PHILANTHROPY & LEGACY IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD

Like the world around it, philanthropy is in a period of rapid transformation. Younger donors are drawing on backgrounds in tech, finance and consulting to bring a more analytical, data-driven edge. Established families are turning their attention to legacy with fresh intent. Many are stepping away from simply writing cheques and towards work that feels personal, sustained and genuinely meaningful. At the centre of this shifting landscape sits Rebecca Priestley, a steady presence guiding influential individuals and families as they search for purpose. Rebecca’s path has taken her from 10 years at Kensington Palace, where she was Chief of Staff to HRH The Princess of Wales, to involvement in the Heads Together mental-health campaign, helping to build a national mental health crisis service, working with business leaders on strategy and profile, and now to advising families and individuals through her work as a Lodha Partner. She serves on the board of the Forward Trust, an addiction charity, and also sits on the board of a private family foundation.

THE POWER OF CONNECTION

“Meaningful impact begins with genuine connection,” says Priestley, who draws on her experience as an executive coach to help clients unpack what truly moves them. For some, that spark may come from lived experience — losing a loved one to cancer, for instance. For others, their focus may be driven by long-standing passions, from social justice to climate action. “My role is to create the conditions for people to think about their giving as unique human beings.”

By asking clients to look inward before they look outward, Priestley believes they become more resilient to the inevitable bumps in the road, from a pilot that under-delivers to an initiative that struggles to gain broader support. “Convening, creating partnerships, providing platforms for issues are all ways to maximise your impact and help turn the dial for your causes. Asking the question, ‘What am I in a position to do that others can’t?’ adds an extra layer to your philanthropy.”

One client inherited a family foundation devoted to women’s education in southern Africa. “It was part of her family’s story, not her own,” Priestley recalls. “She couldn’t see how to add personal value.” In conversation, they uncovered a far more personal pull: supporting vulnerable women and children in her own community. She focused her efforts locally and with it came renewed purpose. “Now,” says Priestley, “she knows the change is happening because of her, not who she is.”

“Foundations and endowments offer a way to codify values, steward capital and create continuity across generations”

CHALLENGES IN MEANINGFUL GIVING

This focus on personal motivation also helps counteract a growing paralysis among donors: too many choices and too little clarity about how impactful organisations actually are. A widely cited industry benchmark suggests that, to be considered efficient, charities should spend at least 70% of their total expenses on direct programme activity, yet many fall far short.

Priestley offers a practical balm. “At Lodha Partners, we support our clients in doing due diligence much as they would with investments or decisions about their children’s education,” she says. This includes investigating each organisation’s governance structures, the rigour of its impact reporting and the strength of its leadership team. “The culture of an organisation is as important as its mission. I encourage clients to ask themselves: are these people I can — and want to — work with?”

Establishing a thorough understanding of an issue before committing is key to avoiding a common pitfall Priestley has observed throughout her career: a gap developing between what a donor wishes to give and what a community actually needs. “Listening to those on the front line is critical to enable collaborative working to create meaningful goals and outcomes. It’s about doing it with people rather than for them.”

THE RETURN ON GIVING

Priestley observes that many of today’s donors apply a private-sector mindset to their giving. A prime example is activist investor Chris Hohn, who founded The Children’s Investment Fund in 2003 and donates a portion of the company’s earnings to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, which now has an endowment exceeding $6 billion. “There has been a major professionalisation of the philanthropy sector in recent years. Many now demand a significant social return on their investments,” says Priestley.

The challenge with this approach is that not everything can be measured easily—and particularly not in the short term. For example, early intervention programmes for mothers and babies are chronically under-funded because outcomes take too long to materialise. It’s a similar story in addiction recovery and the criminal justice system, where the baseline re-offending rate for custodial sentences under 12 months can reach 57%, yet specialist support programmes show much lower rates over time.

At the other end of the spectrum is trust-based giving, embodied by MacKenzie Scott. Since 2019, Scott — a novelist who was married to Jeff Bezos between 1993 and 2019 — has given more than $19 billion in unrestricted support to over 2,000 organisations. A three-year study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) found that these gifts have transformed recipient organisations and had long-term influence on many of the communities they serve. “Both methods are important, but it is exciting to see bolder approaches,” says Priestley. “Scott trusts the partners she supports, and this gives them the freedom they need to do the work.”