Voices from the Field

Courtesy of RODNAE Productions from Pexels Many giving families have a strong sense of identity, defined by their relationships, traditions, and underlying values, and carried out through a shared purpose and approach to philanthropy. In NCFP’s recent webinar, “Family Culture and Identity” Senior Program Consultant Tony Macklin discussed what family culture and organizational culture mean in the context of family… Read More

This article was originally published by Giving Compass and is re-posted here with permission. This is part two in a four-part series. Read part one here. “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb In our first article, we shared the philosophy and beginnings of our relational reparations group in Seattle, which would… Read More

Courtesy of Johannes Plenio from Pexels This blog post is excerpted from the Passages Issues Brief Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family Tree. For more information about family culture, please register for our Family Identity and Culture Webinar on February 11, 2021. Family connectedness, not money, has the greatest influence on multi-generational family continuity. But when many think about legacy, it’s often in… Read More

This article was originally published by Glasspockets by Candid and is re-posted here with permission. Ashleigh Halverstadt is the former senior evaluation and learning officer of the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, a spend-down foundation that concluded operations in December 2020. In this role, she worked with program staff and grantees to design and implement evaluation strategies, forged partnerships with… Read More

This article was originally published by The Center for Effective Philanthropy and is re-posted here with permission. In early spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, foundations in the U.S. began to shift resources and practices. Some funders, nonprofits, and others in the field called for fundamental changes in how funders approach their work — including upping the provision of long-term,… Read More

This article was originally published by Giving Compass and is re-posted here with permission. What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m talking about is a national reckoning that would lead to spiritual renewal. Reparations would mean the end of scarfing hot dogs on… Read More

Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels The United States is facing unprecedented levels of inequality. Nuanced critiques of donor-driven endowments permeate the media coverage of philanthropy, tinging it with skepticism and mistrust. As a donor, you want to do good—you want to have a positive impact by playing your part in advancing our society. Yet you may feel confused about… Read More

Courtesy of André Cook from Pexels Some of the most common questions families ask me are: How do we choose where to give? How can my family and I agree on something that will inspire us now, and keep us interested over time? And how can we find out what the community truly needs to achieve the best results for… Read More

Courtesy of Jonathan Petersson from Pexels Excerpted from Spending down: Laurie Dachs answers questions for family philanthropies What was the process that your foundation went through to make the decision to spend down? What drove the decision? Our Board of Directors held multiple conversations across a year, 2008, sparked by my dad as founder and board chair. At that time,… Read More

One reason many families create foundations is to pass down philanthropic values through the generations. My grandparents founded the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation to support the issues they cared most deeply about and also to ensure that the specific values they championed throughout their lifetimes would continue to live on when they were gone. My grandparents had 10 children… Read More