Voices from the Field

On October 14, 2015 at the National Forum on Family Philanthropy in Seattle, WA, Larry Stifler and Mary McFadden, founders of the Stifler Family Foundation, reflect on how their past opportunities influenced their generous giving now. Listen to their story here and follow the National Center for Family Philanthropy on StoryCorps.me… Read More

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy hosted “The European Refugee Crisis: How Funders Can Help,” a webinar, on Sept. 15. Panelists were Bob Kitchen, International Rescue Committee; Shelly Pitterman, UNHCR; Ed Cain, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; and Michael Fields, Xylem Watermark. … Read More

As I sit here writing about risk, the date at the bottom of my laptop screen – September 11 – is a jarring reminder that risk analysis is both futile and indispensable. It’s futile if we use risk analysis to predict the future. Or come to believe that the act of reflection itself inoculates us against harm. … Read More

On a sunny summer Saturday morning, seven college-aged youth trickled into a collaboration space at the offices of the Surdna Foundation and the Andrus Family Fund to commence the yearlong Board Executives in Training Program (BETS). … Read More

Have you ever been the one tasked with making the plans for a vacation with a large group of people? If so, you know what it is like to juggle many different schedules, preferences and opinions. However, when everyone puts the time and work in and shares the responsibility, it can be a wonderful experience… Read More

When I wrote about my first year on the job, I asked you all to do something: Tell me the truth. That simple request drew more than 2,000 e-mails to my inbox. In reflecting on each and every response, I have become more aware of the ways in which we can improve our institution, and serve our mission. … Read More

I was recently invited to speak about mistakes and learning in philanthropy at the Grants Managers Network's annual conference. My presentation argued that admitting failures contributes to high-quality implementation, innovation of new strategies and improved governance and transparency. Despite increasing philanthropic interest in mistakes and learning, many foundation staff still find it difficult to have conversations about mistakes… Read More

Every foundation, public or private, is different. Each foundation is passionate about the issues they support but the way they “do business” differs vastly. In order to change attitudes, build awareness and affect long-lasting change, our foundation’s narrow-and-deep approach manifests itself in two ways: our strategy of partnerships and public advocacy… Read More

Every day we see committed and generous families making positive impacts on the communities and issues they serve. We want to share their stories and are delighted to announce our new I Am Family Philanthropy video series. In this month's video, we are delighted to share the reflections of William Graustein of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund. … Read More