Resources & Tools
Our resource library is home to hundreds of resources on the practice of effective family philanthropy, including a diverse range of reports, articles, guides, tools, and sample policies. We encourage you to search and explore the library by clicking below.
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Explore our featured resourcesThe Family Giving Lifecycle
While every philanthropic journey is unique, there are points at which all families must make decisions. The NCFP Family Giving Lifecycle provides the tools you need to make decisions that lead to effective outcomes at each stage of your philanthropic lifecycle.
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November 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Generations of Giving: Leadership and Continuity in Family Foundations
Based upon a study of foundations in the United States and Canada that have survived through at least two generations, the authors ask…
Unlocking Doors: Relational Reparations, Shared Liberation, and the Healing Power of Story
CC Gardner Gleser shares the results of her NCFP fellowship project, which focused on relational reparations in family philanthropy and how funders can address harm in a way that is meaningful for all participants.
The Value of Capacity Building to Increase Nonprofits’ Impact
As nonprofits face federal funding cuts and a shifting regulatory environment, many funders are turning to capacity building to provide additional support and ensure sustainability of their grantee partners.
Sharing Power with Communities: A Field Guide
Through its work with nonprofits and foundations, Community Wealth Partners support the concept that those closest to the issues are also…
Investing in Capacity Building: Lessons from the Cedarmere Foundation
Relatively small amounts of money may be used by effective leaders to strengthen an organization’s people and infrastructure can be…
Practices for Engaging the Next Generation in Your Philanthropy
Leaders at multigenerational family foundations share successful ways to engage the next generation by providing meaningful opportunities to participate, sharing power, prioritizing learning, and more.
The Complete Guide to Family Philanthropy and Donor-Advised Funds
Families face choices when it comes to how to do their philanthropy. They give in different ways using different vehicles. Yet, behind every…
September 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Philanthropy in Complex Multigenerational Families Report: A Companion Guide
This companion guide to the Philanthropy in Complex, Multigenerational Families: Balancing Individual Preference with Collective Purpose…
Social Impact Strategies: Intersectionality of Systems
How can philanthropic efforts go beyond addressing isolated challenges to fund the interconnectedness of social, economic, racial, and other…
August 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Using Your Voice and Influence to Complement Your Grantmaking
Funders can use their voice and influence to amplify their grantmaking, something that is particularly important as nonprofits face a dearth of funds. From signing pledges to signal solidarity and take action to bold peer-to-peer calls to action and transparent communication, family philanthropy is using its voice to meet the moment.
Planning for Effective Next-Generation Engagement
To improve its next-generation engagement and onboarding processes, the Sartain Lanier Family Foundation partnered with Grant Philanthropic Advisors to develop a ‘learning ladder’ that introduces the next generation to important skills and philanthropic knowledge and supports a smoother transition to board service.
July 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Social Impact Strategies: People and Place
How can a place-based approach maximize philanthropic impact and drive meaningful, community-led progress? In this session we will consider…
Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Family Philanthropy
How did we get here? Where do we want to go? Join NCFP’s president and CEO for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of the family…
Ask NCFP: How do we set expectations about our funding capacity?
Being transparent and setting clear expectations about your funding capacity is necessary to be a good partner to your grantees, especially during times of uncertainty. But, even if you can’t sustain an increase funding, consider how your time, expertise, and connections can provide additional support to your nonprofit partners.
How Family Philanthropies Can Support Community Organizing to Strengthen the Fabric of US Democracy
Family philanthropy is uniquely positioned to support a healthy democracy by funding community organizing, which often aligns well with their values and can fill funding gaps in meaningful ways, argues Loren McArthur.
From the Archive: Difficult Discussions at Difficult Times
NCFP’s From the Archive series highlights resources from our resource center that have stood the test of time and continue to provide…
The Time to Embrace Impact Investing is Now
Stacey Faella and Kathleen Simpson show the ways that impact investing has been a powerful tool at their foundations and offer advice to funders who want to explore new paths to support their grantees in light of funding gaps and significant need in the nonprofit sector.
Trends 2025—Results of the Third National Benchmark Survey of Family Foundations
The Trends report captures and tracks leading trends in the field of family philanthropy. Conducted every five years, this research…
How Your Foundation’s Records Can Measure Impact, Manage Risk, and Promote Transparency
Your foundation’s information is an asset and managing that information with record and knowledge management—and perhaps an archives program—can help you preserve your family’s legacy, ensure that you’re complying with legal requirements, make your impact clearer, and help you live into values like accountability and transparency. While foundations have different goals that may inform their individual approach to information governance, Bob Clark argues that there are critical concepts that all foundations should consider.
