
This Content Collection provides resources, perspectives, and sample polices for families and boards thinking about board composition and recruitment, both within and outside the family. Included are resources on the advantages, challenges, questions, and opportunities of engaging non-family trustees on a family foundation board and of promoting diversity and inclusion in the field of family philanthropy at large.
Please see the NCFP Content Collection on Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for additional information and resources.
Interested in learning more about this topic alongside your peers? Consider signing up for a current or future cohort of NCFP’s Racial Justice Learning & Action Network.
Featured Resources


A Steadying Hand: The Critical Role of Non-family Board Members
Passages Issue Briefs
A Place at the Table: Non-Family Membership on the Family Foundation Board
Passages Issue Briefs
Families In Flux: Guidelines for Participation in Your Family’s Philanthropy
Passages Issue Briefs
Passing the Baton: Generations Sharing Leadership
Passages Issue Briefs
Choosing and Preparing Your Grantmaking Successors
Passages Issue Briefs
Adding nonfamily trustees and community voices to your family foundation board

Navigating Leadership Transitions in Family Philanthropy

What do we call our non-family board members?
Article
Making Space at The Table: Welcoming New Voices to Your Family Giving

We’re a Family: How Can We Be Diverse?
Article
The Changing Face of Philanthropy: Diversity in Family Giving
Article
How do we ensure that the family will not lose “control” of the foundation over time?
Ask the Center
Ready to Add Non-Family Board Members?
Blog Post
Q & A with the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation on Adding Non-Family Board Members
Article
Keeping “Control”
ArticleSample Policies, Forms, and Letters

Board orientation guidebook (Table of contents)
Sample
Board Governance Responsibilities
Sample
The Leighty Foundation job responsibilities
Sample
Inclusiveness and diversity statement
Sample
The David and Lucile Packard foundation commitment to inclusiveness and diversity
Sample
Process for selecting nonfamily trustees (Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation)
Sample
Guiding Questions to Advance Racial Diversity in an Organization
ToolCommunity Board Members: Panta Rhea Foundation Recruitment Documents
In 2020, the board of directors for the Panta Rhea Foundation announced it’s intentions to expand the board to include leadership and representation from outside the donor family. In 2021, after a long search involving trusted partners & grantees, the foundation welcomed trustees from the broader social justice and nonprofit community, Solomé Lemma and Cedric Brown. The following documents share various aspects of their community board member recruitment and interview process.

Community Board Member Recruitment Update and Timeline
Sample
Community Board Member Interest Form
Sample
Community Board Position Profile
Sample