Ginny Esposito

Virginia M. Esposito

Senior Fellow and Founding President

Virginia M. Esposito, is the founding president of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. In January 2020, Ginny transitioned to the role of Senior Fellow to focus her efforts on research, writing, and consulting with families.

For more than 35 years, Ginny has worked to advance private philanthropy through research and education. For 30 of those years, she has focused on the family philanthropic experience, promoting values, vision, and excellence across generations of donor families. Ginny was editor and principal author of the first edition of Splendid Legacy and of Splendid Legacy 2: Creating and Recreating Your Family Foundation. Her research publications include The Power to Produce Wonders: The Value of Family in Philanthropy and The Family Foundation CEO: Crafting Consensus out of Complexity. Ginny also edited, and was principal author of, the four-volume Family Foundation Library and numerous articles and issue papers on family philanthropy. She has presented at hundreds of programs for and about donor families throughout North America and on four other continents. In addition to her work on family philanthropy, Ginny edited Conscience and Community: The Legacy of Paul Ylvisaker, the writings and speeches of the late foundation trustee, educator, and dean of the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. She has served on boards and committees for organizations including Great Nonprofits, the Binational Commission on the Nonprofit Sector (US and South Africa), the Commission on the Future of Public Education (Public Education Network), Committee on Ethics and Accountability (Independent Sector), the Philanthropy and the Black Church Project, and Strengthening Native American Philanthropy. She currently serves on the board of directors of the John M. Belk Endowment.

Contributions

Ask NCFP

How Does the Role of a Family Foundation Chair Differ from That of Other Non-Profit Entities?

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Virginia M. Esposito, Alice Buhl, Kelly Sweeney McShane

This month we are delighted to feature a question recently asked in our April webinar, The critical role of the board chair in family philanthropy. This wide-ranging conversation on the critical role of the board chair in family philanthropy featured international family foundation experts Virginia Esposito and Alice Buhl along with two experienced and thoughtful family foundation leaders… Read More
From NCFP

Having new eyes: Transitions in family philanthropy

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Virginia M. Esposito

For more than two years, I have been researching, interviewing, and thinking about transitions in the life of a family philanthropy. I’ve listened to anyone willing to talk to me about their experiences with philanthropic transitions. I have learned a great deal about the nature of each transition. Similarly, I’ve learned how families navigated these transitions more, and sometimes less, effectively. … Read More
From NCFP

Family transitions: Yours, mine and ours

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Virginia M. Esposito

Every presentation and family meeting in which I participate invariably turns to transitions. In moments of change – within your family, governance, giving programs, or something else – so much more is affected than just the source of the change. We’ve been experiencing transitions pretty personally here at the National Center for Family Philanthropy… Read More

The 2014 Trustee Education Institute: An intensive seminar for family foundation trustees

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Glen Galaich, Virginia M. Esposito, Susan Crites Price, Ami Aronson, Andrew Schulz, Kelly Sweeney McShane, Kristin Pauly, Leonor Alfonso, Maegan Scott, Mary Phillips

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE 2014 AGENDA HERE – SEE SPEAKER LIST AND BIOS BELOW NCFP’s Trustee Education Institute provides a comprehensive introduction to all of the key legal, investment, ethical, grantmaking, and family dynamics issues facing family foundation board members. Featuring a faculty made up of NCFP’s senior staff and highly respected philanthropy experts, this three day, intensive seminar will cover: What does… Read More
Featured Article

Transitions: Opportunities and Challenges for Family Philanthropy

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Virginia M. Esposito

Even if your family foundation or fund is very new, chances are you have already experienced at least one transition in the lifecycle of your giving program. Family giving programs are subject to changes both in family composition and the lifecycles of organizations, and these changes bring both challenges and opportunities for the family's philanthropy… Read More