Advisory
Philanthropic advisory, built around what you care about
We do the research. You make the decisions. Impactful Giving works with individuals, families and companies giving in India, turning what you care about into a strategy, and a strategy into funded work you can check.
Book a free callFree to donors. Built for giving from around ₹25 lakh a year.
How it works
A structured engagement, from first conversation to ongoing support
Discovery
We start by understanding you. A first conversation about what you care about, what you have funded before, and what you would want to be true in ten years.
Priority mapping
We map your preferences. Together we work through the questions that shape a giving strategy (how much uncertainty you are comfortable with, which causesCause. A broad area of concern to donors. pull at you, whether you are giving over three years or thirty) and turn your answers into clear priorities. You set the direction; we bring the evidence on what each direction makes possible.
Recommendations
We bring you a shortlist. A small, researched set of non-profits that fit your priorities and can genuinely convert more funding into more impact, with the evidence and the cost-effectiveness behind each one laid out.
Ongoing support
We stay with it. Honest updates when something is not working, and a strategy that adapts as your priorities and the evidence both move.
Giving well in India is a research problem
There are lakhs of registered non-profits in India. A small number have both a programme that demonstrably works and the capacity to do much more with more money. Finding them is a full-time research job. That is what we do, so that it is not what you have to do.
- A standing advisor across the whole of your giving, not one grant at a time
- Your values translated into a strategy you can act on
- Specific, evidence-backed opportunities to create impact in India
If advisory is not the right fit
There are three ways to give with us, and one has no minimum
The advisory is built for giving from around ₹25 lakh a year because that is the level at which the research behind a decision is worth the time it takes. Below it, we would still rather talk to you and tell you what we would do in your position than send you away.
- Advisory
- From around ₹25 lakh a year
- A standing advisor across the whole of your giving, free to donors.
Donor Experiences
“Working with Impactful Giving has really improved our approach to philanthropy. Their advice helped us confidently direct our funds towards the most impactful NGOs in India. Highly recommend them for anyone serious about maximizing their philanthropic impact.”
Frequently asked questions
Who is the advisory for?
Individuals, families, family offices and companies giving around ₹25 lakh a year or more, where the size of the decision justifies the research behind it. Below that we would still rather talk to you and tell you what we would do in your position than send you away, and the funds on this site are open at any amount. Funding circles, where a group backs one cause together, start at ₹50 lakh a year.
What does it cost, and who pays you?
Nothing, to you. We do not charge donors, we do not take a commission on what you give, and we take no money from the organisations we recommend. That last point is the one worth checking with any advisor you talk to, including us.
What does working with you actually look like?
Four steps. We start with a conversation about what you care about and what you have funded before. Then we map that against the questions that shape a strategy: how much uncertainty you are comfortable with, which causes pull at you, whether you are giving over three years or thirty. From there you get a shortlist, with the evidence behind each name and what we think another rupee buys. Then we stay with it, reporting on what your funding changed, including when something is not working.
How much of my time does this take?
Less than the research would if you did it yourself, which is the point, but not nothing. Expect an hour to start, a couple of hours across the strategy conversations, and then as much or as little as you want when recommendations arrive. Some donors read every memo. Some read the summary and ask one question.
How do you decide what to recommend?
We work alongside established charity evaluators across health and development, climate and animal welfare, and read their published research. Then we do the India-specific work ourselves: which organisations here have a programme that demonstrably works, and which of those could do materially more with more funding. That second question is what decides a recommendation. Where we cannot answer it, we do not recommend.
Will you tell me if something I already fund is not working?
Yes, if you ask us to look at it. That is an uncomfortable conversation and it is most of the value. We will show you what the evidence says and what we would do, and then it is your call. We do not ask you to move money to make a point.
What happens after I give?
We track what the money did and report back. Grantees report to us on the cycle, and you get that rather than an annual newsletter. For advisory recommendations you give directly to the non-profit, so the money never passes through us.
What if you are not the right people to help?
We will say so. If your questions sit outside where we have done the research, the useful thing we can do is point you to someone who has, and we would rather do that than take on work we cannot do well.
Is what I tell you confidential?
Yes. We ask before sharing anything with a non-profit, and we are happy to sign an NDA.
How are you funded?
We were incubated by Ambitious Impact, which provided our seed funding. Since then, we have been supported by a grant from ACX and by contributions from individual donors. None of our funding comes from the organisations we recommend.
Who you work with
The team
Start with a conversation
Half an hour, free, and nothing follows from it unless you want it to. Come with what you are trying to do and we will tell you what we would look at first.
See how we choose what to fund →