Pursuit of Excellence

Pursuit of Excellence (POE) is a project designed to help family foundations understand their current performance in order to strive for higher levels of effectiveness. It provides a tool for foundation boards to engage in self-assessment and then focus on improving their practice. Many now aspire to do that, but they need help. Ten years ago, board retreats were relatively rare. Now, they are common practice for family foundations drafting mission statements, planning for succession, and resolving tensions. The next logical step is for them to make self-assessment and continual improvement as much a part of the work and culture of family foundations as board retreats have become.

Watch as National Center Senior Fellow Alice Buhl presents on the Pursuit of Excellence initiative

Tools
Pursuit of Excellence offers the first-ever research-based assessment tool specifically designed for family foundations. It was developed for trustees who wish to understand their strengths and discover opportunities for improvement. Unlike others, this tool includes the family-specific aspects of governing and managing a foundation. It not only provides the information families need to measure and compare their individual model of philanthropy with the broader field, it also provides resources to help them put a strong action plan in place to elevate their performance.

Based on seven years of in-depth research with multigenerational family foundations that culminated in the book Generations of Giving: Leadership and Continuity in Family Foundations, and fine-tuned by an expert advisory committee, the tool offers summary reports on results, benchmarking information comparing the foundation’s practices with the field, and resources for improving performance. The Pursuit of Excellence assessment is offered in 2009 to family foundations wishing to use the tool with a trained facilitator. NCFP provides training to certify consultants who wish to lead this process with clients. 

Get details on using the Pursuit of Excellence assessment at your next retreat or foundation meeting.

Research
In 2008, as a part of the Pursuit of Excellence initiative, NCFP conducted the first-of-its-kind random survey about the current practices of family foundations in key areas of governance, management and grantmaking, The findings help fill a void of objective data about the field and also a reveal a field that is
Watch as National Center Vice President Susan Price discusses the results of the latest survey of family foundations.

Read Highlights From Pursuit of Excellence: Family Foundation Practice