Have Donor-Advised Funds and Other Philanthropic Innovations Changed the Flow of Giving in the United States?

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Patrick Rooney

Giving intermediaries are nothing new, and include a range of vehicles such as workplace campaigns (like the United Way and the Combined Federal Campaign) and community foundation general funds. Of late, such giving intermediaries have found their donors less willing to give into a general fund—where others make decisions about the final destinations of their gift—and more in favor of… Read More

Can we change our registered agent?

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Andras Kosaras

Our foundation is incorporated in the State of California, but the legal address is in the state of Colorado. We have an excellent relationship with our broker who is also located in California. Could we ask him to be our registered agent?… Read More

Case Study: Navigating a Community Foundation’s Roles Among a Family’s Professional Advisors

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Tony Macklin

The Star City Community Foundation has a potential opportunity to work with a generous family planning for a business transition. As is often the case, the information about the opportunity is incomplete. This special case study shares the story of the fictional Lincoln family, and explores the questions, considerations, and challenges facing the community foundation as it works with the… Read More

Things We Wish Our Founders Had Told Us: Interpreting Donor Legacy

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Susan Packard Orr

This special NCFP Distinguished Fellow Essay by Susan Packard Orr explores the questions that Susan and her fellow trustees wished they had asked of the founders when they were still alive. From the introduction: This year marks the 20th anniversary of our father’s death. Our mother has been gone almost 30 years. During this time, we have worked to build… Read More

Ten ways philanthropic families work with community foundations

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Audrey Jacobs, David O. Barrett, Elizabeth Sullivan, Lauren Amos, Mark Neithercut, Rob MacPherson

This special webinar as we count and describe the many ways that philanthropic families work with the more than 800 community foundations spread across North America. From partnering for impact to serving as a training ground for younger family members, community foundations and families have been partners since the very first community foundations were founded just over a century ago… Read More

From the Start: Questions for Donors and Family Members

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Charles Hamilton

Donors often seek effective ways to involve other family members from the start. Heirs, meanwhile, look for ways to appropriately honor the legacy of the donor(s). There are many questions and issues likely to be considered by both the donor and future generations. (Source: Living the Legacy: The Values of a Family’s Philanthropy Across Generations, NCFP, 2001) Questions for the… Read More

Advisory board member roles and responsibilities

Posted on December 8, 2014

The Sample Family Foundation’s Declaration of Trust designates two groups of participants: (1) “Trustees,” all of whom are currently family members and who vote on grants and issues of governance; and (2) “Advisors” who serve in an advisory capacity without voting power. Advisors are appointed to three-year terms that may be renewed until the Advisor reaches the age of seventy-five… Read More

Passion: Discovering Meaning in Your Philanthropy

Posted on November 6, 2014 by The Philanthropic Initiative

What is the place of passion in philanthropy? When it comes to giving and volunteering, we might think of passion as that mix of curiosity, enthusiasm and conviction which takes us beyond an annual contribution into a sustained engagement with an issue, cause or organization. The passion in philanthropy can be expressed in many ways… Read More