CEOs and Senior Staff

Trust-based Family Philanthropy

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Sarah Walczyk, Shaady Salehi, Ellen Friedman, Hanh Le

Trust-based philanthropy is being embraced by a growing number of family foundations as a way to alleviate power imbalances between funders and grantees while fostering more productive and informative relationships. Driven by the central philosophy that funders should approach grantee relationships as learning partnerships, a trust-based approach encourages multi-year unrestricted funding, streamlined reporting, and transparent and responsive communication. In this… Read More

Families Funding Advocacy and Policy Change

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Julie Fernandes, Sara Watson, David Addams

Hands in air_protesting_advocacy
Advocacy is an important tool for funders seeking to address systemic inequalities ingrained in our policies and practices, and it can be the sole focus of an organization or an additional strategy employed to create lasting change. Many families pursue advocacy because of a founder’s interest or legacy, while others have introduced advocacy into their grantmaking portfolio after listening to… Read More

How Family Foundations Can Listen4Good

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Valerie Threlfall, Lisa Sobrato Sonsini, Fay Twersky, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Melinda Tuan

Philanthropy is an ever-evolving practice. It’s clear that partnering with and listening to the people and communities family foundations seek to serve are instrumental to realizing positive and enduring impact over time. This webinar describes Fund for Shared Insight’s Listen4Good feedback initiative and provides guidance on how you and your grantees collect feedback to make agile and informed decisions during this… Read More

What’s Next for Philanthropy: Focus Groups for CEOs and Leadership with the Monitor Institute of Deloitte

Posted on July 13, 2020

In collaboration with the Monitor Institute, a social impact consultancy and think tank, the National Center for Family Philanthropy would like to invite you to join a virtual focus group to discuss What’s Next for Philanthropy, a research and innovation process that helps both foundations and donors apply cutting edge innovation and user-centered design methodologies to explore the future of… Read More

A Community Conversation on Racial Justice

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Edward M. Jones, Kyumon Murrell, Anthony Simmons

This is a tragic yet powerful moment in history; the recent murders of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless other Black Americans have precipitated a national conversation on racism and oppression that is permeating every corner of the globe, yet many uncertainties exist. We recognize the need for community in these challenging times. Accordingly,… Read More

Moving Towards Social Justice Philanthropy: One Family Foundation’s Journey, Challenges, and Lessons

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Kelly D. Nowlin

NCFP board member and Fellow Kelly Nowlin spoke on a webinar hosted by Philanthropy Massachusetts and the Social Innovation Forum.   Five generations after being established, the Surdna Foundation has been intentional about honoring founding vision and legacy, while remaining relevant to current needs and issues in society. In 2009, the family trustees took a bold step in naming social justice in… Read More

Policy Influence: What Foundations Are Doing and Why

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Center for Effective Philanthropy

Among its key findings, Policy Influence shows that foundation leaders clearly believe in influencing policy as an important lever for change. This report seeks to provide foundation staff, leaders, and boards with data and insights that will spur them to candidly discuss philanthropic involvement in public policy — and help guide their own practices to engage in policy efforts more thoughtfully as they work to achieve their goals… Read More

Supporting Youth and Next-gen Philanthropy: How to Get Started

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Vasser Seydel, Kimberly Myers Hewlett, Sammie Holzwarth

Durfee Foundation next-gen board meeting
Multigenerational families use different methods and techniques to teach the next generation about philanthropy. Successful future engagement depends on many considerations, including when and how to best inspire and empower next-gen family members. Please join us for a discussion that will explore a number of important considerations, including when, and how to introduce the concept of giving to your family,… Read More

Strategic Lifespan Peer Network: Learning from the Pascale Sykes Foundation

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Frances P. Sykes

The Pascale Sykes Foundation is in the process of spending its assets by 2022 or 2023. President Frances Sykes will discuss their spend down decision and answer questions about this experience. Get to know Frances and the Pascale Sykes Foundation through this real-life example and family member perspective. As a reminder, our Peer Network events are not recorded. Come ready to… Read More

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