empower change

Which philanthropic projects are you currently supporting?

I am currently acting pro bono in various charitable foundation boards, leveraging my professional expertise as a lawyer, my desire to contribute to a better world and aligning this with the needs of the organizations.

How did you start your journey?

It came spontaneously from looking around and realizing how lucky I am. I have had the privilege of education, which allowed my efforts to turn into a successful career, and naturally this created for me a desire to give something back and help create a fairer world.

Can you recall a moment you witnessed firsthand your philanthropic efforts made a significant impact?

With the foundations, we have had very different social focus: some projects are dedicated to providing female education, others to supporting mothers and children in need, or improving the lives of special needs children. I am always keen to see how the projects evolve, and the wonderful successes in each individual beneficiary, and lately I have witnessed the building of an orphanage. Seeing the pictures of the little kids, happy to have a home, holding hands, smiles on their faces: it’s really heartwarming.

What advice would you give to someone embarking on their philanthropic journey?

They need to understand that philanthropy is not just putting money somewhere. It means much more than that: you need to give your talent, your time, your passion, and share your wealth. It is a lot about humility and respect also. Not imposing but understanding and showing consideration for your grantees. In addition, philanthropy can actually be a very powerful instrument to transmit the values of the family to the next generation: sharing your philanthropic efforts can create a strong family bond and give you opportunities to spend more time together as a family and learn a lot about each other.

Which philanthropic projects are you currently supporting?

I am involved in a wide variety of philanthropic projects: I have co-founded a Social Venture Fund in Germany 12 years ago, support the non-profit Miracle Feet, as well as the foundation Educa Swiss. I am also passionate about supporting women in “male-dominated fields”, which is why I support the Female Football club FC Viktoria, an advocate for diversity and promoter of gender equality. Also, I am passionate about classical music and ballet, and thus have supported young artists and an orchestra.

How did you start your journey?

I feel very lucky and privileged to be born on this side of the globe, so for me it is almost a necessity to not only take but also to give back. Philanthropy is also an opportunity to get out of our comfort zone, to get involved in countries and issues that we don’t deal with on a daily basis. It has broadened my horizon quite substantially.

Can you recall a moment you witnessed firsthand your philanthropic efforts made a significant impact?

It is so important to be able to personally witness the impact of your contributions. I can still remember the time I saw a little boy who was born with club feet suddenly walking around, playing soccer and laughing after receiving the surgery he needed thanks to Miracle Feet. It really touched me, and I am still having goosebumps talking about it. I can also recall the time I visited an orphanage I financially supported in Nepal: other than their usual onions and potatoes, cooked with the heat of sunbeams on the roof, the kids once had cheese for dinner. Although it was something very rare and special for them, they were so eager to share it with me. It is very moving to witness such generosity.

What advice would you give to someone embarking on their philanthropic journey?

First, you need to find a project that you relate to personally and where you can do more than just “writing a check”. Engage with the CEOs and initiators of the projects, see where they come from and where they want to go. Second, don’t spray and pray: don’t just give a little here and there and hope something good comes out of it. Try to focus, and rather do a little less but with full heartedness. Remember that it is not a matter of quantity, but more a matter of quality.

Which philanthropic projects are you currently supporting?

Currently, I am involved in three society-oriented foundations: the Johann Jacobs Foundation, dedicated to providing education to children worldwide. The Force for Goods INSEAD, a foundation which purpose is to provide business education. And the Fährhof foundation, to continue the 500 years farming legacy of our family which I was allowed to take over from my late Grandfather.

How did you start your journey?

When we were younger, my siblings and I witnessed our father’s philanthropic efforts: he created a foundation and gave money spontaneously to hospitals, or orphanages in territories he cared about. From there, my brother and sister provided more structure to Jacobs Foundation on the base of our founder’s values. In our family, we are passionate about the Foundation and its strategy. We deal with philanthropy and the foundation strategy in a very professional way with no room for family affairs.

Can you recall a moment you witnessed firsthand your philanthropic efforts made a significant impact?

Jacobs Foundation is on a big mission to help stakeholders in cacao growing countries to improve their income and livelihoods. Our programs have helped hundreds of thousands of farmers to live above the extreme poverty level. It is amazing to see the impact on their families and generations to come: the reach is huge, and it is very touching to witness, especially when you act as the leading force in the project and see other foundations follow.

What advice would you give to someone embarking on their philanthropic journey?

If you want your philanthropic efforts to translate into sustainable and measurable impact, you need focus. To have a narrow focus, you will need experts: experts on the board and in the management. Because research and science are at the core of impact potential.

Which philanthropic projects are you currently supporting?

I support projects carefully and professionally analyzed by the Elea Foundation, an organization that brings entrepreneurial thinking into philanthropy. With Elea, I can choose which entrepreneurial projects I want to support, whether they are dedicated to providing education, cutting short supply chains, or driving technical progress.

How did you start your journey?

There are actually a lot of coincidences behind that: who you meet, where you are, the circumstances… For me, it all started when I witnessed two young successful bankers abandon their stellar career to commit completely to their philanthropic project (Child’s Dream Foundation). That was very inspiring to me.

Can you recall a moment you witnessed firsthand your philanthropic efforts made a significant impact?

It is amazing to meet the founders of the projects and start-ups you support, see what their challenges are, and then meet them again two years later and see how they developed and how they became more mature. There can be a lot of leverage in what you are doing. It is a real eye-opener, and also highly motivating: you really get attached to what you are doing as a philanthropist.

What advice would you give to someone embarking on their philanthropic journey?

My first advice would be to acknowledge your own limits. Acknowledge that you don’t know the needs, the culture, the legal system, the challenges or even the language in the places where you want to make an impact. For your efforts to translate into measurable impact, you need to find a professionally run organization you trust, that shares your values, and transparent enough so that you can see what your money is effectively achieving.