NCFP Blog

Voices from the Field

The Value of Problem Solving With Peers

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Doug Bitonti Stewart

When I started as the first executive director of the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, the National Center for Family Philanthropy was one of the first groups I was introduced to by my board lead at that time, Julie Fisher Cummings. Feeling welcomed by this organization and its leaders, I benefited from listening to those who had done… Read More
From NCFP

Ginny’s Governance Checklist Part 3: Composing Your Board Eligibility, Size, Selection, and Terms

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Virginia M. Esposito

The Governance Checklist blog series is a practical guide to building and maintaining the best possible family foundation board. Framed around a series of questions, the Checklist can guide a discussion about the founding of a new board or a healthy, and well-advised, reconsideration of your board’s development and effectiveness. The first installment focused on the principles that inspire and… Read More
Network News

October 2021: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on October 5, 2021

Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the Bainum Family Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Delaplaine Foundation, General Service Foundation, Haas Jr. Fund, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Libra Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Nord Family Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Robins Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation… Read More
Voices from the Field

Showing Up and Sharing Power: How One Foundation Board Deepened Relationships with its Nonprofit Partners Through Trust-Based Conversations

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Carrie Avery, Aurea Montes-Rodriguez

This article was originally published by Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and is re-posted here with permission. Leadership at the Durfee Foundation wanted to break down the traditional barriers between foundation trustees and nonprofit partners. Why do you do what you do? What led you to create a community-based startup organization? Has there been a huge surprise along the way so far—good,… Read More
Voices from the Field

Funders Support Strong Communities Through Meaningful Relationships

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Amy Segal Shorey

Myron Miller, trustee of the Herman and Frieda L. Miller Foundation, sat among members of the clergy at an immigration rights event hosted by Massachusetts Communities Action Network—a faith-based organizing group. His presence in that setting was unusual for a trustee, but not at all surprising for a foundation that prioritizes community connections as the cornerstone for effective giving. “That… Read More
From NCFP

An Extraordinary Life: Remembering Anne Springs Close

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Virginia M. Esposito

The field of philanthropy lost one of its most remarkable leaders last month. So did the fields of conservation and environmental protection, those committed to racial and economic justice, children and families, and the people of South Carolina. And all was lost in the person of one small yet extraordinary woman, Anne Springs Close. The last opportunity I had to… Read More
From NCFP

Modeling Collaboration: New Partnership between Stanford PACS and NCFP

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Erinn Andrews

For the last few years, the Effective Philanthropy Learning Initiative (EPLI) at Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (Stanford PACS) and the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) leadership teams have been meeting regularly as part of a number of sector collaboratives (the Impact-Driven Philanthropy Collaborative, Destination Impact, and Stanford’s own wealth advisor initiative) aligned around the shared mission of moving donors toward more effective giving… Read More
Network News

September 2021: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on September 8, 2021

Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their work. This month features updates from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Castellano Family Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, McKnight Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Stupski Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation. Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle member of NCFP with an update or… Read More
Voices from the Field

Discussing Wealth, #HalfMyDAF, & the State of Philanthropy: Q&A with Jen Risher

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Jennifer Risher

Jen Risher is the author of We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth, and co-founded the #HalfMyDAF initiative in response to the pandemic. In this blog, Jen shares her personal reflections on wealth, the impetus for starting #HalfMyDAF, and perspectives on the current state of philanthropy. Can you please share your story of coming into wealth? I am lucky… Read More
Voices from the Field

Video Highlights from the 2020 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Kimberly Myers Hewlett, Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Valerie Rockefeller, June L. Wilson

past TEI attendees
The Trustee Education Institute is one of NCFP’s signature events, offering family foundation board members and CEOs a comprehensive overview of family philanthropy trends and topics. Last year’s virtual Institute featured conversations on values, racial equity, board chair leadership, next-gen engagement, and much more. Here are short video highlights from a few of those sessions in 2020. Please visit the… Read More

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