The Wellbeing Café is at 1pm on Tuesday 10th October, when Hiren Panchal hosts author and philanthropy consultant Emma Beeston. Emma will present:
âWhy every financial services professional should talk about philanthropy.’Â
This event is accredited for structured CPD hours.
Book for the October Wellbeing Cafe.
Your key learning points:
- Understanding the emotional and transactional aspects of philanthropy advice
- What gets in the way of raising philanthropy as a topic
- Why discussing philanthropy helps your clients and your business
Emma Beeston is a philanthropy advisor. She works as a consultant supporting individuals and families to start giving and to give well. Emma is co-author of a new book, Advising Philanthropists: Principles and practice which seeks to raise awareness of philanthropy advice and its value. She teaches on two Masters programmes on philanthropy at the University of Kent and Bayes Business School and also delivers training on grant-making for the Association of Charitable Foundations. She co-founded the giving circle, Bath Women’s Fund. Her new book (co-written with Beth Breeze) is âAdvising Philanthropists: Principles and practice.â
I had a chat with Emma Beeston to find out what makes her tick.
How did you become a philanthropy consultant?
My background is in grant making and then I took the leap into consultancy to challenge myself. My knowledge and skills lead me into being a philanthropy advisor.
What are the most challenging parts of the role?
The hardest thing is trying to keep on top of everything going on in philanthropy and all the cause areas my clients are interested in. Actually the hardest thing is managing the fact that that is an impossible task and I can just do my best.
What do you find most satisfying about it?
I get to use my knowledge and skills to help good people to give.
What did your new book âAdvising Philanthropists:Â Principles and practiceâ come about?
I co-created and co-teach on the philanthropy advice module of a Masters programme at the University of Kent. Pulling together the course content at the start was a challenge as so little is written about the profession. The book was the first on the subject and aims to increase awareness of the existence and value of philanthropy advice.
What one thing do you wish youâd been told about philanthropy when you were 15?
I did not even know it was a thing then. I think I wanted to be a police dog handler at 15. I wish I was told that work is about purpose and meaning and not just getting a job.
Who or what is your favourite wellbeing guru, podcast or book?
My co-author Dr Beth Breeze is an inspiration â she’s so knowledgeable about philanthropy and argues her points so clearly. Another University of Kent colleague, Rhodri Davies of Why Philanthropy Matters is also a clear thinker and his writing and podcasts are an excellent summary of key debates in philanthropy. When it comes to wellbeing, I found the classic ‘The Artists Way‘ by Julia Cameron really helpful. I worked through it in lockdown and I love all its practical tasks and exercises. I still write my morning pages.
