Policy Central: Investing, Impact Investing, and Spending Policies
Posted on April 15, 2012
Sample investment, impact investing and spending policies and practices. … Read More
Board selection, training, roles, and responsibilities
A Place at the Table: Non-Family Membership on the Family Foundation Board
Posted on March 17, 2012 by Dorna L. Allen, Joseph Foote
Family giving comes from a common cause, a shared vision, a particular need for giving back a portion of life’s gifts. Family members can focus on shared personal interests and can shape the architecture of their giving by expressing and validating shared family experience. Foundation board service can be the means by which family members find a new and worthwhile… Read More
G3 Board Service Policy (Russell Family Foundation)
Posted on February 9, 2012 by Richard Woo
This policy, developed by the Russell Family Foundation, describes the expectations, eligiblity requirements, and pathways for becoming a board member for 3rd generation Russell family members… Read More
Trustee orientation guidelines (Hill-Snowdon Foundation)
Posted on August 4, 2011 by Hill-Snowdon Foundation
Outlines the orientation process for new trustees of the Hill-Snowdon Foundation. Includes the board membership responsibility requirements and the process by which a full Board grants a Probationary Trustee full rights… Read More
Foundation Bylaws (Durfee Foundation)
Posted on June 6, 2011 by The Durfee Foundation
The Durfee Foundation’s bylaws… Read More
The Power to Produce Wonders: The Value of Family in Philanthropy
Posted on September 24, 2010 by Virginia M. Esposito
Little is known about the value private family philanthropy represents in our society and the essential role it plays in our democracy. This special report, developed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of NCFP, provides an overview of the value of family involvement in philanthropy… Read More
Emeritus Board Members: Curse or Blessing?
Posted on August 24, 2010 by Alice Buhl
Mom and Dad are aging but we want to keep them involved. Aunt Sally has been running the foundation forever but the other board members feel it is time for someone else to take over. Uncle John is beginning to get confused. The three sisters in the second generation have been controlling things for years but the next generation wants… Read More
Managing Risk: Board Oversight of Foundation Investments
Posted on August 4, 2010 by Karen Green, Andras Kosaras
In the post-Madoff era, the foundation and nonprofit sector continues to struggle with how to invest philanthropic assets most appropriately, and how to ensure that boards and staff are managing investments prudently. This new edition of Passages, authored by two leading experts on the roles and responsibilities of foundation boards, examines the critical role of governance and how to develop… Read More
The Right Way to Handle Conflicts of Interest
Posted on March 11, 2010 by Diana Gurivera, Kelly Shipp Simone, Mary Mountcastle
National Center research shows that only about half of family foundations have a conflict of interest policy. Yet conflicts often arise if, for example, a board or staff member volunteers for or serves on the board of a nonprofit that seeks funds from the foundation… Read More
Choosing and Preparing Your Grantmaking Successors
Posted on March 4, 2010 by Mary Phillips
Family foundation donors and first generation boards should begin the continuity and succession discussion early in the foundation’s lifetime if perpetuity is the objective. In a succession plan, one trustee usually succeeds another. However, before succession can take place there should be continuity of governance where members of more than one generation are working together as peers. This Passages profiles… Read More