The flexibility of charitable actions implies a systematic review of the directions, forms, methods, mechanisms and technologies of providing charitable support by the changing socio-economic conditions of society.
The manageability of the charity system is achieved through a clear delineation of functions, powers, responsibilities and resources of various organizations providing charitable support to various beneficiaries, both individuals and organizations.
The scientific validity of the charity system implies the use of theoretical, methodological and experimentally tested mechanisms and technologies that have proven to be effective in solving charity problems.
An important principle of integrating charity into the system of social policy is the informational sufficiency of support of charity actions. The necessary criterion for the efficiency of charity organizations is the availability of the benefits provided to the needy groups of the population, i.e. the ability of philanthropists to timely, clearly identify and maximize their statutory functions.
In modern society, charitable activities are carried out in various forms. Individual charity, which can be engaged in by any person, is usually implemented in such forms as charity, volunteering, feasible contributions to charitable foundations, participation in various charity events. Private philanthropy, which is currently engaged in by entrepreneurs and commercial organizations, can be represented in the form of patronage, sponsorship, grants or establishment of charitable foundations. The state also assists those in need in the form of tutelage and guardianship, but there is no consensus in the literature on whether such activities of state structures can be considered charity.
In the modern world, charitable foundations are increasingly engaged in charity activities, which are established both by commercial organizations and third sector enterprises (non-profit and non-governmental organizations). Charity funds are divided into private and corporate foundations, as well as community foundations. Private foundations are created on funds received from individuals that are held in banks or placed in stocks, and capital gains are used for charitable purposes. Among the most prominent private foundations is the Ford Foundation, which is based on the legacy of entrepreneur Henry Ford. Private foundations are independent donors, such as the Ford Foundation, which is independent of the Ford Company or the Ford family and operates under the direction of an international board of trustees.
Corporate foundations are also donor organizations that create and fund companies to manage their philanthropic programs. These foundations are not independent, unlike private and community foundations, but are directly dependent on the company's goals and priorities.
Community foundations are funds that are created to solve problems in a specific area. These funds accumulate funds to solve these problems from different sources, from private donations of the population to municipal budgets. Charity foundations occupy a central place in the institute of charity because it is through them that the accumulation and further redistribution of funds transferred by donors for charitable purposes takes place.
Equally important is the question of the motives that guide the philanthropists in their activities. Initially, it is assumed that a person does a good deed based on his moral and spiritual principles. Ideally, people should be encouraged to do charity work by feelings of compassion and mercy, as well as compassion for others' grief, which is what makes them want to help others. But is this the case? Other motifs overshadow the above. Today, in the age of market relations, benefactors can be guided not only by morality but also, to some extent, by the idea of benefit. For example, charity activities could promote advertising, create a favourable image, a good name, which is especially important for commercial organizations and political parties. The fact is that a charitable action is understood as an action identical to a good deed, which has a positive moral meaning and is assessed by moral consciousness as a good deed. Therefore, a person engaged in charity is regarded as doing good and trustworthy. This, in turn, creates a positive reputation that can be used to achieve personal goals. We can conclude that people are motivated to do charity work with a variety of motives. Some are motivated by mercy, while others by personal gain.