You’re wealthy and you enjoy the lifestyle it brings. It’s perfectly natural to reach a point where you start thinking about how your money might benefit others.
You may choose to set up a direct debit of charitable donations – a great way to give something back. Or you may want to go deeper with your giving and get more directly involved with a cause you care about.
Whichever approach you choose, we could help you every step of the way.
why give
Philanthropy is a desire to be part of social change. It involves bringing together all your resources – your money, time and expertise – to help solve society’s most pressing problems. It’s an incredibly powerful way to figure out what you want your wealth to stand for over the long term.
Major events, like the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020, reveal how difficult it can be for formal funding to reach the right organisations quickly when needed. This is where philanthropy can be at its most powerful and beneficial.
The good news is that, while the challenges facing society are becoming more complicated, there are more opportunities than ever to deal with them.
Getting started
The experiences that shape you are as important as the financial assets you can bring to philanthropy. As a starting point we encourage you to think about three factors:
- explore your values, interests and passions around giving
- consider any learning you’ll need to undertake and what impact your input can have
- explore the resources which you can bring to your giving – such as time, expertise and networks
The place where these factors meet will help you chart the direction of your philanthropic journey and give it focus.
Getting started
The experiences that shape you are as important as the financial assets you can bring to philanthropy. As a starting point we encourage you to think about three factors:
- explore your values, interests and passions around giving
- consider any learning you’ll need to undertake and what impact your input can have
- explore the resources which you can bring to your giving – such as time, expertise and networks
The place where these factors meet will help you chart the direction of your philanthropic journey and give it focus.
What next?
After helping you get underway, we provide advice on every subsequent stage of your giving. This includes, where appropriate, helping you set up a trust or foundation for a more strategic approach. The key steps we work through are:
Developing a strategy
involving your family
having the biggest impact
Developing relationships with good causes
Reviewing the results
why Coutts?
We can trace our history of charitable giving back over 300 years – it’s in our DNA. Angela Burdett-Coutts, a key figure from our past, was one of the most renowned and pioneering philanthropists of all time.
So rest assured we’re as passionate about ensuring you make the most of your giving as you are.
We were the first private bank in the UK to establish a dedicated philanthropy team, and have been helping our clients make sure their giving is effective and rewarding ever since. Our award-winning* specialists help clients turn their good intentions into tangible benefits for the causes they care about in the most effective way.
*Best Private Bank for Philanthropic Services - Global Finance - World's Best Private Bank Awards 2020
Meet the team
Rachel Harrington
Specialist Adviser
Rachel joined Coutts in 2011 and leads our specialist advice and client support on philanthropy, family wealth and business succession and educating the next generation. She has 20 years’ experience in the field of philanthropy, having previously worked in the non-profit sector. Rachel holds a BA (Hons) in Modern History and English from the University of Oxford, and practising certificates in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising from the Family Firm Institute. She is a Trustee of The Coutts Foundation and has held Trustee roles for a number of other charities, as well as sitting on the advisory board of the Environmental Funders Network.
Sanna Ali
Specialist Adviser
Sanna joined Coutts in 2019 and the Coutts Institute in 2023, having worked in a number of credit-focused client-facing roles across Coutts. She supports the delivery of our advisory work and events programme for clients, particularly our Next Generation work.
Stuart May
Specialist Adviser
Joining Coutts in 2012, Stuart is a specialist family governance, next generation and philanthropy adviser. Stuart is responsible for advising clients on their family wealth and business succession planning, and building effective philanthropy strategies. Stuart leads Coutts next generation proposition for the children of our clients. Stuart holds practicing certificates in Family Wealth Advising and Family Business Advising from the Family Firm Institute (FFI), the international organisation for professional family business advisers, as well the Private Client Investment Advice and Management Certificate.
The Coutts Foundation
We have our own philanthropic endeavours at Coutts too, which include supporting the independent Coutts Foundation. It helps tackle the causes and consequences of poverty by supporting numerous organisations that adopt a sustainable approach to dealing with them.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW WE COULD HELP YOU WITH YOUR PHILANTHROPY, SPEAK TO YOUR PRIVATE BANKER OR CALL COUTTS 24 ON 020 7957 2424.
Contact Us
Become a client
When you become a client of Coutts, you join a network of exceptional people. Get in touch online or call +44 (0)20 7753 1365 to find out more about our services.
Already a client?
Contact your private banker at any time or call +44 (0)20 7957 2424 for more information.
All calls with Coutts are recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
All calls with Coutts are recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
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