Philanthropic advising for catalytic change
Essential~Wholeness partners with individuals, families, and foundations to identify, create, and steward opportunities that align with your values and vision for the world.
Clarify your values, define your goals, and craft a philanthropic strategy that accelerates change in the areas that matter to you most.
Do you want to deepen your philanthropic mission to increase impact?
Do you require help in prioritizing the landscape of community needs?
Are you a funder trying to choose a mission to support?
I will help you resolve these core issues and answer critical questions through a thoughtful, tailored approach that aligns with your passions and priorities.
Our Strategy for Philanthropy
A clear and focused strategy serves as the framework for your philanthropy. Together, we will co-create a plan of action and a tailored set of grant recommendations and portfolios that ensure your giving vehicles match your goals.
We use our knowledge, relationships, and belief in infinite possibilities to advance your vision and priorities while crafting a comprehensive plan that outlines core values, funding priorities, and grant-making approaches specific to your philanthropic interests.
Our Services
Start-Up
We guide individuals, couples, and families in understanding, creating, and managing the best giving vehicle for you– allowing for deliberate charitable investments through foundations, donor-advised funds, and other vehicles.
Landscape Scan
We conduct research that uncovers big-picture trends and concrete opportunities, needs, and funding gaps in your areas of interest. We illustrate specific ways to direct your resources and provide comprehensive analyses to expand your awareness of what's possible.
Portfolio Creation
We offer guidance on the full range of asset deployment, from philanthropy to impact investing, while helping you find ways to align your mission with capital deployment for good.
Program Design
We are your strategic partner in research, design, and implementation– guiding you to deliver the right resources at the right time to address complex challenges in powerful and creative ways.
Governance
A foundation's board stewards its assets and reputation. We help build a strong board, facilitate regular meetings or retreats, and strengthen the skills and capacity of individual trustees.
Grants Management
We draw on decades of experience working with philanthropists to implement effective and cohesive grant strategies. We manage the administrative processes, due diligence, financial analysis, evaluation, and ongoing oversight that grants require.
Operations and Administration
Our team brings projects to life, managing start-ups and directing ongoing activities over the short and long term– including exploration, relationship building, daily administration, and communications and media strategy.
Our Track Record of Transformation
Samantha Anderson is a strategic visionary with decades of experience working with organizations to support the fields of philanthropy, impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and innovation. She is committed to building a more vibrant, meaningful, inclusive, interconnected, creative, and compassionate world. Her mission is to create a better future for women and the organizations they lead by facilitating their growth and power.
Samantha’s expertise spans the areas of executive and wellness coaching, leadership development, philanthropic advising, impact investing, business and strategic planning, organizational turnaround, transition management, succession planning, board leadership, social entrepreneurship, and revenue generation for nonprofits.
She has served in leadership positions at the Yale School of Management, Skoll World Forum, Arabella Advisors, the Jewish Funders Network, Jewish Women INVEST, Heading for Change: The Suzanne Biegel and Daniel Maskit Endowment, Jonas Philanthropies, as well as founding her philanthropic advisory firm, Honeycomb Strategy. She is certified by 21/64 as a philanthropic consultant to multi-generational families and is a member of the 13th National Cohort of the Selah Leadership Program, in partnership with the Rockwood Leadership Institute. Samantha graduated from Tufts University and earned her master’s degree in U.S. Women's History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“I treasure working with Samantha on my family’s philanthropy. She helps me grow and is a perfect fit for Jonas Philanthropies and our family. She is a brilliant connector. She helps our family manage and avoid conflicts to seek understanding and consensus. She is a subject matter expert in so many areas and has great research skills. I appreciate her ethical nature and acumen around socially responsible investing and the needs and challenges that nonprofits face. She also serves as a leadership coach for our family members and is happy to take on so many hats from admin to program administration and design. She has a can-do attitude and gets things done in a quick, efficient, thoughtful and transparent manner.” ”