In partnership with Charities Aid Foundation and UNHCR • L’Horizon Hotel & Spa, St Brelade • June 2025

Twenty-two practitioners — wealth advisors, trustees, lawyers, family office professionals, and philanthropy specialists — gathered in Jersey for a candid, Chatham House discussion on the state of philanthropy in private wealth. Hosted in partnership with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) and UNHCR, the conversation moved across four themes: engaging clients, structuring giving, the next generation, and capital at scale. What emerged was a picture of a profession in transition — and a compelling case for why the moment to act is now.

The Confidence Gap — and How to Close It

Lacie Riseborough of CAF put a number on a challenge many in the room recognised, but had yet to address. Research published by CAF found that 93% of high-net-worth individuals find it helpful when they discuss philanthropy with their advisors — yet only 36% of advisors raise the topic regularly.

“The barrier is usually around confidence. If you haven’t been exposed to it, you’re maybe a bit timid in bringing it up. But the research shows your clients are already donors — you just haven’t asked the question.”

Her advice was practical: start with your own story. Share something you’ve supported personally. Tie conversations to life milestones — a business exit, a retirement, children moving into new roles — rather than waiting for clients to raise the subject. “It doesn’t have to be once,” she added. “There are multiple junctures.”

The point was echoed around the table. Lawyers noted they rarely initiate the conversation — but are finding it increasingly organic as tax pressures in the UK push clients towards charitable gifting as a considered alternative. Trust reviews were cited as a natural entry point: revisiting old structures with vague charitable drafting gives advisors a legitimate and non-intrusive way to open the door.

The Scale of Need — and Why Private Capital Matters

Perhaps the most arresting contribution of the afternoon came from the UNHCR co-hosts, whose work provides vivid context for why the philanthropic conversation matters beyond the balance sheet.

Sofeena Lalani, who leads philanthropic relationships for UK for UNHCR, described the challenge plainly: “Over 117 million people are currently forcibly displaced around the world; often displaced for many yearsThis is not something that can be addressed by states alone.” 

One in every 70 people, or 1.4 per cent of the entire world’s population, is now forcibly displaced. Children account for 39% of refugees, underlining how profoundly these crises are shaping the lives of the most vulnerable

Maeve Patterson, who leads external engagement for UNHCR’s UK office, outlined the Sudan crisis as a particular flashpoint — the world’s largest displacement situation, yet one that receives comparatively little attention or philanthropic  funding. More than 14 million people have been forced to flee since April 2023, with millions crossing borders and being hosted in neighbouring countries including Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Libya, Uganda, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. Women and children have been disproportionately affected, with many having survived sexual and gender-based violence.

The purpose in sharing these realities was not simply to compel charitable giving, but to illuminate the role private capital can play in bridging a structural funding gap — and to invite the advisory community into a genuine partnership. “We recognise it’s not your day job to pitch charities,” Sofeena acknowledged. “We’re interested in learning how we can better work with you — because you have the access to clients that we don’t.”

Lacie drew a direct line between these needs and the practical giving infrastructure that already exists: “CAF mobilised significant capital during Ukraine through donor-advised funds, and a number of our clients with DAFs work directly with UNHCR. The ecosystem is there.”

Structures That Work: The Case for Donor-Advised Funds

For those less familiar with the mechanics of philanthropic giving, CAF’s overview of donor-advised funds (DAFs) provided a useful anchor. A DAF is, in Lacie’s words, “a ring-fenced giving account” — a flexible, legally-straightforward vehicle that CAF holds on behalf of donors, handling due diligence, grant distribution, and compliance, while giving clients time to think carefully about impact.

“When you have an ultra-high-net-worth client open a DAF of, say, $40 million, the structure affords the time to really consider where that money is going — in a way that’s not just anecdotal tokenism or making multiple small grants and requesting loads of reports from charities.”

CAF distributed £1.3 billion to 91 countries last year. Its largest single cash donor has committed just under £150 million. Initial contributions typically range from £1 to £5 million.

Critically for the Jersey context, DAFs also provide a solution to the compliance challenge of cross-border grant-making. “The infrastructure and the due diligence sits with CAF,” Lacie explained — reducing the burden on trustees and advisors while enabling giving to almost any jurisdiction in the world. Non-cash assets are also accepted: shares, property, art, and in one memorable example, a Victoria Cross medal.

For practitioners navigating the tension between fiduciary duty and client philanthropic ambition, this was presented as a genuinely practical tool — one that allows assets to remain invested through discretionary managers while directing income or gains to charitable purposes. “You don’t lose the AUM,” one senior banker noted. “But it puts you in a much better position with your clients.”

Jersey’s Position — Strength, and Some Gaps

Discussion of the Channel Islands as a philanthropic jurisdiction drew out a broadly positive picture, though with specific areas flagged for development.

Jersey’s trust framework was consistently described as mature, well-tested, and respected globally. The distinction between registered charities and broader philanthropic foundations — each with its own regulatory pathway — was seen as a feature, not a complication. The ability to structure foundations outside the charity register (subject to FSC conditions) offers flexibility that many international clients value.

Cross-border grant-making due diligence was acknowledged as an area of friction — particularly when dealing with organisations in jurisdictions where information is harder to obtain. For clients earlier in their philanthropic journey, starting with a DAF and delegating that compliance burden to a specialist like CAF was presented as both practical and enlightening. Work underway on Jersey’s philanthropy policy — including thinking on how to better position the island as an international centre for philanthropic structuring — was welcomed by several participants.

The Next Generation and a Changing Conversation

Across every theme, one word recurred: generational. The shift from legacy-giving to lifetime philanthropy, from charity as a default trust beneficiary to a deliberate expression of family values — these changes are reshaping how advisors need to talk, and what clients expect.

One participant described a multi-billion-pound client structure in which the current family matriarch approached their firm wanting to onshore the entire structure — simply because they wanted to pay tax. “We started from a place of ‘if you just want to pay more tax, write a big cheque,’” they recalled. “But the next generation appeared to be true believers. Actuaries documented how it would alter their lifestyles. They didn’t care.” The same fact pattern, they noted, had since appeared independently at another local firm — suggesting this is a trend, not an outlier.

Sofeena Lalani described a similar dynamic in UNHCR’s work: “We see wealth holders in waiting — next-generation family members who want to work with us, but find it challenging to access the capital that sits in existing structures.” UK for UNHCR’s donor advisory board, which brings together next-gen, business, and experienced philanthropist voices, was cited as one way of bridging that gap — allowing people to discuss collective impact in a peer environment.

For practitioners navigating these conversations, the message from the room was clear: philanthropy is no longer a footnote in estate planning. It is increasingly central to how families define themselves, govern their wealth, and engage the generations that follow.