How do you start a philanthropy conversation with a client?

In The Philanthropic Conversation, a 2014 Canadian study of 258 advisors and clients with more than $1 million to invest, 91% of advisors said they were having philanthropy conversations with many of their clients. Only 13% of clients said they had had a meaningful one.

More than a decade on, the gap is narrower and still there. In the 2026 TPI study, 67% of advisors believed they opened the conversation, against 40% of clients who said the advisor did.

The awkwardness is on the advisor side of the table. In that same study, 58% of advisors worried their clients would question their motives for raising philanthropy. Among clients, 81% reported no discomfort discussing their giving at all.

Ask one question

Would you like help putting some structure around your giving?

It assumes little but offers the thing an advisor is already good at, which is structure, and it can be answered in one word.

Do not talk at them. Ask them.

A yes does not mean your client needs a philanthropy expert right then. It means they want to talk about what matters to them: what they see broken in the world, what gives them hope, whether a volunteering experience in their past stayed with them. They need good questions more than answers.

Ask who should be in the room

Just them? Their spouse? The children? Giving is rarely one person's decision, and whoever the client names tells you something useful. Let them decide, then fold it into a meeting already booked.

Do not lead with tax. We get it, it is comfortable. But in that study 40% of advisors named tax benefits as a main client motivation, against 21% of clients. Tax is the mechanics, and mechanics come after the reason.

What follows is fifteen minutes of questions with no right answers.

Questions people also ask

Do I need to know about charities to have this conversation?

No. The conversation is about the client's values, not the charitable sector. The charity questions come later, and they can be answered for you.

What if the client says no?

Usually it is a not yet. Two thirds of advisors in the TPI study said they raise it again with a client who was not interested the first time.

Is the client uncomfortable talking about money they give away?

Far less than advisors expect. 81% of high net worth clients in the study reported no discomfort at all.

What if the client already gives a lot?

Strong views make this easier, not harder. Clients who have given for decades usually have never been asked to say out loud why.

When should I raise it?

Not only in December. The study found advisors and clients broadly agree the natural moment is after the first meetings, once the relationship is established, rather than at a year-end deadline.