Governance

Conflict of interest policy (Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation)

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation

This policy delineates the responsibilities of Directors, staff members, or committee members who are not board members of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation regarding two levels of conflict of interest. The first level is a conflict of loyalties, such as serving on the board of any applying organization but having no financial conflict of interest. The second level of conflict… Read More

Choosing and Preparing Your Grantmaking Successors

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Mary Phillips

Family foundation donors and first generation boards should begin the continuity and succession discussion early in the foundation’s lifetime if perpetuity is the objective. In a succession plan, one trustee usually succeeds another. However, before succession can take place there should be continuity of governance where members of more than one generation are working together as peers. This Passages profiles… Read More

Rethinking the Management of Foundation Endowments

Posted on October 3, 2009 by John E. Craig Jr.

As the implications of the 2008–09 financial crisis for the world economy and markets have become clearer, many foundation executives and investment committees are reassessing their approach to endowment management. This essay reports on the effects of the recent turmoil on foundation endowments thus far, and offers lessons from the crisis and earlier ones that could help boards and investment… Read More

Trustee Handbook and board policies (Hill-Snowdon Foundation)

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Hill-Snowdon Foundation

This document represents all standing policies that have been developed by the Hill-Snowdon Foundation since the year 2000.   It presents long-term policies as well as short-term (action-oriented with specific timeframe attached) policies that have not yet been completed, and includes Executive, Grantmaking, and Operational policies… Read More

Next generation leadership: Exploring transition at the Andrus Family Fund

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Deanne Stone

How to involve a family that size was daunting enough, but the trustees faced another hurdle. Historically, the seats on the family boards had been filled by a handful of family members from a few family branches. The fourth-generation wanted to have a more democratic selection process, but could they suddenly and convincingly open the doors to the family’s philanthropies after decades of exclusion?… Read More

Family Boards: Why Can’t We Just All Get Along?

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Judith K. Healey

Every family has occasional disagreements when they engage in grantmaking together. How do you handle such common dilemmas as: family members who disagree on grantmaking, discretionary dollars or payouts; members who act out at board meetings or don’t do their share; a leader that’s not willing to step down; individuals who carry their family baggage or branch differences into the board room?… Read More

Family Members on Call: Being Both Family and Staff

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Sarah Cavanaugh

If you are already family staff, if you are thinking of hiring a staff member who is family, or if you are transitioning from a family to a nonfamily staff person, this discussion is for you. The role of staff member to a family philanthropy already comes with a myriad of roles. But when the staff person is also family, there's a whole set of dynamics with both benefits and challenges… Read More

Perpetuity is a Long Time

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Daniel Bader, Richard Moore

Most foundations are created in perpetuity, but a growing number are planning to sunset, most for family or program reasons. Some foundations feel strongly that they best serve society by continuing their work over the long haul. Some simply avoid discussing the issue… Read More

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