Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family Tree

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Jamie Forbes, Kelly D. Nowlin

Family connectedness, not money, has the greatest influence on multi-generational family continuity. But when many think about legacy, it’s often in the context of multi-generational financial wealth. Money, though, masks what people are really interested in passing to future generations of their family. Instead of being the primary focus, financial assets should be viewed as an enabler to the bigger… Read More

Community Foundation Spark Session: Family Philanthropy Services: Making the Case, Measuring the Impact

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Laura Fink, Margaret Medzie, Tony Macklin

An increasing number of community foundations provide services that actively involve multiple generations or family branches in giving, granting, learning, investing, and/or volunteering together. They’re answering rising demands from donors and positioning themselves against competitors. Offering these family philanthropy services requires investments in staff capacity, organizational culture, marketing, and more. How have community foundations made the internal case for those… Read More

Privacy, Purpose and the Public Trust: Finding a Balance

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Bob Reid, John Mullaney, Laura McCargar, Pam David, Jason Born

How do you balance what you share externally with your family’s need for privacy? And what are the benefits and challenges of being transparent in your communications and relationships? Join NCFP as we explore this topic with family philanthropy experts. Additional Resources: Foundation Transparency: Opacity — It’ s Complicated How We Operate Governance at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation… Read More

Civil Conversations in Uncivil Times

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Anita Brown-Graham, Courtney Pullen, Jon Gruber

Society is becoming increasingly divisive. What roles can family foundations play in finding ways to support meaningful dialogue across “party lines” within their community? Is this role appropriate for family foundations? What are the biggest mistakes that funders make when trying to provide a forum for these types of conversations? Join NCFP as we discuss these and other questions about… Read More

Thrive at Five: The Secrets of Long-Term Family Philanthropy

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Elaine Gast Fawcett

If you are a newer family foundation with one or two generations on the board, five generations may seem like a long time away. Yet in family philanthropy, quite a few foundations have been operating and thriving for 50, 75, even 100 years. What’s the secret of these family philanthropies that make it five generations or more? How do they… Read More

2018 Trustee Education Institute: The Signature Seminar for Family Foundation Board Members

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Virginia M. Esposito, Andrew Schulz, David Grant, Hanh Le, Holli Rivera, Alice Buhl, Leticia Peguero, Lindsey Griffith, Mary Phillips, Nat Chioke Williams

NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive introduction to all of the key legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members. Featuring a faculty made up of NCFP’s senior staff and highly respected philanthropy experts, this three day, intensive seminar typically covers: What does it mean to be a steward of both the public’s trust… Read More

Community Foundation Spark Session: Giving Circles as a Philanthropic Service

Posted on February 22, 2018 by J Mullineaux, Jason Franklin, Jessica Bearman, Treat Harvey, Tony Macklin

The number of giving circles in the U.S. has tripled to almost 1,110 from 2007. They are an increasingly popular means for people with a shared identity and a shared geography to become involved, educated, and connected. Community foundations, including at least a third of NCFP’s community foundation subscribers, are still the most common fiscal hosts for giving circles. In… Read More