-to-know FAQs
CGAs and CRTs both create income streams and charitable impact — but they're not interchangeable. Here's what advisors need to know.
Getting creative: Unusual noncash assets can make great gifts to charity
A classic car or boat could be a client's best charitable gift yet. Here's how unusual assets can unlock big opportunities for giving.