There is a framework in philanthropy called the 4 Ts that is useful when helping clients explore their philanthropic ideas and shape their giving plans. It prompts discussions about what clients can give besides money. The 4 Ts are:
Treasure – the assets you give
Time – the time you bring to your philanthropy
Talent – the skills and expertise you add
Ties – the contacts and connections you have that might help those you support
To give two examples: thinking about using their ties can encourage a philanthropist to consider the value of going public with their giving, or at least sharing it with friends, instead of staying anonymous. Thinking about the time they have available for their philanthropy can aid decisions about their level of engagement. For example, someone with lots of time to dedicate to their philanthropy may think of this as a second or third career, whereas someone with limited time may be better suited to joining a collaborative endeavour.
It is not clear where or when this framework originated but since its creation the 4 Ts model has expanded. A fifth T has been added: Testimonials, which is about adding your voice. A donor speaking up about an issue and going public with their donation can be a welcome resource for non-profits advocating for a cause or attracting new donors. And more recently, I learned of a sixth T: Truth. Here philanthropy is not just what you give but how you live your values. But how far might this framework stretch? Perhaps other Ts will be added such as Trust, to reflect the emphasis on trust-based philanthropic approaches, or Toil to capture the idea that you can have impactful work and careers, or Thought to emphasis the intention involved in philanthropic choices.
What I like about this 4 (or 5 or 6) Ts framework is that it reminds us that philanthropy is more than money. How you give is also important. However, I don’t think it helps to gather all types of ethical behaviour within ‘philanthropy’. Time on its own is volunteering; Testimony on its own is raising awareness; Truth on its own is a virtue. I also think that diluting Treasure in a growing list of other Ts is a problem. Treasure can be amplified by adding other resources including time, skills, expertise, contacts when this is appropriate. But for me, there is always money involved in philanthropy – it is giving private funds for public good. And right now, it is Treasure that non-profits need the most.
My suggestion is that the Ts framework becomes:
Treasure +
Time
Talent
Ties
Testimonials
This Treasure+ framework gives money its importance whilst also reminding us that philanthropy goes beyond money. And it can keep expanding to include more Ts (Truth, Toil, Thought …) to cover everything else we can bring to enhance our philanthropy.