This week is a treasure trove for global development fans: The Clinton Global Initiative and the United Nations General Assembly are both convening in New York. In addition to these established players, a new entrant has come on the scene: The Women in the World Foundation was launched to "spotlight to the causes of women who need so badly to be seen," such as those suffering from violence, lack of economic opportunity, or poor education. The Foundation has assembled a core set of committed funders (such as the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations) as well as key solutions partners (including excellent organizations such as Vital Voices).

One of the most intriguing examples of economic empowerment for women that we’ve seen combines the business savvy and philanthropic mission of Connie Duckworth, a pioneering businesswoman who turned her skills toward Afghanistan after September 11, 2001. Duckworth became the first female sales and trading partner at Goldman Sachs in 1990 and went on to serve her country as a member of the U.S. Department of State’s U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council. As a result of her experience, she went on to found ARZU STUDIO HOPE, an organization led by women in Afghanistan to produce and market high-quality rugs.

Duckworth’s work captures the spirit of engaged philanthropy: She identified an issue, decided on a strong approach that took into account the cultural context, and adapted her approach through trial and error. The result? An enterprise that has empowered people to create tangible benefits for their communities. Duckworth's story is an excellent lesson for all of us who are passionate about powerful, humble, and durable social change.

To read more about Duckworth and ARZU STUDIO HOPE, click here.

Susan Wolf Ditkoff is a partner at the Bridgespan Group and co-leader of its philanthropy practice.

Is it better to fund clean-air projects, after-school tutoring, or cancer research? There is no right answer—only you can answer that question for yourself. Philanthropy is highly individual; philanthropists can and do support a dizzying array of nonprofits and causes. Your personal passions and what you believe is worth doing will drive your philanthropic priorities.

In my work advising donors, I’ve found that encouraging them to “anchor” their giving in a broad category can provide guidance in their philanthropy giving.

What do I mean by “anchor”? It sounds simple, but pinpointing which one or combination of “the five Ps”—the people, places, problems, pathways, or philosophies—you really care about will help you narrow your choices and describe (in broad strokes) the impact you’d like your philanthropy to have.

If the concept of people is your giving anchor, you may be drawn to help a specific group of people address circumstances that are defining (and probably limiting) their lives. A particular problem, such as childhood obesity, may compel your attention. Place—maintaining or restoring the health and vitality of a particular geography—is another possible focus area. Or it may be that a strongly held belief in the importance of a particular approach—or pathway—is what you care about most, for example, a belief in the value of a mentor to guide and support youth. Philosophy—your beliefs around how the world works, or should work—is another compelling anchor for philanthropists, and maybe this is yours too.

There is no wrong answer about what anchors you. But with so many worthy causes crying out for attention and funding, identifying your anchor or combination of anchors can be tough to figure out. To help uncover what truly anchors your giving, you may want to consider questions about what motivates you to give, what beliefs you hold, and other important considerations. I’ve found the below questions useful for donors looking to focus their philanthropy, or give an older strategy a fresh boost.

• What motivates you to give? (Spiritual beliefs, a desire to help others as you were once helped, something else?)
• What values have your family and other role models passed on to you?
• What past experiences have shaped your beliefs or your thinking?
• What interests or concerns you—for instance, which stories do you read first in the newspaper or online?
• Where have you spent your time and money in the past? Why?

What questions have you asked to help find your philanthropic passions?

For more on how to clarify your aspirations, click here.

I often hear from donors who want to give gifts that keep on giving. This very likely describes you: You want to do more than simply donate money; you want to help a grantee grow and get results for years to come.

But this can sometimes feel like the Holy Grail. As a donor, you may get frustrated feeling you are just being asked to keep the lights on. Sometimes the best gift allows nonprofits to do just that, because in these challenging economic times, even building any sort of cash reserve can feel like a luxury. But if you really want to do more, one idea might be to work with grantees or potential grantees on how they could develop a more sustainable long-term funding strategy.

The conventional wisdom for nonprofits has long been that to weather tough times, they need to diversify their funding streams and gather revenue from a wide variety of funding sources—individual donors, government, and larger philanthropies. According to groundbreaking research by my Bridgespan colleagues, just the opposite is true: The few nonprofits that have grown really large over the last 30+ years have focused on one "funding model"—a methodical and institutionalized approach to building a reliable revenue base that will support an organization’s core programs and services. To be clear, this doesn’t necessarily mean one funder, but rather that these nonprofits honed in on a primary type of revenue source, such as government or individuals, that made sense for them given the work they were doing. Once the nonprofits determined this primary funding source, they invested to build organizational strength to tap this source more effectively.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure did just that. Because breast cancer resonates for such a wide swath of people, this nonprofit focused on gathering small gifts from many communities through races. The bulk of Komen’s revenue comes from gifts that average only about $35, yet it has grown into one of the largest nonprofits around. BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), a nonprofit whose mission is to enable the academic achievements and self-confidence of children living in under-resourced urban communities, relies on a different kind of funding model. Its strategy focuses on Title I funding through the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a move that has set the nonprofit on a path to financial sustainability and growth, according to BELL CEO Dr. Tiffany Cooper Gueye.

What does this mean for you as a donor? As you work with a grantee or research potential grantees, ask about their strategies for attracting resources. If the organization is on the smaller side (less than $3 million in revenues), it can likely get by with idiosyncratic giving, so don’t expect a detailed strategy. As nonprofits grow beyond $3 million in revenues, research indicates that they will need a more defined plan to attract funding, and the resources to execute this plan, year after year.

If the nonprofit lacks a funding model or needs help in this area, what can you do? One idea is to collaborate with them to see what it might take for them to get there. Your support could offer them the breathing space to figure out their strategy, and build their organization appropriately—which may truly be the gift that keeps giving.

To see Bridgespan’s latest research on funding models, and read about the practical steps nonprofit leaders can take to get started (potentially with your help), read "Finding Your Funding Model."