Tony Macklin, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®, consults with donor families, grantmakers, and their advisors about purpose, use of resources, action planning, and learning. As executive director of the Roy A. Hunt Foundation, he facilitated changes in visioning, impact investing, grantmaking, trustee education, and back-office management. In twelve years at the Central Indiana Community Foundation, he led grantmaking initiatives, advised wealthy donors, attracted $39 million, and launched a social enterprise. Tony currently serves as program manager for the NCFP’s Community Foundations Family Philanthropy Network. He also serves as a senior advisor to the Impact Finance Center and peer reviewer for The Foundation Review.

Contributions

Family Foundation CEO Retreat

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Betsy Erickson, Janine Mason, Michael Smith, Tina Runyan, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bari Katz, Rob Reich, Shaady Salehi, Carmen Rojas, Diana Scearce

The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors, and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills, particularly in these divisive and dynamic times. This 3-day virtual retreat, designed for both new… Read More

Family Identity and Culture

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Phillip Wm. Fisher, Armando Castellano, Lisa Parker, Tony Macklin

father, son, and grandfather skipping stones - traditions, generations, family cutlure
Many philanthropic families have a strong sense of identity, defined by their traditions and culture and carried out through their commitments to one another and the public trust. A clear family identity is driven by a shared purpose and philosophy, which in turn promotes a successful collective giving effort. How do families understand their shared purpose and ensure it faithfully… Read More
Featured Article

Lessons for Family Foundation Board Chairs from the 2020 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Tony Macklin

  During NCFP’s recent Trustee Education Institute (TEI), I heard a recurring theme especially applicable to current and future board chairs of family foundations: effective governance of a family foundation takes more work than you’re typically prepared for.  All board members have a responsibility for effective governance. But the board chair is tasked with helping clarify the board’s roles and… Read More
Featured Article

Lessons for New Family Foundation Board Members from the 2020 Trustee Education Institute

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Tony Macklin

“I feel like a bit of a fish out of water when talking with people who know nothing about foundations.” “I married into a family with a foundation and I’m looking for help.” “We didn’t grow up with this wealth. It is difficult to discuss.” Three attendees shared these thoughts during NCFP’s recent Trustee Education Institute. Their sentiments are common… Read More

Partner Webinar: Tony Macklin Speaks on Balancing Purpose and Payout

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Forefront, Tony Macklin

Tony Macklin, author of the Balancing Purpose, Payout, and Permanence report, will be a panelist on an upcoming Forefront webinar. This conversation will focus on recent calls for foundations to increase the percentage of assets they pay out each year. Marcia Festen, Executive Director of the McDougal Family Foundation, will also be speaking on the panel. Endowed foundations have responded… Read More

Balancing Purpose, Payout, and Permanence

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Council on Foundations, National Center for Family Philanthropy, Tony Macklin

How much should we spend? This is an essential question for foundations, and one of the most complex, particularly in moments of change or turmoil. This Strategy Guide invites you to reflect more deeply on how your foundation chooses to balance four factors—purpose, conditions and trends, time horizons, and assets for mission—especially in times of greater crisis or opportunity. It… Read More

Balancing Purpose, Payout, and Permanence

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Peter F. Bird, Jr., Liz Sak, George Suttles, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Tony Macklin

“How much should we spend?” It’s an essential question for all funders, and an especially complex one for endowed private foundations. The answer of “around 5%” was never universal as foundations sought creative means of ensuring that assets would serve mission rather than the other way around. In recent times, the pressure to revisit payout has increased. Endowed foundations have… Read More

Community Foundations Network Topical Call: How Are You Managing Your Teams and Philanthropic Services Moving Forward?

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Tony Macklin

video conference call
As counties re-open, how has your foundation decided to balance in-office and virtual work? How are you modifying metrics and performance expectations in your donor service and development plans? And, how are you adjusting service delivery models through the end of 2020? In this peer exchange, we’ll collect insights through verbal responses, chat, and hopefully any policies or documents you’re… Read More

Community Foundation Spark Session: Community Foundation Business Models for Family Philanthropy (Round 4)

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Debbie Wilkerson, Caroline Kuebler, Bob Fockler, Whitney Hosty, Tony Macklin

This is NCFP’s fourth annual deep dive into how community foundations structure their business models for more intensive services to multi-generation and multi-branch families. Two foundations will serve as case studies, describing how they defined their customer segments, developed their portfolio of programs and services, worked with their board to set goals and success measures, refined their financial model for expanded services, engage advisors, and more. Their presentations will be… Read More