With families growing ever more complex, varied, and far-flung, foundations and donor-advised funds need clear guidelines regarding who participates in their philanthropy and in what roles. Many families are also looking outside the donor family and considering community board members to complement the expertise and interests of family board members.
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.
Featured Resources
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
The Challenge Of Diversity
Report
Sample Policies, Forms, and Letters
Criteria for trusteeship
Sample
Board Orientation Outline
Sample
Community 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.
