Family Dynamics

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

Family Foundations as Agents of Change

Posted on September 4, 2009 by Jeffrey M. Glebocki, Joann Ricci

We often hear media reports on the contributions and impact of super-sized grants and mega-foundations. But data and experience tells us it’s the presence and consistency of small- and medium-sized family foundations that provide much of the fuel for nonprofit organizations in our communities. Family foundations are uniquely positioned to serve as leaders in community problem-solving. Because their board members… Read More

Family Boards: Why Can’t We Just All Get Along?

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Judith K. Healey

Every family has occasional disagreements when they engage in grantmaking together. How do you handle such common dilemmas as: family members who disagree on grantmaking, discretionary dollars or payouts; members who act out at board meetings or don’t do their share; a leader that’s not willing to step down; individuals who carry their family baggage or branch differences into the board room?… Read More

Family Members on Call: Being Both Family and Staff

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Sarah Cavanaugh

If you are already family staff, if you are thinking of hiring a staff member who is family, or if you are transitioning from a family to a nonfamily staff person, this discussion is for you. The role of staff member to a family philanthropy already comes with a myriad of roles. But when the staff person is also family, there's a whole set of dynamics with both benefits and challenges… Read More

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