From NCFP

Renewal: You and your giving

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Virginia M. Esposito

Ginny Esposito
Renewal is critical. It reenergizes your commitment and revitalizes your sense of purpose. It can help you see a new solution for an old situation. The same is true for revitalizing your foundation or fund. Here are a few tips for planning your philanthropic renewal – from the simple strategy to a more comprehensive process… Read More
From NCFP

Four Critical Elements for Generational Succession

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Virginia M. Esposito

Dear FGN Readers: The National Center for Family Philanthropy fields hundreds of questions about family giving over the phone, through email, and in person every year.  Thousands more use the Family Philanthropy Online Knowledge Center to search for answers on their own in the thousands of articles, sample documents, and other resources featured there. Without a doubt, the most frequently… Read More
From NCFP

Embracing the Power: Perpetuity or Immediacy

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Virginia M. Esposito

Ginny Esposito
“Although there is some debate in philanthropy about the question of perpetuity, in the end no single correct approach is right for all donors.  The decision to create a foundation for the ages or for the moment is a highly individual choice.  It should be guided by the philanthropic goals laid out by donors and their families.  The bottom line… Read More
From NCFP

Focused Philanthropy

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Virginia M. Esposito

Family philanthropy mirrors so much of what we care about and who we love that it is often reflected in many different aspects of our lives. It’s about relationships, passions, and the way we would like to make the world a better place.  Little things can remind us why we care about excellence in family philanthropy. Consequently, it should not… Read More
From NCFP

Fifteen Years, Ten Trends: Then and Now

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Virginia M. Esposito

Ginny Esposito
“Democracy does not give the people the most skillful government, but it produces what the ablest governments are frequently unable to create; namely, an all-pervading and restless activity, a superabundant force, and an energy which is inseparable from it and which may, however unfavorable circumstances may be, produce wonders.  These are the true advantages of democracy.” The above quotation, one… Read More
From NCFP

Renew, Re-Imagine, Reinvigorate!

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Virginia M. Esposito

Virginia Esposito, President, National Center for Family Philanthropy Spring may quickly be a fading memory but the spirit of spring – renewal, re-imagining, and reinvigorating – is alive and well in the world of family philanthropy. Let me share a few examples to inform and inspire your own giving and, hopefully, to encourage you to share your own renewal efforts… Read More
From NCFP

Values, Visions, and Vitality

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Virginia M. Esposito

Last week, the National Center for Family Philanthropy held its annual board retreat. We returned to The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in Tarrytown, New York for the first time since our first board retreat more than 15 years ago. We spent most of our first retreat developing our values statement and refining our mission and program agenda,… Read More
From NCFP

The Spirit of Spring

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Virginia M. Esposito

Virginia Esposito, President, National Center for Family Philanthropy Happily, it is Spring. Those in the Northeast may be wondering about that but I assure you, it is coming to you too. There is something about the spirit of Spring that, for me, embodies the spirit of family philanthropy. It’s renewal. Without the promise of new vitality, of renewing the promise… Read More
From NCFP

Be the Architect of Change, Not the Victim

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Virginia M. Esposito

“Foundations change, like it or not. The fundamental issue is whether they will change by chance or for significant reasons. The latter comes about only through conscious effort.” – Frederick deWolfe Bolman Transitions in family philanthropy are those moments in the life-cycle of your philanthropy – prompted by family, foundation/fund, or community circumstances – that signal some significant shift. The… Read More