Transitions

Family philanthropy structures, leaders, and goals are constantly evolving, just like the families they represent. The change that comes over time is to be anticipated, managed, and, if possible, embraced as an opportunity for renewal. The inevitable changes and transitions that come to family giving programs are too often spoken of in negative terms. As relieved as we are to make it from one challenge to the next, change is not something to be simply weathered.

Leaders will leave, and new ones will emerge. Priorities will shift. Families will move. Stock values will rise and fall. It’s all to be expected. Change comes with the territory. How your family initiates, manages, and responds to that change will determine the course of your giving and reveal your true legacy.

How should we choose trustees when there is a vacancy?

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Michael Rion

Apart from some minimal requirements of state law (e.g., mental competency), there are no legal mandates about the process of choosing trustees. In some cases, especially in small foundations with very few family members, succession may be directed in the by-laws and/or by custom so that, for example, direct descendants are “in line” as the successor trustees.  When trustees have… Read More

The Power of Urgency: Options for Spending Down and Limited Life Foundations

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Alice Buhl, Joseph W. “Joe” Clark, Tony Proscio

This conversation will provide a fascinating look at the advantages and disadvantages of the limited life approach, both for the community of grantees and for family members themselves. Even if your family is not currently considering the limited life option, the strategic approaches taken by the boards of these foundations to achieve their goals will offer many valuable lessons and insights… Read More

Foundations Moving On: Ending Programmes and Funding Relationships

Posted on November 8, 2013 by GrantCraft

Whether you are part of a family foundation that runs its own programmes, a big corporate grantmaker, a small venture philanthropist, an NGO that re-grants resources from a back-donor, or a mix of any of the above, exits are inevitable. Funders move on, and relationships with grantees, partners, or investees change along the way. Exit decisions and strategies are complicated;… Read More

10 Things Every New Foundation Board Member Should Know

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Council on Foundations, BoardSource

This publication is designed as a basic guidebook for the new foundation board member, providing an introduction to tools and knowledge essential in the first years of service on the board. While it is not a substitute for legal, financial or other professional advice, it will help inform you about the responsibilities that accompany board service. This tool was developed… Read More

The Power of Urgency – The Eckerd Family Foundation

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Jason Born

Organized from its inception as a limited life foundation, the Eckerd Family Foundation took a bold and strategic approach to using its assets to create significant change on issues affecting young people, including juvenile justice, foster care, and education… Read More

Strategic plan framework (McKnight Foundation)

Posted on December 22, 2012

In 2011, the McKnight Foundation’s board and staff engaged in an external scan to consider major trends and patterns in our external context and to develop a shared sense of what these mean for our work. The foundation considered a set of three questions — What?, So What?, and Now What? — a useful discussion model to explore and reflect… Read More

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