Family philanthropy and community foundations

Community Foundations Topical Call: Supporting Family Learning and Assessment

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Daria Teutonico

Intentional learning and right-sized assessment are hallmarks of effective philanthropy. Donors and foundations frequently ask such questions as: What impact have grantees had? Are we reasonable in our expectations of that impact? Are we making progress toward our goals and vision? Are we improving in our ability to govern and manage our work as a family? Community foundation staff often… Read More

Community Foundations Topical Call: Managing Fee-For-Service Philanthropy Advising and Consulting Work

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Ana Akhtar, J.M. Johnson, Colleen McCarthy Blair, Tony Macklin

The wealth management industry has steadily increased fee-based advisory services, complementing or entirely replacing income earned from assets under management. Two drivers of this shift are the competition from lost-cost investing options shrinking firms’ profit margins, and the interest of rising generations and mass-affluent clients in fee transparency. Community foundations have also been experimenting with fee-based advisory and grantmaking services,… Read More

Community Foundations Topical Call: Philanthropic Advisor Competencies

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Dien Yuen, JD/LLM, CAP®, AEP®,, Tony Macklin

The demand for philanthropic advice is increasing and, in response, more firms and organizations are hiring advisors to wealthy donors and families. However, our field of philanthropic advisors and consultants is a beautiful mess of talents, perspectives, responsibilities, and expectations. In October 2022, the American College of Financial Services convened 50 experts and practitioners to envision a more cohesive future… Read More

Community Foundations Topical Call: Balancing Individual and Collective Giving in Families

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Ashley Blanchard, Tony Macklin

Families often balance giving based on shared purpose and priorities with allowing members to pursue individual interests and goals. The tension between those two goals increases as new voices join the decision-making—spouses/partners, younger generations, non-family advisors, and more. NCFP and Lansberg Gersick Advisors (LGA) recently completed a study of how families navigate the tension and successfully sustain collaborative philanthropy. LGA… Read More

Community Foundation Spark Session: Guiding Donors on the How and Now of Philanthropy

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Rebekah Allison, CAP®, Ayanna Wakefield, Brennan Gould, Nicholas A. Tedesco, Tony Macklin

Compass guiding donors in philanthropy
Our communities face many complex and interconnected challenges. Most require us to confront racial, economic, and other inequities. We’re also living in an era of massive wealth creation and wealth transfer. More donors have the resources to meaningfully address those challenges. But the how and now of their philanthropy matters more than ever. Community foundations have an incredible opportunity—and perhaps… Read More

Community Foundations Network Topical Call: Connect with Peers Based on Experience Level

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Shannon Jeffries, Katie Scott, Tony Macklin

We are creating time for peer learning and connection based on experience with philanthropic advising for multi-generational families. Bring a challenge to share or a recent success or 2023 goal to share with your peers. We will divide by experience level using zoom breakout rooms and have a group share back. This interactive call will be hosted on Zoom meeting… Read More

Community Foundations Topical Call: Trust-Based Philanthropy Practices for DAFs

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Molly Shaw, M.Ed., Abbe Temkin

Trust-based philanthropy “is rooted in a set of values that help advance equity, shift power, and build mutually accountable relationships,” per the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. While many community foundations are working to embrace these practices, how are donors or families giving through and in collaboration with the community foundation learning and adapting to using these practices? Join peers who have… Read More

Community Foundation Spark Session: Community Foundation Business Models for Family Philanthropy (Round 5)

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Thomas Griffith, Monica Merante, Heather Cash, Anne McKune, Tony Macklin

hand pointing to graph
This is NCFP’s fifth deep dive into how community foundations structure their business models for more intensive philanthropic services. Two foundations will serve as case studies, describing how they defined their customer segments, developed their portfolio of programs and services, worked with their board to set goals and success measures, refined their financial model for expanded services, engaged advisors, and more. Their presentations will be based on NCFP’s Philanthropic Services Business… Read More

Community Foundations Network Topical Call: Engaging Next Gen: Implementation, Impact, and Next Iterations

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Annie Hurwitz, Jennifer Touchet

Following over ten years of success in supporting families, Greater Houston Community Foundation is working to improve their Center for Family Philanthropy from outcomes analysis, a field scan, and a research study. Join Jennifer Touchet and Annie Hurwitz to learn about how better understanding of the impact of supporting families is adjusting their program model, and day-to-day support. This session… Read More

Community Foundations Network Topical Call: Using the Family Giving Lifecycle Toolkit

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Tony Macklin

Community foundations are asked to guide families through many points of inflection and reflection in their philanthropic journeys. In those moments, families can embrace proven practices and advance momentum or stall out due to uncertainty and lack of clarity. How can you as a philanthropic advisor forecast those points of inflection and prepare your donors for more informed decisions? NCFP’s… Read More