NCFP Blog

Question:  I would like to make a meaningful contribution to my alma mater – my 50 year reunion is coming up. I have also decided, reluctantly, that the time has come for me to part with the family vacation home in Maine that has meant so much to me and my late husband over the past 40 years. The kids… Read More

Editor’s note: This article is excerpted from the new NCFP CEO Guide, Performance Review: The Complete Guide to Evaluating the Family Foundation CEO, volume 3 of our Family Foundation CEO Leadership Series. Setting priorities can be challenging for a new CEO, what with the myriad responsibilities of the job. When Kathleen Odne, the executive director of the Dean & Margaret… Read More

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on the Minnesota Council on Foundations’ Philanthropy Potluck Blog, and is used with MCOF’s permission. During discussions of diversity in philanthropy, family grantmakers sometimes get frustrated. Their thoughts may immediately turn to: “Our board members are family, how can we be diverse?” No matter your family’s DNA or your foundation’s charter, it is possible (and desirable) to… Read More

My parents are in the process of establishing a family foundation, and we are wondering  if you have a list of common mistakes that other donors have made in planning for a family foundation? A foundation is a business enterprise and, like any good business enterprise, a little bit of planning goes a long way. What can go wrong, you… Read More

Our foundation’s board of directors is preparing to hire a new CEO to replace our retiring CEO, who has been with the family for nearly 20 years. As we talk with applicants, what are the most important topics we should discuss in terms of appropriate board and staff roles? In the transition between CEOs, Boards should discuss specific leadership roles… Read More