Start Date / Programs / Executive Course

Strategic Philanthropy

Legacy is not what you leave behind. It is what you set in motion.

Virtual Live2 sessions / 4 hoursJanuary 2026 (19 and 20)

Program Description

Modern philanthropy is no longer charity. It is social architecture aligned with the family's wealth identity. This module explores foundations, social impact, the regenerative economy and ESG as part of the portfolio, and works through how to translate family values into vehicles with real, measurable impact.

The syllabus distinguishes impact investing from pure philanthropy and surveys the available vehicles: direct donations, family and corporate foundations — with their structures, regulation and tax advantages — purpose-driven social enterprises, and alliances with NGOs and international organizations. Each participant learns to design a philanthropic project with causes aligned to family values, a defined theory of change and professionally monitored social KPIs.

Ileana López — Director of Impact at Hoteles BF, a hotel chain holding Sistema B (B Corp) certification, and professor of Sustainable Business at ITAM — leads two sessions that close with the analysis of a real case: a high-net-worth family that turned its values into a meaningful philanthropic initiative. This is not about giving money away. It is about investing in meaning.

General Objective

Understand the evolution from traditional philanthropy to strategic philanthropy and impact investing. Participants will learn to differentiate the various philanthropic vehicles and to integrate them into a wealth strategy, aligning philanthropic initiatives with the family's financial and legacy objectives in order to design or evaluate projects with clear, sustainable social-impact metrics.

Learning Objectives

  • 01Understand the evolution from traditional charity to strategic philanthropy and the regenerative economy
  • 02Differentiate impact investing from pure philanthropy, and recognize when to combine them
  • 03Compare philanthropic vehicles: direct donations, foundations, social enterprises and alliances with NGOs
  • 04Assess the structures, regulation and tax advantages of family and corporate foundations
  • 05Integrate philanthropic initiatives into the family's wealth and legacy strategy
  • 06Design philanthropic projects with a theory of change and clear, sustainable social KPIs
  • 07Draw applicable lessons from a real case of high-net-worth family philanthropy

Why Take This Program

  1. Taught by Ileana López, Director of Impact at Hoteles BF, a hotel chain holding Sistema B (B Corp) certification
  2. More than twenty years of experience across international corporations, civil-society organizations and communications
  3. Professor of Sustainable Business and Social Responsibility at ITAM
  4. International recognition: a Bronze Lion at Cannes, a Gold at El Sol de España, and EFFIE and Caracol de Plata awards in Mexico
  5. Agile format: two Virtual Live sessions from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, four hours in total
  6. ESG, social impact and the regenerative economy treated as part of the portfolio, not as an accessory
  7. A rigorous comparison of impact investing and pure philanthropy, with cases of families that combine both approaches
  8. A complete map of vehicles: family and corporate foundations, social enterprises and alliances with NGOs
  9. A design method: causes aligned with family values, a theory of change and measurable social KPIs
  10. A real case of a high-net-worth family that created a foundation: motivations, structure, results and lessons

Syllabus — Key Topics

  • From traditional charity to strategic philanthropy: historical evolution and current trends
  • The transition toward the regenerative economy
  • ESG and social impact in the vision of major private fortunes
  • Impact investing vs pure philanthropy: financial return plus social impact
  • Cases of families that combine both approaches in the management of their wealth
  • Direct personal donations vs giving through organizations
  • Family and corporate foundations: structures, regulation and tax advantages
  • Social enterprises and purpose-driven ventures: the hybrid model between business and philanthropy
  • Alliances with NGOs and international organizations to amplify impact
  • Designing a strategic philanthropy project: causes aligned with family values
  • Theories of change, success metrics (social KPIs) and execution with professional monitoring
  • Case study: a high-net-worth family and its foundation, with results and lessons learned

Faculty

Ileana López — Directora de Impacto, Hoteles BF