Talking about philanthropy with clients

A practical guide for professional advisers on when to raise giving, what to say, and how Point North can support next steps.

1 March 2026

Talking about philanthropy with clients

For most professional advisers, philanthropy isn’t a core part of the conversation. It tends to come up when a client mentions wanting to give or starts thinking about the future, but what happens next?

Advisers deal with complex situations every day, but charitable giving sits outside the areas most are expected to cover in detail. Clients may ask where to give, what works, and whether their money will actually make a difference. Without a clear route forward, it’s common for the conversation to stall.

Point North can be an extra resource for you, without you taking on a new area of specialism.

Download a short introductory guide to working with Point North to support your clients’ giving

Click to download the guide

The opportunity is already there

Clients are already thinking about this. Some might already be giving informally. Others have been meaning to do something for years and haven’t taken it any further.

In practice, it most often comes up at key life moments, for example during estate planning, after a business sale, when clients start talking about family and legacy, or following a bereavement.

Simply raising the subject of charitable giving during a financial planning conversation can increase a client’s giving by around 40%. Best case scenario, this could mean an additional £1.1 billion for charities per year in the UK according to research by Kenly and Sykes in 2024.

Initiating the conversation can be as simple as saying:

“If you’d like to look at this properly, I can introduce you to a local organisation that helps structure giving and connect you with the right causes.”

Why clients find it difficult

From the client’s side, giving often feels more complicated than it should. There are so many organisations, so many worthy causes, but no obvious starting point, and a concern about getting it wrong. People who are usually comfortable making complex financial decisions can still hesitate charitable giving.

This is where we can support you and offer advice.

How Point North supports professional advisers

We’ve been working across County Durham, Tees Valley and the wider North East for over 30 years. In that time, we’ve distributed more than £75 million to local charities and community organisations.

Our aim is simple: to fight poverty and enrich lives. That means, alleviating the problems caused by poverty today, and building for a better, brighter future. A future where people have opportunities to work, education, to fulfil their potential and explore their talents and live healthy, safe, connected lives.

We know which organisations are doing important work in local communities, and we know where funding is needed and how it can best be used. Our specialism is connecting a client’s intentions with causes that make a real difference here in County Durham and Tees Valley.

We handle the due diligence, governance, and grantmaking, so clients don’t have to navigate that themselves, and we make sure you’re updated on the outcomes – case studies, stories and reports on how your client is helping to fight poverty and enrich lives.

How it works in practice

There’s no fixed process. We work around what’s most useful for you and your client.

Some advisers prefer a three-way conversation: adviser, client, and Point North together on a call or in a meeting.

Others like to speak with us first, ask their own questions, and get a sense of what we’d offer before bringing a client into it. Sometimes a brief introductory call is enough to get things moving and explore what’s possible.

A first conversation typically takes 30 to 45 minutes, and we’ll follow up with written information or a summary of options, so you and your client have something to refer back to.

If a client raises giving and you’d like to explore how this could work, get in touch with us and we can give you what you need.

Get in touch

If you’re a professional adviser and would like to explore giving options for your clients get in touch with Jane or Sarah using the email addresses below, or call us on 0191 378 6340.