Voices from the Field

Values Lead to Decades of Kindness

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Heather Fust

Editor’s note: In this excerpt, Heather Fust writes about putting values into practice through staff culture at Foundant Technologies. The full article was originally published on Foundant Technologies’ website and appears with permission.  As I wrote at the beginning of 2019, “Choose Kind” remains front and center to every interaction and every thought in our day-to-day lives at Foundant. As… Read More
Voices from the Field

Learning to Give with the Next Gen Giving Circle

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Next Gen Giving Circle

“I found a career in philanthropy on Craigslist,” says Carlyn Madden, a co-founder of the Next Gen Giving Circle and now a consultant to funders and nonprofits. “Does it get more Millennial than that?” An avid volunteer, Carlyn was hired right out of college by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the Washington, DC region’s largest private foundation. There she… Read More
Voices from the Field

One Summer, Two Foundations, and Endless Learning

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Abby Rolland Price

From February to August, I pulled double duty—working full-time in communications and marketing at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and interning at The West Foundation, an Indianapolis-based family foundation that focuses on international grantmaking. My internship has come about because of another dual role—being an employee and a part-time master’s degree student at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy… Read More
Voices from the Field

Exploring the Motivations and Concerns of Younger Donors

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Katherine Fox

Most discussions of younger donors tend to focus on how we give—our impact focus, our desire to be involved with the organizations we fund, and our interest in making a difference through social enterprise and newer forms of philanthropy. These trends are important to my family’s giving and I see them frequently working with younger donors in my capacity as… Read More
Voices from the Field

Addressing the Taboo: Talking About Money in Family Philanthropy

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Robyn Schein, Sara Southwood

Money Messages and Wealth Identity When we work with philanthropic families in our multigenerational and next generation engagement practice at 21/64, family members share their values, their vision and their philanthropic passions and grantmaking.  Grantmaking is many things to many people, but it is fundamentally about the transfer of money. In our work with families, it often makes us wonder… Read More
Voices from the Field

Gender and Giving Across Communities of Color

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Andrea Pactor

During Q & A at a conference, a woman in the audience stood up and commented, “This research is interesting, but I don’t see myself in it.” Her comment stayed with me. At the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI), our studies on gender and philanthropy account for factors that affect charitable giving, such as income, wealth, education, race, and health of… Read More
Voices from the Field

Transparency Case Study: Bush Foundation

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Elaine Gast Fawcett

What choices do family foundations and funds have when it comes to transparency? And what approaches do other families take when it comes to managing transparency, communications, and privacy? NCFP’s new guide, Transparency in Family Philanthropy: Opening to the Possibilities examines how family funders are thinking about transparency… Read More
Voices from the Field

An Investment Policy Statement Takes Emotion Off the Table

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Brad Norton

We all have emotions and biases. Fear and greed are two of the most powerful emotions and are often a foundation endowment’s worst enemies. As investors, we need to be self-aware and recognize how these emotions can impact our investment decision-making. In order to reduce investment risk related to emotions, crafting and implementing an Investment Policy Statement (“IPS”) is an… Read More
Voices from the Field

A Healthy Democracy Needs Local and National Funding

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Joe Goldman

For many, this moment can feel overwhelming and even paralyzing. From climate crises to the opioid epidemic and growing social divides, it can seem impossible to prioritize our philanthropic efforts. As president of a national foundation focused on the health of the American political system, I receive calls daily from family philanthropists who have added the health of our democracy… Read More
Voices from the Field

Building the Family in Family Foundations Through Mentorship

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Julien Goulet

As Mark Twain alludes to and those who have raised kids know—at a certain age, kids will only listen to a trusted confidant such as a teacher, a scout leader, a coach… or a mentor! Mentorship has been proven to have positive long-term benefits such as increased academic performance, college attendance, and reduced drug and alcohol use. It also has been shown to increase confidence and help unleash a young person’s potential… Read More

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