In the first installment of our series, we shared key findings from the 2026 Study of the Philanthropic Conversation, conducted by The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI). The data painted a clear picture: the philanthropic conversation between advisors and their HNW clients has deepened significantly since TPI last conducted this research — and the advisors who are leaning in are seeing real business benefits.
In this second installment, we’re excited to share a recently published article in Financial Advisor that takes a closer look at what that data means for advisors navigating the high-net-worth market today. Gillian Howell, our National Philanthropy Executive, shares her insights on why the HNW want philanthropy guidance.
The hiring signal is impossible to ignore.
Seventy-five percent of HNW donors say they are more likely to hire a financial advisor with charitable planning expertise. In 2018, that number was 40%. That shift didn’t happen slowly — it accelerated. And it’s happening at the same time that 78% of HNW clients now use at least one structured giving vehicle, up from just 43% eight years ago. Philanthropy has become infrastructure for the wealthy — and advisors who don’t speak the language are increasingly at a disadvantage.
There’s a gap worth closing.
Despite that demand, fewer than half of HNW clients — just 49% — consider their advisor very knowledgeable about charitable giving vehicles. That’s not a small miss. It represents a real opening for advisors who are willing to develop even foundational fluency. Clients aren’t expecting them to know everything. What they need is a credible, curious, and engaged partner who can ask the right questions and knows when to bring in a specialist.
You may be misreading why your clients give — and that matters.
The study surfaces a persistent disconnect between what advisors assume motivates their clients’ philanthropy and what clients actually said. Getting this right isn’t just a conversation refinement — it changes how you help clients give more effectively, and how deeply they feel understood by you.
The full piece explores these findings in depth and makes the case for why philanthropy knowledge has become one of the most powerful differentiators available in a crowded advisory market.
Read the full article in Financial Advisor →
Stay tuned for future installments in this series, where we’ll continue to unpack the TPI research and what it means for advisors, donors, and the philanthropic ecosystem. In the meantime, download the full TPI report or schedule a call with our team to talk about how Foundation Source can support your philanthropic practice. Together, let’s #begiving.
