|
|
|
|
| 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. |
February/March 2010 | |
|
|
|
Report from COF's Family Philanthropy Conference
A Sea Change Indeed!
The 2010 COF Family Philanthropy Conference theme Sea Change: Redefining Family Philanthropy certainly does resonate, and not just because of the beautiful harbor-front location in San Diego! The horizon for philanthropy has indeed shifted and we need to navigate toward that horizon in new and innovative ways, perhaps building the boat as we go. Keeping our eyes on the issues covered in the COF conference tracks will help us find our way: Collaboration, Community, Governance and Management, Impact.
For those of you who were unable to attend the January 31-February 2 event, we've pulled together some resources (although Susan Price of the National Center for Family Philanthropy reminds us that " Nothing Beats Being There").
-
-
You can also check out the complete archive of COF blog posts about the conference: COF asked 21 attendees to blog from the conference, so there are many interesting entries covering many of the sessions (we've highlighted a few below). -
Of course, you can also buy downloads of sessions or multimedia CDs through their Live Learning Center. -
COF also launched the Imagine Philanthropy Gallery at the conference, to share images of philanthropy with the world. This online photo gallery is open for submissions and comments.
Thanks again to SDG folks that supported and spoke at the conference, including Valerie Jacobs, Adrienne Vargas, Charlene Seidle, Jim Farley, Jan Tuttleman, Barbara Mandel Pache, Jane McCarthy, Rachel McCarthy Bender, Doug Diamond, Richard Kiy, John Fanestil, Judy Belk, Mitchell Singer, Matthew Hervey, Linda Katz, Julieta Mendez, Alan and LouArn Sorkin, Christy Wilson, Greg Hillgren, Nina Smart, and Robyn Sharp. | |
Major Themes
A few new-ish, intriguing words, phrases and topics overheard in the COF conference hallways: next-gen, twitter, Google-ization, donor-advised funds as family philanthropy, blogging, Skype, family grief and philanthropy, catalytic giving, resident-led change, and civil discourse. Some ever- present and important ongoing issues: evaluation, strategy, diversity, advocacy, succession, investment, leadership, sunset and perpetuity.
COF's Steve Gunderson offered some "lessons learned" in a letter to attendees:
-
Philanthropy has never been more important than today. With governments paralyzed by political polarization and the private sector striving to survive amidst economic stress and global competition, philanthropy must step up to a new level of innovation and leadership in our communities and/or in our areas of mission.
-
Philanthropy is in the midst of a sea change in who we are and what we do. Our conference was defined by the leadership of next-generation philanthropists and shaped by the role technology plays in today's world. While our purpose is the same, our procedures must be different.
-
Philanthropy is on the edge of significant growth. The markets are recovering. Policy makers are expected to create a permanent inheritance tax while allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire. The demographics of American society will enable two generations, at the same time, to choose philanthropy as their preferred contribution to the common good. We must prepare for this growth in the numbers, types, and size of philanthropy.
-
We must see ourselves as a sector. I believe deeply in the concept of philanthropic citizenship. We must each see ourselves as more than part of an individual foundation. We are part of a noble sector engaged in positive change. We must learn from each other. We must collaborate with each other. We must speak together, through both the collective power of our voice to policy makers and in the collective impact of our work. |
|
Notable Sessions and Highlights
SDG member and our facilitator at the 2009 SDG annual conference, Judy Belk of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, moderated the opening plenary. It featured Arthur C. Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute, speaking about his work on the positive and patriotic economic impact of philanthropy! One fascinating finding of his research: (complete speech available here)
-
If we were to increase our private charitable donations by just 1 percent, which is about $2 billion a year, that would translate into a gross domestic product of about 39 billion new dollars. If I can take your $2 billion in charity and turn it into $39 billion, then suddenly charitable giving is not just a great investment for you. It's also a patriotic act for our country because it translates into jobs, growth, opportunity, and tax revenues.
NEW BOOK: It was such a pleasure to hear about a hot-off-the-press book, The Power of Half. Authors Kevin Salwen and his 17 year-old daughter Hannah (via YouTube) told their story. The short version: they sold their house, bought a more modest home with half of the proceeds, and used the other half to do hands-on family philanthropy in their hometown of Atlanta and in Ghana. The point: you don't need to sell your house to deploy "the power of half," but we can all find ways to use some of our resources differently (half of our Starbucks coffee costs, or half the time in front of the TV?). Not only can we help others this way, but--as they found--families become closer in the process. Read the New York Times column about the Salwens' book.
