Advisors and Consultants

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: Using Systems to Achieve Sustainable Success

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Brian Collier, David Peter Stroh

Why do social systems resist our best intentions to improve their performance? How can you use systems thinking to achieve sustainable system-wide impact by taking both the short and long term consequences of your decisions into account? Join field expert David Peter Stroh for a conversation with Brian Collier, Executive Vice President of the Foundation for the Carolinas. Brian has… Read More

Sparking Cross-Sector Collaboration for COVID Recovery: How a Family Foundation Catalyzed Local Investment

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Nancy Rauch Douzinas, Kevin Law, Patrick Halpin, Gemma Deleon-Lopresti, Katie Smith Milway

 The Rauch Foundation of Long Island will describe how family foundations can play a unique role as a neutral hub to forge relationships across local business, government, and media that can multiply investment in regional economic recovery. Foundation President Nancy Rauch Douzinas and a panel of collaborators will articulate and illustrate five principles for using research, relationship networks, advocacy… Read More

CANCELLED – Supporting Young Leaders & Next-gen to Develop Philanthropic Identities

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Ashton Kao, Marshall Hill, Thalie Waters, Duncan McLaren, Brendan Adams

*CANCELLED: Given that a majority of our speakers are in Texas with snow and major power outages, we have cancelled this webinar. We are wishing our speakers well during the storms.* Family members of all ages strive to balance their individual identities—who they want to be and what they stand for—with their connection to their family’s identity, values, and culture… Read More

Special grantmaking: A purposeful, flexible resource for foundations

Posted on January 8, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Many foundations that are guided by a long-term commitment to move the needle in a finite set of issue areas also hold “special grantmaking” funds. These program dollars can be flexibly deployed for nascent opportunities, innovative ideas, emergencies, local causes, and/or areas of high interest to their leaders. Little has been written about special grants as a vibrant resource for… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: A Conversation with the Hazen Foundation

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Cristina Jiménez, Lori Bezahler

Join President Lori Bezahler and Board Chair Cristina Jiménez from the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, a private foundation established in 1925 that is committed to supporting organizing and leadership of young people and communities of color in dismantling structural inequity based on race and class. Learn from the board and staff of this spend down foundation committed to equity and… Read More

Sooner Rather Than Later, Chapter 3: 2018-2020

Posted on January 7, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

In 2009, following five decades of Foundation growth and impact, the Board of Directors for this family philanthropy chose to spend down all assets. In the words of its founder, this decision reflected a commitment to finding lasting solutions to California’s critical challenges “sooner rather than later.” The spend-down horizon was initially set for eight years and then adjusted to… Read More

Sooner Rather Than Later, Chapter 2: 2014-2017

Posted on January 7, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

In 2009, following five decades of Foundation growth and impact, the Board of Directors for this family philanthropy chose to spend down all assets. In the words of its founder, this decision reflected a commitment to finding lasting solutions to California’s critical challenges “sooner rather than later.” The spend-down horizon was initially set for eight years and then adjusted to… Read More

Spending down: Laurie Dachs answers questions for family philanthropies

Posted on January 7, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

In October 2020, Nick Tedesco, president and CEO of the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP), talked with Lauren B. (Laurie) Dachs, president and vice chair of the board at the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, about spending down all assets. The Foundation was founded in 1957; in 2009 it became a limited-life philanthropy and completed its spend down at… Read More

Scaling for Success

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Carolyn Wall Sakata, Kate Seng, Alexa Cortes Culwell

four plants at different stages of growth - scaling up, professionalizing
The success of family philanthropy is largely dependent on the operations and management of the people and processes that underpin the goals and activities of the effort. Giving families often reach an inflection point where they must consider bringing in outside professionals to manage their philanthropy for greater impact; however, it is often challenging to understand the practices that promote… Read More

Adopting Equity Practices

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Erin Kahn, Sindhu Knotz, June L. Wilson

man putting sticky notes on white board
There is an increasing recognition and understanding of the deep-seated structural inequities upon which the philanthropic sector and many other systems were built. Donors are moving away from the idea of racial equity and social justice as funding areas, and instead conceptualizing equity as a lens that spans grantmaking, governance, and management and operations. In this webinar, learn how to… Read More

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