CEO Performance Review (Anonymous Foundation)
An example of a CEO performance review from an anonymous foundation.Breaking Down Silos, Funding at the Intersection
A thriving democracy and reproductive rights are inextricably linked, argues Risa Kaufman. Here, she outlines how The Overbrook Foundation funds at this intersection and why funders who embrace the interconnected nature of today’s challenges can have greater impact.
Employee Benefits Administrative Committee Charter (The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, 2007)
An example of Employee Benefits Administrative Committee (ERISA Committee), from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.More Family Foundations are Paying More than Five Percent Annually. Here’s Why.
NCFP’s Trends 2025 study showed that the majority of respondents are paying out more than five percent annually. Here, Maggie McGoldrick covers the various reasons that a funder might significantly increase their payout for a discrete period of time, including to make a big bet, account for programmatic shifts, or respond to a crisis.
Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Giving
This report explores the behavioral science behind the ten most common barriers to giving—such as too many choices, fear of uncomfortable family dynamics, and lack of urgency—and provides effective and actionable ways for donors to overcome those barriers.
Relationships and Power: Listening Well
Join us to explore how intentional practices of listening can help shift power between philanthropic families and their partners, within…
April 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Family Giving Lifecycle: Fundamentals of Family Philanthropy
Learn about foundational topics in family philanthropy that will ground your practice throughout the rest of the Lifecycle, including managing conflict, decision-making frameworks, and the social impact landscape.
Family Giving Lifecycle: Succession and Legacy
This primer will help you and your family to define your philanthropic legacy, consider your philanthropy’s lifespan, and decide, if needed…
Trends in Family Philanthropy: Learnings for Effectiveness and Impact
What do the latest trends in family philanthropy tell us about effectiveness and impact? Join us to dive into select findings from the…
Family Giving Lifecycle: Operations and Management
This primer will help you and your family to draft a roadmap for efficient and effective operations. Download the primer above and explore…
Family Giving Lifecycle: Assessment and Learning
This primer will help you and your family to craft an assessment and learning plan to help define and measure the progress and success of…
Family Giving Lifecycle: Impact Strategy and Tools
This primer will help you and your family build a philanthropic strategy to achieve your desired social impact goals. Download the primer…
Family Giving Lifecycle: Governance
This primer will help you and your family to establish clear decision-making principles, policies, and practices to ensure long-term success…
Family Giving Lifecycle: Impact Vehicles and Structures
This primer will help you and your family to assess your options and understand which vehicles are best positioned to complement your goals…
Family Giving Lifecycle: Philanthropic Purpose
This primer will help you and your family to understand the core values and principles which drive you to give. Download the primer above…
Building Trust Through Regular Check Ins
A resource on building trust through regular check ins from the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project.How to Show Up in a Trust-Based Way
A resource from the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project on how to best show up using trust-based practices.6 Grantmaking Practices of Trust based Philanthropy
This guide, from Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, offers insights and practical recommendations on employing trust-based grantmaking…
March 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
A Guide to Meaningfully Engaging Next-Generation Adults in Your Philanthropy
This guide helps those who are currently managing the efforts formally welcome adult members of the next generation—or generations—into the work.
Trust-Based Capital: Endowments as a Strategy to Support Social Justice Organizations
Having an impact on deeply entrenched problems often requires funding at scale over long periods of time. While family funders use many tools to support their grantees and communities, few are employing endowments as a way to sustain nonprofits over the long term. Here, leaders from the Field Foundation of Illinois, Grand Victoria Foundation, and Schott Foundation share the benefits of endowments, particularly when funding social and racial justice organizations. Endowments not only allow capital to grow over time, but they shift power and decision-making to nonprofits in meaningful ways.
February 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Lessons from the Durfee Foundation's Dual Leadership Transition
This case study explores how the former president and former executive director of the Durfee Foundation approached their succession planning and transition processes. Their tips for a successful transition include using external help, leaning into your values, soliciting balanced feedback, and more.
