Voices from the Field

Reflections from the Spend Down of the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Posted on January 7, 2021 by S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Lauren B. Dachs

Courtesy of Jonathan Petersson from Pexels Excerpted from Spending down: Laurie Dachs answers questions for family philanthropies What was the process that your foundation went through to make the decision to spend down? What drove the decision? Our Board of Directors held multiple conversations across a year, 2008, sparked by my dad as founder and board chair. At that time,… Read More
Voices from the Field

Four Ways Values Inspire and Ground Our Grantmaking

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Katherine Lorenz

One reason many families create foundations is to pass down philanthropic values through the generations. My grandparents founded the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation to support the issues they cared most deeply about and also to ensure that the specific values they championed throughout their lifetimes would continue to live on when they were gone. My grandparents had 10 children… Read More
Voices from the Field

The Secret to Making Decisions in Times of Crisis

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Carrie Avery

Courtesy of Anton on Unsplash This article was originally published by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and is re-posted here with permission. The global pandemic has placed enormous burdens on our communities. As funders, it our responsibility to be responsive to our nonprofit partners’ needs—and in times of crisis it is imperative that we act quickly. But what does it really… Read More
Ask NCFP

Ask NCFP: Grant Management Systems

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Katie Scott

Courtesy of Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash Despite the upheaval COVID-19 has caused, many foundations are finding time to revisit their strategies, systems, and tools. Several funders have reached out to NCFP in recent weeks looking for guidance on evaluating grants management systems. We are not experts on all systems available, but NCFP staff members have used grants systems… Read More
Voices from the Field

Takeaways from Engaging Youth Peer Network: Supporting Youth Givers Across Ages

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Maya Diggs

During the final Engaging Youth Peer Network event of 2020, participants had the opportunity to hear about a variety of strategies for including youth in family philanthropy. Our featured speakers Alexis Marion, Neil Gobioff, and Marlene Corrado shared real stories and discussed several tools and activities that they have found helpful. This meeting was particularly special because the peer network… Read More
Voices from the Field

Democratizing Family Philanthropy: Shifting Practice to Share Power

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Mohit Mookim, Rob Reich, Nadia Roumani, Ayushi Vig

“Nothing about us without us,” is commonly used by community activists when speaking about the changes they want to see in their communities. The idea is simple: those most affected by social problems—the intended beneficiaries of any program—should fully and meaningfully participate in decisions about programs, policies, and strategies that may directly impact their communities. Philanthropy is not something done… Read More
Network News

December 2020: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on December 14, 2020

Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the Boston Foundation, Butler Family Foundation, Christopher Family Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, McKnight Foundation, the Russell Family Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation. Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle member of NCFP with an update or good… Read More
Voices from the Field

Pandemic Philanthropy: Youth Giving Edition

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Emma, Gobioff Foundation

And so it began. Our youth board had Zoom calls nearly every month where we met each other, discussed what philanthropy is, made general plans, and eventually researched and sent out our first grants. Our members, ranging from ages 8-15, were spread across the country, making us Zoom experts even before the coronavirus hit. When Neil Gobioff and Gianna Rendina-Gobioff… Read More
Voices from the Field

Do Your Board Meetings Need a Makeover?

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Nancy Murphy, Ann Maddox Utterback

In this new series, Meeting Makeovers, board development expert and founder of CSR Communications, Nancy Murphy, highlights a different meeting challenge each quarter and offers a makeover solution. Read the second blog in the series here. This first installment, co-written with Ann Maddox Utterback, board chair of the JF Maddox Foundation, addresses the problem of “hand-me-down” meeting culture. Problem Area:… Read More

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