By Cristóvão Albuquerque, Consulting Manager at Sitawi Finanças do Bem
In the United States, many multi-family offices (such as Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH), Braccia Capital, and Cresset) have offered structured philanthropy as a core service for years. The same is true in Europe. In Brazil, however, when families approach them with this issue, most offices still respond by improvising a solution that deserves much more preparation and attention.
Offices that understand the importance of this discussion will have a real advantage over those that continue to treat philanthropy as a peripheral issue.
Here are five reasons that explain why this is happening, and why Brazil cannot continue to fall behind.
1- The new generation has already arrived at the decision-making tables.
The Great Wealth Transfer, the largest transfer of wealth in history, estimated at over US$$84 trillion over the next few decades, is already underway. And the heirs who receive this wealth have different priorities (and even values) than the previous generation.
In 76% of family offices in the UK, conversations about sustainability and impact investing are typically initiated by a family member, almost always from the younger generation. And according to the UBS Global Family Office Report 2024, a quarter of global family offices are already formalizing this agenda through impact policies or family bylaws.
For them, accumulating wealth isn't enough. The question that comes up earlier and earlier is: "What are we doing with it?" When the firm doesn't have a structured answer to this question, it creates a vacuum.
Offices that already have a structured philanthropy department are able to conduct this conversation methodically, within their existing relationship with the family.
2- Good philanthropy requires the same rigor as any other investment.
An excellent family office doesn't generate investments haphazardly. It has processes, due diligence, clear criteria, and monitoring of results. Why would philanthropy be any different?
Without structure, what usually happens is the same old story: donations scattered to dozens of causes without criteria, organizations chosen on emotional impulse, resources leaving without anyone knowing if they generated a real impact.
The problem is that the offices themselves recognize this. The UBS Global Family Office Report 2024 reveals that more than 55% family offices admit that the difficulty in accurately measuring impact prevents them from allocating more capital in that direction. And 37% point to the lack of data and measurement tools as their main challenge in sustainability and impact. The will is there. The capital is there. What's lacking is methodology.
3 – It is a competitive advantage (for now)
In Brazil, most family offices still don't offer structured philanthropy. This means that whoever enters the market first has a real window of differentiation to attract families seeking this service and to retain those who are already starting to ask about it internally.
This window of opportunity won't last forever. As the topic gains traction, offering strategic philanthropy will cease to be a differentiator and will become a basic expectation for families.
4 – It strengthens family relationships across generations.
THE family philanthropy When done well, it does something no other financial service can: it connects the family around shared values. When an office helps a family build its philanthropic strategy—defining causes, involving children in decisions, and tracking the impact over time—it takes on a very different role in the relationship.
This type of relationship has a very particular characteristic: it doesn't change offices at the first rate comparison. It's built over time, with trust, and tends to last for generations — exactly the time horizon a multi-family office needs to build a solid business.
5 – Brazilian data already points to where the market is headed.
According to the study High-Wealth Families: Impact Investing and Philanthropy (Sitawi, 2024), 831% of high-wealth families in Brazil are interested in the topic — but 471% of firms still respond reactively, without process or structure.
Research from the Sustainable Finance Initiative with representatives from family offices around the world shows that more than 90% already allocate part of their portfolio to sustainable investments — and for almost 6 out of 10, this allocation represents at least 10% of the total portfolio. UBS points out that 73% of global family offices are already engaged in sustainable investments, and half plan to invest in green technologies in the next two to three years.
How can Sitawi Finanças do Bem help your office?
THE Sitawi offers a portfolio Strategic philanthropy consulting for family offices: from training advisors to the complete operation of a Philanthropy Department as a Service. We work with firms that want to build this capacity from scratch, in partnership, without having to create an internal structure from nothing.
If this topic has already come up in your office — or you know it will — it's worth a conversation.
