exit planning

Hey Boomers: What's next after you exit your business?

You've had a long and successful career. Maybe you've climbed the ranks to the C-suite or you've built a company from the ground up. You've accomplished so much, but you suspect it's time for the next chapter. Sure golf and travel sounds great, but you aren't quite ready to be put out to pasture. So what's next? 

We work with clients to find an answer to that exact question. We believe that philanthropy can be that next rewarding adventure. 

You have earned so much valuable experience and knowledge from your career... something that most nonprofit and charitable organizations would greatly benefit from. 

The nonprofit industry faces a troubling dilemma. Due to the inability to pay competitive salaries, they cannot attract the much-needed, top talent in from business world. (See Dan Pallotta's TED Talk for more on the misguided ideals that limit nonprofits from making any large-scale global change.) But a non-profit needs the same business skills that a for-profit company needs.

This is where retired executives can play an important role. Serving as advisors, Board Members, volunteers and strategic donors, individuals (retired or not) with valuable business acumen can take a non-profit to the next level. 

But, as Bill Black, certified exit planner, financial expert and host of Exit Coach Radio asked SGS CEO Kate Azar in an interview (full interview below), how does one find a social cause that is really meaningful to them? This is where we come in.

At SGS, we look at a client's past philanthropic activity. Where has our client donated to, volunteered or which Boards do they sit on? Which of these activities have been because a friend or colleagues asked for their contribution and which are because the cause was really meaningful to the individual? 

We also ask about our client's values. What legacy does our client want to leave behind? What values do they want to pass on to their children and grandchildren?

And finally, what keeps our clients up at night? Do they read or watch the news and see an issue that really makes them mad.. or gets them excited? 

These questions help us to get to the core of our client's motivations in philanthropy and help us to match them to a social cause that is meaningful, exciting and in line with our client's values.