The Giving Compass
User Guide

A short walk through the Giving Compass — what it does, how to use it, and what to do with your read-out once it's built.

What this is

The Giving Compass is an interactive tool that helps you understand what moves you to give. You answer a handful of questions about the problems you want to help solve and the excellence you want to make possible, set your giving intentions, and the tool builds a personal read-out with an action plan.

Fundraisers use it to understand donors. Donors use it to understand themselves. Boards use it to have a richer conversation about why anyone gives at all.

How to use it

Start with the three kinds of gifts. A person gives now, over time, or someday. The tool opens by laying these out so you can see where your own instincts sit.
Mark what moves you. Slide each motivation from "not me" toward "that's me." These sliders shape everything in your read-out, so answer from the gut.
Reflect in your own words. Two open questions ask what you care about. Write, speak, or upload images — whatever gets your thinking out. Tap Done when you're finished.
Set your giving intentions. Steady support on repeat, something you want to back right now, and the big dream if you had a million dollars.
Choose how you want to be involved. Check what you look for in the organizations you support.
Build your read-out. One tap and the tool assembles your compass — the impact math, plainly stated, and an action plan you can copy or print.

What you leave with

A one-page read-out of your giving motivations, your intentions at each level, and a concrete action plan. There's also an optional AI prompt — copy it into ChatGPT or Claude to keep thinking it through, with everything you just answered carried along.

Pass it on

The Compass is free and yours to share. Send the link to a colleague, a board member, or a donor who has never quite put words to why they give.

Open the Giving Compass →

Take it to your whole organization

Empowered Fundraiser helps nonprofits and campaigns build giving that lasts, without years of trial and error. If the Compass sparked something, a strategy session is the next step.