Creating Opportunities for Family Involvement Outside of Board Service
Posted on October 27, 2004 by Deanne Stone
List of options for involving family members who may not be able to serve on the foundation board… Read More
Advisors and Consultants
Families In Flux: Guidelines for Participation in Your Family’s Philanthropy
Posted on October 4, 2004 by Deanne Stone
Family members marry, divorce, remarry, form domestic partnerships and, in many cases, move far away from the family home. With families growing ever more complex, varied, and far-flung, foundations and donor-advised funds need clear guidelines regarding who participates in their philanthropy and in what roles. This Passages report addresses changing family composition and circumstances and how philanthropic families may deal… Read More
Family Governance: A Primer for Philanthropic Families
Posted on June 4, 2004 by Patricia Angus
This Passages Issue Brief focuses on the principles, practices, and policies of family governance. Typically, a family’s philanthropy, whether formal or less structured, is only one of a number of ways in which family members interact with one another. This article aims to help philanthropic families understand the theory and practice of effective family governance… Read More
Trustee Compensation: What Is Appropriate?
Posted on January 23, 2004 by Alice Buhl
If a foundation chooses to compensate board members, how does it decide on an appropriate level of compensation?… Read More
Leave of absence policy (Roy A. Hunt Foundation)
Posted on December 22, 2003 by Roy A. Hunt Foundation
The purpose of this policy is to provide direction on the practical aspects of implementing a leave of absence, e.g., how a leave of absence is defined, what the expectations are of a temporary successor, the kinds of foundation activities in which temporary successors would participate, how grants are handled when there is no temporary successor… Read More
Successful Succession: Inspiring and Preparing New Generations of Charitable Leaders
Posted on April 4, 2003 by Virginia M. Esposito
This Passages issue paper describes why, when, and how your family foundation’s board can prepare the next generation for charitable service. These practical and proven strategies will be of interest to any family thinking about or going through a succession process… Read More
Opportunity of a Lifetime: Young Adults in Family Philanthropy
Posted on October 4, 2002 by Alison D. Goldberg
This Passages Issue Brief addresses one of the most important opportunities in family philanthropy – encouraging young adults to take part in the family’s giving process and to become philanthropic in their own right. What are the reasons that families involve young adults? And what can young adults themselves do to become more connected to the family’s philanthropy?… Read More
Discretionary Grants: Encouraging Participation… or Dividing Families?
Posted on August 5, 2001 by Jason Born
The practice of discretionary grantmaking brings out a wide variety of responses. This Passages Issue Brief looks at the common reasons that families use or opt not to use discretionary grants, and the typical process that is used to make these types of grants. The paper also examines how different approaches to discretionary grants can support or hinder the work… Read More
Board Compensation: Reasonable and Necessary?
Posted on April 5, 2001 by Jason Born
Deciding whether to compensate or reimburse family foundation board members can be a difficult and complex decision. This Passages Issue Brief provides guidance on the legal regulations regarding compensation, suggestions for how to initiate a conversation among your board members about whether or not compensation is appropriate, and suggestions for how to develop a written policy based on this conversation… Read More
Family Foundations: High Risk, High Reward
Posted on July 29, 1999 by Paul Ylvisaker
Foundations are a remarkable human invention. They provide private persons a free-wheeling opportunity to be socially and publicly influential. Without having to meet the tests either of the market or the ballot box, private persons can independently determine what the needs of society are and how best to go about meeting them… Read More