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| As a special benefit to SDG family foundation members, Family Ties is published bimonthly. Feel free to submit news about your foundation or other topics of interest. |
October 2009 |
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Reminder: The SDG office has moved to 5060 Shoreham Place, Suite 350, San Diego CA 92122. Our new phone number is (858) 875-3333. | |
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New Family Philanthropy Research
The National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) has released the first ever random survey of family foundations' practices in the areas of legacy, vision, mission, governance, family involvement, board functions, grantmaking, fiscal oversight and foundation management. The research findings provide benchmarking information to help foundations assess their own practices with those of their peers. This work is part of NCFP's Pursuit of Excellence initiative to provide family foundations with data and an assessment process to help them raise their own levels of performance. Pursuit of Excellence enables family foundations to see themselves in terms of common practice as well as in light of standards of excellence articulated by leaders in the field.
Some findings include:
- 79% of respondents reported plans to continue beyond the current generation.
- 60% said that their foundations have a clear process for selecting new trustees.
- A whopping 99% declared "there is good financial oversight of the foundation."
Click here (pdf) for more survey results. | |
Who is Family (Who Should be Involved in Your Family Foundation)?
When deciding who participates in decisions about their philanthropy, families have many factors to consider. Should spouses/significant others be involved in these decisions? What happens if couples divorce? What about children, adopted children and stepchildren? And should the family's philanthropy also include non-family members chosen for specific expertise or diverse perspectives?
One possible approach about who to involve is one of family inclusiveness, emphasizing the participation of all blood relations. For small or especially close-knit families, or those who have made the decision to exclude spouses, this approach may be appropriate. Another approach is criteria-based selection. This approach focuses more on mission than on family, and may result in family and non-family candidates being subjected to the same screening process for their roles in the foundation.
Whatever the approach, it's important for families to set clear and consistent guidelines for participation for the overall health of their foundations as well as the communities they serve. |
Related Resources
Families in Flux: Guidelines for Participation in Your Family's Philanthropy
This Passages report from the National Center for Family Philanthropy addresses changing family composition and circumstances and how philanthropic families may deal with them.
Click here to download at NCFP's Knowledge Center.
An Introduction to Board Composition
Click here for this Council on Foundations resource on boards of directors.
A Colleague's Perspective on Board CompositionAnother resource from Council on Foundations.
Ten Ways Family Foundations Can Include the Viewpoints of Others Click here to find out how to include new perspectives.
It Takes a Village to Raise... Our Family Foundation
This Foundation News and Commentary article reflects on foundation involvement. |
The Grandparent Legacy Project
For many philanthropic families, the question of who exactly should be involved in their foundation leads to a discussion about engaging new generations in giving. In response to the increased demand for resources that help families articulate and convey their values and visions across generations, the Association of Small Foundations and 21/64, a nonprofit consulting division of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies specializing in next generation and multigenerational philanthropy, has created the Grandparent Legacy Project. The Project is an oral history tool that helps grandparents communicate their stories (their legacies) across the generations. The book and accompanying CD, which also function as a guide to giving, includes excerpted interviews from 15 well-known philanthropic grandparents. |
COF Family Philanthropy Conference in San Diego
The 2010 Council on Foundations Family Philanthropy Conference will be held from January 31-February 2, 2010 right here in San Diego! Several SDG representatives (including Nancy Jamison, Valerie Jacobs, and Adrienne Vargas--as well as former SDG member Lisa Parker) are serving on the planning committee for the conference. It will be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet and learn from family foundation colleagues from across the nation. Save the date and stay tuned for more details. |
Past Program Resources: Disaster Preparedness for Your Family Foundation
SDG's own Tim McCarthy (McCarthy Family Foundation) was featured on this September 10 National Center for Family Philanthropy webinar. If you missed it but would like to access the presentation and related resources, click here (login required: SDGmember, password 2001). |
SDG Member Service: Family Philanthropy Resources
SDG's partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) provides SDG and its members with family philanthropy information, resources and programming to increase and enhance your family giving:
- Monthly Teleconference Series - features presentations by experts and practitioners on a wide range of topics including family dynamics, governance, and new trends in family philanthropy.
- Research and Information - SDG can research a topic for you through the NCFP Online Knowledge Center, a searchable, comprehensive and constantly updated collection of more than 1,000 articles, case studies, profiles, presentations, reports and more related to family philanthropy.
- Knowledge - We will highlight NCFP articles and topics of interest to families in our communications.
If you would like further information or need a topic researched, please contact Phyllis Levine, SDG Director of Member Services at 858-875-3333. |
Family Philanthropy in the News
Washington Post: Leading a Dysfunctional Family FoundationThe question: "I'm a newly appointed executive director for a medium-sized family foundation, and I am having a hard time making meaningful changes to the foundation's antiquated programs. The family is content doing things the way they have always been done, but I know the non-profit sector is changing rapidly and that our money has the potential to achieve a lot more." View the article for the response to this dilemma!
LA Times: Brooke Astor's Son ConvictedBrooke Astor's 85-year-old son was convicted on October 8th of exploiting his philanthropist mother's failing mind and helping himself to her nearly $200 million fortune, a large portion of which had originally been destined for charity. The jury convicted Anthony Marshall of 14 counts, including first-degree grand larceny and scheming to defraud. His co-defendant, estate lawyer Francis X. Morrissey Jr., was convicted on all five charges, including scheming to defraud, conspiracy and forgery. Marshall was accused of a range of tactics - from scheming to inherit millions of dollars to simply stealing artwork off her walls. Morrissey was accused of helping manipulate Astor into changing her will to leave Marshall millions of dollars that had been destined for charity. Astor's last will, created January 30, 2002, left millions of dollars to her favorite charities. Amendments in 2003 and 2004 gave Marshall most of her estate.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the nation's largest family foundation, is awarding $35 million to support a new coalition of banks and developing countries that is working to increase access to financial services for poor people earning less than $2 a day. The grant was announced at the first Global Policy Forum, a conference of the newly formed Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI). The alliance is described as a coalition of central banks and policymaking bodies in more than 60 developing countries. AFI will help member countries share and develop strategies for reaching millions of the so-called "unbanked" - those who do not have savings accounts or access to basic financial services. The grant is under the Gates Foundation's Financial Services for the Poor initiative, a segment of the foundation that since 2005 has made more than 50 grants. In 2009, the initiative has awarded half a dozen other grants worth a combined $42 million. |
Upcoming SDG Events
Register Now! 2009 SDG Annual Conference 
North University Community Branch Library, 8820 Judicial Drive, San Diego 92122
SDG Open House
December 2, 2009, 4-6:00pmSDG, 5060 Shoreham Place, Suite 350, San Diego 92122
Click here for a complete list of SDG programs and working group meetings. To RSVP, email programs@sdgrantmakers.org (include your full name and organizational affiliation with your response, please). Reminder: SDG programs are open only to member grantmakers and nonmember grantmakers as invited. |
| Other Family Philanthropy Events & Teleconferences
November 10, 2009, 10:00am - 11:30am Pacific
Cost: $0 for COF and ASF members; $199 for non-members
Features SDG's own Valerie Jacobs!
Don't miss this chance to be part of a national conversation without leaving your home town! The COF Family Philanthropy conference is coming right here to San Diego next year. | |
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