“Foundations are very strange places that don’t have the checks and balances that all of the other sectors of society have. The only check we have is how we look at ourselves and our work... The humility that communication requires is absolutely critical to successful spending down....
“I am feeling inspired, encouraged, renewed and re-energized about my work, I can't think of any sessions that didn't leave me with multiple takeaways and lessons learned.”
-- Sharmila Thakkar, Executive Director, Siragusa Foundation
Source: Bringing Families Together: Reflections from the
National Forum on Family Philanthropy
“The big thing is to not feel rushed, and to look to peers and to experts for advice, and it's not that anyone can tell you everything you need to know, or there's any one person who can lead you through this, but I think the more people you talk to, the more you start to realize what will and what won't work for your specific situation, the specific challenges that you face. And then, to talk all that in the aggregate, and apply it to your own family, and where you are in the process. ”
-- Katherine Lorenz, President, The Cynthia and
George Mitchell Foundation
Source: NCFP September Webinar, Planning for an influx of assets
“The most important ethical thing you're doing is making a commitment to philanthropy.”
-- Michael Rion, Ph.D, Founder and recently retired
as Principal of Resources for Ethics and Management
“Setting up a foundation is like catching a porcupine. You throw a horse tub over it, then you’ve got something to sit on while you figure out what to do next.”
-- H.D. (Ike) Leighty, Founder, The Leighty Foundation
"My mom, growing up, always told me that to whom much is given, much is expected. That [saying] really resonated with me, so I wanted to give back to the community in which I lived in."
- Lauren Amos, fund advisor, Wish Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
"What I feel most proud of in this work that I've done is going on the journey of twenty people every year trying to find both their collective voice and their own individual capacities..."
- William Graustein, Trustee, William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
“Being on the Board of a family foundation, being a Chair, is definitely hard work, but I feel like it's also really rewarding. It's a great opportunity to think strategically, to frame conversations, to interact in different ways, and invite new people to get involved.”
- Kelly Sweeney McShane, Board Chair, The William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation
"Documentary films that tell compelling stories in creative ways really are essential elements in an overall ecosystem of cultural strategies, and they do have an impact.”
- Ellen Friedman, Executive Director, Compton Foundation
Source: March 12th NCFP Webinar:Funding film to educate, engage and...
"If you are welcoming the next generation, it's a wonderful time to sit down and reevaluate what you're doing because, even if you're doing wonderful things, people want to feel engaged. So, even if you go through a strategic planning process and you decide, 'we're going to continue to do the same...