Programs and Strategy Job Descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions Use the headings below to view programs and strategy sample job descriptions. To view our entire collection of…
Learning and Evaluation Job Descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions Use the headings below to view learning and evaluation sample job descriptions. To view our entire collection of…
Grants Management Job Positions
Sample Job Descriptions Use the headings below to view grant management sample job descriptions. To view our entire collection of example…
Finance and Investment Management Job Positions
Sample Job Descriptions Use the headings below to view finance and investment management sample job descriptions. To view our entire…
Amplifying Muslim American Generosity Through Storytelling
Through her NCFP fellowship Dilnaz Waraich sought to explore Muslim American giving through storytelling. In the process of developing an exhibit—Inspired Generosity— to showcase those stories, Dilnaz and the WF Fund engaged a wide range of people. Here, Dilnaz and Tamela Spicer discuss misconceptions about Muslim Americans and how the process of curating the Inspired Generosity exhibit changed the perspectives of those involved.
January 2025: Network News
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Sample Job Descriptions
Sample Job Position Descriptions Use the headings below to view racial equity, diversity, and inclusion sample job descriptions. To view our…
Executive Office Sample Job Positions
Sample Job Descriptions Use the headings below to view executive office sample job descriptions. To view our entire collection of example…
Communications and Marketing Sample Job Descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions Use the headings below to view communications and marketing sample job descriptions. To view our entire collection…
Administrative and Office Management Sample Job Descriptions
Sample Job Descriptions Use the headings below to view administrative and office management sample job descriptions. To view our entire…
Relationships and Power: From Transaction to Trust
Join us for an interactive session that will examine how typical funder-grantee relationships often reproduce power imbalances, and how…
Advancing Disability Inclusion in Family Philanthropy
While many family philanthropies have an expressed commitment to equity, disability and its intersectional relationship with other identities is rarely considered—even while about one in four adults in the United States have a disability. National Forum speakers Christie Cawley, Ryan Easterly, Gail Fuller, and Dr. Zakiya Mabery shared their expertise for advancing disability inclusion in family philanthropy. Here, Cara Binder-Kopchick synthesizes their experiences and recommendations, offering ways that philanthropic leaders can make their grantmaking, governance, and operations more inclusive and effective.
Bridging Generations: Transforming Family Philanthropy Through Racial Equity Learning Journeys
Racial justice and systemic inequities can be tough topics to grapple with as a family. Impact Experience’s Jenna Nicholas and Olabayo Allen-Taylor consider the ways that racial equity learning journeys not only provide an education for philanthropic families, but also draw families together across generations through shared experiences and knowledge as well as increased empathy.
Unlocking the Power of DAFs
How Funders Can Overcome Psychological and Operational Barriers and Use Donor-Advised Funds More Effectively Without the outside pressure of…
The NCFP Guide for Effective Family Philanthropy
The NCFP Guide for Effective Family Philanthropy defines effectiveness in the context of family philanthropy and anchors it in four…
From the Archive: Pride of Place: Sustaining a Commitment to Geography
NCFP’s From the Archive series highlights resources from our resource center that have stood the test of time and continue to provide…
Philanthropy in Complex, Multigenerational Families: Balancing Individual Preference with Collective Purpose
Multigenerational families often face challenges balancing the needs of the collective with the needs of individual family members. This deeply researched report uncovers the reasons for this tension and points to a path families who who wish to to give collectively can take to strengthen their philanthropy. It covers family dynamics, next-generation engagement, family branches, questions of funding local geographies, and more.
Breaking Barriers: A Practical Guide to Unlocking Foundation Endowments for Mission and Returns
The report shares the findings from interviews with 30 philanthropic and impact investing leaders who collectively manage more than $300…
Managing Constant Change with Grace and Care as a Family Philanthropy Staff Leader
While change is inevitable in most pursuits, managing it well in the practice of family philanthropy can be particularly complicated as so much of philanthropy is deeply personal. National Forum speakers Rebecca Cisek, Tina Kimbrough, Sylia Obagi, and Kyle Peterson shared their tips for managing a wide-variety of change. Here, Cara Binder-Kopchick synthesizes their recommendations, offering ways that philanthropic staff leaders can support their teams while focusing on their missions and taking care of themselves.
November 2024: News and Notes from NCFP’s Members and Partners
NCFP strives to connect its members to resources, best practices, and to peer funders. Network News highlights updates from our members and…
Four Imperatives for Centering Communities in Philanthropy
Traditional approaches to philanthropy are rooted in power imbalances that reinforce closed networks of social and financial capital. These…
Building the Board Your Foundation Deserves: The Governance Checklist
This guide poses questions family foundation boards should address to promote effectiveness, including expectations for board members; board composition, selection, and terms; board committees and decision-making practices; and board assessments and term renewals.
Evolving Your Family Philanthropy: Bold Transparency
How can being more transparent about your philanthropy strengthen your relationships and build trust with grantees and partners? The annual…