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Strategic planning
Leveraging Small Grants for Big Impact
Posted on December 14, 2017 by Kenji Treanor, Patricia Douglas, Shirley Fredricks, Carmela Castellano-Garcia
Domino effect. Snowballing. Chain reaction. Ripple effect. Reverberation. There are plenty of ways to describe this simple truth: small actions can have big results. This webinar will feature the stories of foundations that have created out-sized impact with their relatively small grants. Whether it’s health care, education, or the environment, the foundations and funds featured in this webinar have harnessed… Read More
Policy Changes in the Pipeline: How Will New Proposed Legislation Affect Family Giving?
Posted on November 9, 2017 by Jay Hutchins, John Mullaney, Sandra Swirski
Tax reform and policy changes are complex topics to understand. How can proposed tax reform affect the work of your foundation? What policies about charitable giving should giving families know about and consider? Are there steps giving families can take to prepare? Join John Mullaney, the Executive Director of the Nord Family Foundation as he interviews: Sandra Swirski, Executive Director… Read More
Should our foundation focus on being “strategic” or “responsive” in our grantmaking?
Posted on June 9, 2017 by National Center for Family Philanthropy
When your board approves a grant, you are hoping and expecting that your philanthropic investment will make a significant impact. In order to become an effective grantmaker, your giving should always align with the core beliefs of your foundation. Beyond this, there are two common approaches that boards take when considering how to allocate the foundation’s resources: strategic or responsive. … Read More
Giving Together: A Workbook for Family Philanthropy
Posted on September 24, 2016 by The Philanthropic Initiative
The exercises in this workbook are based on The Philanthropic Initiative’s experience working with hundreds of family philanthropies over TPI’s 20 years of philanthropic consulting. Every family brings its own unique culture, goals, and strengths to the journey of creating a family philanthropic enterprise. The resulting governance structures, funding approaches, and operating models are nearly as varied as the families… Read More
2016 NCFP CEO Retreat: a Joint Retreat for Family and Non-Family CEOs
Posted on September 20, 2016 by Virginia M. Esposito, Katherine Lorenz, Doug Bitonti Stewart
The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors, and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills. This 3-day retreat, to be held at the family home of David and Lucile Packard,… Read More
Creating Choices Before Making Choices: One Family Foundation’s Journey to Finding a Strategic Focus
Posted on July 21, 2016 by Kelly Medinger
Rooted in business principles, philanthropic study, and reflective practice, this article examines the first step of building a grantmaking strategy – finding an issue or problem to address – and presents a three-part model for creating choices that reflect a foundation’s donor intent, organizational talents and resources, and broader community needs. Ultimately, this process illustrates how a family foundation can find a strategic focus, either for all or simply… Read More
Social Movements for Good: Family Philanthropy Fuels Change
Posted on July 14, 2016 by Christopher Cardona, Derrick Feldmann, Kristy S. Rodriguez, Stacey Faella
Social movements are at the core of society -- raising awareness about issues and providing a voice for those that are often not heard. Social movements are great opportunities for family philanthropists to align their resources and voices with like-minded people who want to bring about change… Read More
In Times of Growth: Planning for an Influx of Assets
Posted on October 9, 2015 by Elaine Gast Fawcett
An influx of assets is a powerful transition point in your philanthropy. With rising resources comes the budding potential to do more of what you’re already doing—or, perhaps, try something new. This Passages Issue Brief will help you plan now for growth tomorrow, and manage change if you’re in the midst of it today… Read More
Planning for an Influx of Assets
Posted on September 10, 2015 by Tara Brown, Katherine Lorenz, Elaine Gast Fawcett
An influx of assets—whether sudden or expected—is a powerful transition point in your family’s philanthropy. With rising resources comes the budding potential to do more of what you’re already doing: making a difference according to your foundation’s mission. For family foundations—particularly those for whom the influx comes as a complete surprise—a change in asset size can feel downright disorienting. … Read More