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Giving In Bear Times Michael Maiello, 02.16.09, 06:00 AM EST Forbes gathered three experts in philanthropy to discuss strategies for giving when the markets are down. For this market holiday, Forbes gathered a team of philanthropy experts to discuss the future of charitable contributions and investments as well as strategies for pursuing philanthropic goals in a bear market.

Process frequency. At many companies, strategic planning and portfolio management is an episodic process that happens quarterly or annually. In turbulent times, strategic planning has to happen more frequently. Kill rate. As times get tough, many companies have to de-prioritize some projects in their portfolio. Companies should make sure they focus on an idea's true potential, or else they will accidentally sacrifice ideas with great long-term potential (see a recent excerpt from The Silver Lining in BusinessWeek for more on this topic) Focus on "loving the low end." Most companies generally default towards providing better products or services to demanding customers. In tough times, companies have to figure out how they are going to compete for increasingly value-conscious customers. Ask whether you have any explicit strategies focused on "loving the low end" of your market.