Community Charity Portfolio: We're Starting a Dividend Portfolio for a Good Cause

I have really good news: on my channel, as a community, we're starting a community dividend charity portfolio. The idea has been buzzing around in my head since last year – I was just never 100% sure exactly how to implement it. Now I've thought: never mind, let's just decide it together. I'm bringing you fully on board with this project.

The basic idea: invest together, donate together

I already donate quite a bit privately, but I'd love it if we could give something back as a community. That's why we're building a dividend portfolio together – with a clear division of tasks:

• I provide the capital: only my own money is invested, the portfolio runs within my wealth and is managed by me. So you don't have to pay in a single cent – don't worry.
• You have a say: which stocks go into the portfolio and where the donations flow is decided together by vote.
• The focus is on dividend stocks: because the regular payouts are exactly what ends up being donated.

The charity portfolio is kept completely separate from my personal dividend portfolio. Sure, in the end it's my stocks and my money – but the separation means we can transparently see at all times what's in the charity portfolio and which dividends accumulate there. The entire portfolio is publicly viewable: at finlen.de/spenden-depot you can follow all positions, purchases and dividends live at any time.

How the community charity portfolio works

1. A fixed sum is invested every month The plan is €500 or €1,000 per month – depending on the stock this can vary slightly. €500 is the lower limit because from that order size my broker no longer charges an order commission. I personally lean more towards €1,000, it's just a nice round sum. Feel free to write in the comments which you prefer.

2. The community selects the stocks Every month we collect suggestions: which dividend stocks do you find exciting right now? We then look at the three to five most-named stocks together in detail – and afterwards there's a community vote on which stock is added to the portfolio that month. You can also help decide whether the votes run here on YouTube or on Instagram.

3. The dividends are donated As soon as dividends come in, we donate that sum to a non-profit or institution of our choice. In the first few months this will still be modest – but at some point we're talking about €40, €50, €60 in dividends per month and more. So at the start a quarterly, semi-annual or annual donation rhythm might make sense. I'm open to your opinion there too.

An important detail: the dividends themselves stay in the portfolio and are reinvested so the portfolio can grow over the years. The dividend sum is additionally donated out of my own pocket – and I round up to the gross amount. So nothing is lost to taxes; on the contrary.

Where do the donations go?

We decide that democratically too. About a month before the donation date, we collect ideas in the community: local sports clubs, children's cancer aid, animal shelters, hospices – anything you can imagine. Then there's another vote.

I only care about one thing: they should be non-profits and institutions where the money actually arrives. With the really big organisations, experience shows that a considerable part unfortunately gets stuck in administration and overhead. That's why we'd rather support smaller non-profits where most of the donation works directly on the ground.

Now it's your turn

To get the project off to a proper start, I need your input – ideally directly in the comments under the video:

• €500 or €1,000 per month? I lean towards €1,000, but you have the choice.
• Which dividend stocks should go into the portfolio first? Write down everything you find exciting right now – we'll analyse the most-named stocks together.
• How would you set up the donation rhythm? Quarterly, semi-annually or annually?
• Where should the votes run – here on YouTube or over on Instagram?

What happens next

In about one to two weeks, the first video with the selection of the first stocks and further details will follow. A few days later we'll buy the first stock together – and the portfolio officially goes live. I'll document all purchases, dividends and donations transparently here on the blog in the new Charity Portfolio category – just as you know it from my portfolio updates. The whole thing is tracked again with Parqet* – and via finlen.de/spenden-depot you can look in live at any time to see how the portfolio develops.

I'm convinced: over the years this will become a really large portfolio with which we can do quite a bit of good together. Thanks already to everyone who takes part – I'm hugely looking forward to this project with you.