Our purpose for much of the last decade has been working with a wide range of clients to help them understand who they are, what they value, and how their giving can support those goals.

Whether people have a lot of money or a little, they all want their gifts to have in impact on the world. And if you go through the process of identifying sound philanthropic goals, these will help you keep your purpose in focus no matter whether the economy is up or down.

Although America's longest-ever period of sustained economic growth has now ended, much new wealth has been created. And these good times have produced more wealthy individuals, including some 8 million millionaires.

There has been a boom in the creation of PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, from less than 10,000 foundations a decade ago to more than 50,000 today.

And while some foundation heads remain leery of giving to faith-based groups, thanks in part to the efforts of President Bush, the once-impassable wall between church and civic organizations seems to be crumbling,

While funding faith-based initiatives must be done fairly and carefully, it has a huge potential to bring vital services to the poor more effectively.

The real opportunity in faith-based initiatives is not in the federal funding but in the collaboration between public institutions, private ventures, and nonprofit organizations that can serve the community in a holistic way.

While there are many unanswered questions the opportunity for creative solutions being created by the philanthropic community is now possible on a more level playing field. As donors we ought to be seeking ways to engage our expertise and resources in solving the numerous community needs.

It's interesting to see how people's religious and philosophical values begin to surface when we ask them what they want to fund and why.

We have some clients who would not be described as particularly religious, but some of these have funded programs like parochial schools because they want more young people to have the opportunity to gain an education in a solid faith-based environment.

Others have funded religious groups involved in drug rehabilitation programs or work with former prisoners. Drugs and crime are complex social problems, and many donors believe faith can help people conquer these and other obstacles in their lives.

Today, there are over 700,000 nonprofit organizations vying for people's attention and dollars.

Many of these are using e-philanthropy to reach new donors, although it's too early to predict the results of some of these electronic approaches.

Many companies are organizing philanthropic activities for their employees, many of whom want to have a positive impact on the communities where they live and work. Corporate fund drives for community groups like the Girls and Boys Clubs have raised millions of dollars, helping cash-strapped groups that play an important role in many cities.

What kinds of things do you want to achieve with your live and worldly wealth? After you've got a house, cars, college funds for the kids, time and money for vacations, and plenty of household appliances and entertainment equipment, what do you want to do now?

For many people, giving is a powerful way to achieve a sense of meaning and significance in life that elude us if all we do is work and accumulate. This is why, seven years ago, we started The Gordon Loux Company - to help people experience the joy of giving.

As Andrew Carnegie said over 100 years ago, "it's much easier to make the money, than give it away well." It's as true today as it was then. Good and satisfied giving takes time and effort. But the rewards can be tremendous, if you begin to understand why you've been placed on this earth at this particular time in history and begin a proactive giving program.

I encourage you to take the time to figure out what are your individualized values, giving interests, long-term goals, and success indicators. With these as a guide to your giving, you will increase your chances of supporting and helping the kinds of groups that can carry out your vision for the world and find personal satisfaction with your giving.

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