National Center for Family Philanthropy

Transitions in Family Philanthropy: A Primer for Community Foundation Staff and Donor Families

Posted on July 31, 2017 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

No matter the intensity of the emotions they generate, transitions have the potential to affect the course of your family’s life. These transitions also impact your family’s philanthropy — and how your family chooses to manage its charitable giving vehicles, such as your donor-advised fund or foundation. This Passages Issue Brief provides tips and tools for donor families and community… Read More

Managing Family Dynamics: A Primer for Community Foundation Staff and Donor Families

Posted on June 30, 2017 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

Family members marry, divorce, remarry, form domestic partnerships, and, in many cases, move far away from the family home. Siblings may have long established patterns of competitiveness, feelings of fairness, or other sibling rivalry issues. Parents and children may have values that differ significantly. Communication may break down. In turn, these common challenges can affect how your family decides to… Read More
Voices from the Field

The Power of Investing in Volunteer Engagement

Posted on June 26, 2017

As funders, we pay great attention to how potential grantees steward their financial resources, but do we pay equal attention to how they lead and manage their human resources? Volunteers are a vastly underutilized, yet virtually unlimited renewable resource. The need is urgent, the timing is critical, and the support is necessary… Read More

What are the roles of board committees?

Posted on June 20, 2017 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

Board committees are at the heart of good governance. Committee members should make the necessary decisions and provide the day-to-day oversight needed to ensure that a family foundation board follows its fiduciary and legal obligations. Refer to Policy Central: Board Commitees for examples of how to organize your foundation’s committees. Once board roles have been established, you should then determine how you… Read More

What is the role of the foundation’s president?

Posted on June 19, 2017 by National Center for Family Philanthropy

The president is responsible for establishing an efficient and effective infrastructure that enables seamless execution of grantmaking functions and heightens professionalism of the foundation’s operations. The role can be broken down into 5 core responsibilities: Leadership for the foundation’s grantmaking– The president is responsible for focusing on the issues that the trustee’s feel are of great importance. He/she is also… Read More

What is a private operating foundation, and should we consider using this option?

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Jason Born

The IRS distinguishes between public and private foundations and, within private foundations, between operating and non-operating (grant-making) foundations. While private operating foundations may choose to make some grants to other charitable organizations, they must engage primarily in direct charitable activities by running their own programs (i.e., using their own facilities, staff and resources to directly further their charitable operations)… Read More

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