From the President's Desk

It must be all the graduations in my family that are inspiring me to think about accomplishments, those who help us accomplish great things, and the goals we set for the next adventure. Inspired by Allison’s master degree, Erin’s high school diploma (and, perhaps, of greater relief, that college acceptance letter), and Patrick’s move from elementary to secondary school, I… Read More

Ever since 2004, when we published our landmark research on multi-generational families called Generations of Giving: Leadership and Continuity in Family Foundations, we have been working toward the day when we could offer family foundations a tool that would help them assess their performance on the key factors we identified in that research as indicators of excellence. That day has… Read More

On September 10-11, the National Center for Family Philanthropy celebrated the culmination of the year-long initiative that marked our Tenth Anniversary. The results were more than I could have ever imagined or hoped for! The feature of this month’s newsletter offers a few glimpses into the rich and provocative conversations in this first ever national symposium on family philanthropy. Much… Read More

I have never had a donor family member turn me down when I asked for help on behalf of another giving family. Even when I needed someone to share a difficult experience, they agreed, knowing it might help a colleague. It has been a powerful testament to the generosity of spirit of these families; they share resources beyond financial and… Read More