Voices from the Field

Realigning a Long-standing Legacy Program

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Amy Soper

Although we’re not a faith-based organization, the Bainum Family Foundation honors our founders’ commitment to faith-based education as part of our mission. Stewart and Jane Bainum both grew up in poverty and largely credit their success in life to their education at Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) boarding schools in the 1930s. Our Foundation, established in 1968, was intended to help children… Read More
Voices from the Field

Coronavirus Resources for Donors

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Giving Compass

scrabble letters spelling support
Editor’s note: This was originally published by Giving Compass and is re-posted here with permission. Though we all are experiencing a great deal of uncertainty as coronavirus spreads, we’re focused on the impact this will have on the most vulnerable among us. Significant numbers of people in our communities are facing extraordinary challenges beyond the immediate health threats, ranging from… Read More
Voices from the Field

A ‘Balancing Test’ for Foundation Spending

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Dimple Abichandani

Editor’s Note: This article, by Dimple Abichandani, executive director of General Service Foundation, was originally published by Stanford Social Innovation Review on February 10, 2020 with the headline: “A ‘Balancing Test’ for Foundation Spending.” One of the most important decisions a foundation makes is how much to spend each year. As distinct from budgetary decisions, spending policies are the invisible architecture shaping… Read More
Featured Article, From NCFP

NCFP’s New CEO Nick Tedesco on Creating Community and Finding Solutions

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Giving Compass, Nicholas A. Tedesco

Editor’s note: This content is authored by Jen Jope, Editor-in-Chief of Giving Compass. This content was originally published on Giving Compass and appears here with permission. Nick Tedesco knows a thing or two about family dynamics. For the last 15 years, he’s worked closely with family philanthropists as part of the team that launched the Giving Pledge at the Bill &… Read More
Voices from the Field

Successful Generational Transitions: Building Trust and Flexibility into Your Work with Families

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Jen Crino, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, The Seattle Foundation

Young girl and father drawing outdoors
Generational transitions are a natural part of family philanthropy—trusting the next generation to honor established values and traditions while asserting their own leadership. Many families seek guidance from philanthropic advisors to find the right balance of implementing changes and maintaining the status quo. In the webinar Successful Generational Transitions, staff members from the Seattle Foundation and the Community Foundation for… Read More
Network News

March 2020: News and Notes from NCFP’s Friends of the Family Network

Posted on February 25, 2020

Purple Poppy Flowers
Friends Focus highlights updates from members of our Friends of the Family network and their cutting edge work. This month features updates from the Bainum Family Foundation; Brindle Foundation; The Clowes Fund; Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund; J. M. Kaplan Fund; McKnight Foundation; The Russell Family Foundation; Surdna Foundation; and Zellerbach Family Foundation.  Are you a current Friend or Leadership Circle… Read More
Voices from the Field

How Claneil Foundation Puts Relationships into Practice

Posted on February 22, 2020 by The Whitman Institute

Claneil Foundation has valued the importance of relationship since its inception. Over the last four years the foundation has deliberately reexamined its practices with this lens – and it’s been transformational. The Trust-Based Philanthropy Project’s Shaady Salehi sat down with Executive Director Mailee Walker to get the scoop on why they did this and what they’re learning along the way:… Read More
Voices from the Field

Working Towards Foundation 2.0: Professionalizing Your Family Foundation

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Jennifer Wegbreit, Deborah Dauber

a cup of coffee sits next to a notebook and pen on a wooden table
Creating and running a family foundation can be rewarding and impactful. However, when a family foundation grows and hires non-family or family staff to operate the organization, it is imperative that systems are put in place to professionalize the foundation. These systems will introduce clarity and objectivity in decision making, reduce potential conflicts, and ensure the foundation follows best nonprofit… Read More
Voices from the Field

Values Lead to Decades of Kindness

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Heather Fust

Editor’s note: In this excerpt, Heather Fust writes about putting values into practice through staff culture at Foundant Technologies. The full article was originally published on Foundant Technologies’ website and appears with permission.  As I wrote at the beginning of 2019, “Choose Kind” remains front and center to every interaction and every thought in our day-to-day lives at Foundant. As… Read More
Voices from the Field

Connecting Family Philanthropists Across Generations

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Stephanie Ellis-Smith and Lauren Janus

A large group of people standing on the beach, silhouetted by the sunset
Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on Phīla Engaged Giving’s website and appears with permission. There’s a danger in making generalizations about any group of people, however, this blog post aims to share trends within the “Millennial” or “NextGen” demographic and to offer some tips on how to bridge the generation gap between the old(er) and young around philanthropic giving… Read More