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

Paul Ylvisaker: Ethics and Philanthropy

Posted on July 26, 1999 by Paul Ylvisaker

This chapter is excerpted from “Philanthropy: The High Estate,” part IV of Conscience & Community: The Legacy of Paul Ylvisaker, which was edited by NCFP Founder and President Virginia Esposito and published by Peter Lang Publishing in 1999. Questions addressed in this chapter include: Is there an ethical requirement to give, and if so, how mucb, and in what form?… Read More

Trustees by Margaret Mahoney

Posted on December 22, 1996 by Margaret E. Mahoney

This seminal essay from the long-time president of the Commonwealth Fund explores the critical roles and responsibilities of foundation trustees, and the duties of responsible boards of directors. Selected excerpts include: “To fulfill a trust, the trustee must act for the benefit of another, not for personal gain. Trustees are in effect moral decision makers.” “Responsible boards are not born… Read More