-
For another inspirational family giving resource with an eye on kids, check out www.YouthGive.org, a powerful project to educate young givers. The session was organized by former SDG member Lisa Parker of The Lawrence Welk Family Foundation.
One of the plenary sessions was all about Catalytic Philanthropy. Based on Mark Kramer's SSIR article (pdf), speakers included a family trustee sharing how they created huge change through limited dollars by supporting microfinance, and a representative of MTV talking about igniting social engagement through their young viewers. Renee Branch, COF Director of Diversity and Inclusive Practices, and Darryl Lester of Hindsight Consulting put on a session called Many Drops in an Ocean: Diversity and Inclusion in Family Philanthropy. The group worked on very specific ways to consider diverse viewpoints to enhance effectiveness. One new family foundation trustee exclaimed, "I can't believe I had never thought about this before. It really does matter!"
Never miss a chance to hear Ben Cameron, Program Director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. In his plenary session Investing in the Culture of Communities, he made the case for arts and culture as a cornerstone for a vibrant, creative society. Watch the speech here or read a transcript.
The closing speaker- Jeff Jarvis (author of What Would Google Do) came to us by Skype, which made sense as he was talking about the Google-ization of philanthropy!
A few more blog posts to peruse:
|
Offsite Sessions
SDG members organized three offsite sessions for the conference:
- The International Community Foundation hosted a tour of the ICF Center to highlight the Center's role in promoting healthier living, including the organic garden that is currently being used to harvest produce for the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center's Healing Foods Program.
- The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation held a daylong learning exchange with funders and residents of The Village at Market Creek, highlighted as one of the country's most innovative community development projects in an extremely diverse neighborhood of San Diego. Check out this post from an attendee, and this post from Nina Smart of Jacobs about engaging with residents.
- Foundation for Change led conference participants on a tour of the U.S./Mexico border fence to discuss social justice issues in the San Diego-Tijuana, Mexico border region.
|
Other Family Philanthropy Resources
How Small Family Foundations Decide to Make Big Changes Through Public PolicyThe Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy at Brandeis University released a new report, Dynamic Families: How Small Family Foundations Decide to Make Big Changes Through Public Policy (pdf), that explores the policy philanthropy potential for small foundations. The philanthropic sector has focused considerable attention on how or why large national foundations can influence public policy, but rarely has it dealt with the policy efforts of small family foundations. Since small family foundations dominate the foundation world, the Sillerman Center decided to address this gap. The report profiles numerous small family foundations doing ground-breaking and influential policy work and analyzes how they came to engage in that work. It also compiles lessons learned about policy work by small family foundations. Legacy Grantmaking: What Would Grandpa Want?NCFP Family Giving News article, January 2010 Research conducted by the National Center on legacy gifts, sometimes called memorial gifts, found that the issue usually arises shortly after the founder's death when the family seeks ways to honor his or her legacy (we refer to founder here as shorthand for any key family member being honored). But the issue may also come up when the family re-considers whether a nonprofit that been receiving a memorial grant for many years should continue to be funded.
COF Guide: 10 Ways for Family Foundations to Consider Diversity and Inclusive Practices
This guide (pdf) is designed to help foundations consider how more diverse and inclusive practices might advance their mission by making their work more effective and more reflective of communities served. By highlighting 10 ways family foundations can approach diversity, this guide seeks to spark ideas and launch further dialogue. |
Family Philanthropy in the News
RE: Philanthropy blog post by Susan Price: "Decide to Decide"
"In this tough economy, one of the most frequent calls we're receiving at the National Center for Family Philanthropy is from families re-thinking perpetuity. It's understandable that when the needs are so great, donors would debate whether the immediate impact their foundations could have outweighs the benefit of staying in the grantmaking business to benefit society for years to come."
The Philanthropic Initiative article by Ellen Remmer: "The Power of Family Philanthropy"This article was excepted from A Family's Guide to Wealth: Insights from Thought Leaders and Pioneers. In it, Remmer reflects on her own family foundation's experiences and discusses what makes for a successful family philanthropy. |
Upcoming SDG Events
RSVP to programs@sdgrantmakers.org (include your full name and organizational affiliation, please) or call 858/875-3333. Click on program names for details. The Health of San Diegans: What Does the Future Hold?
March 9, 2010, 10-11:30am (coffee/continental breakfast served) SDG, 5060 Shoreham Pl, Suite 350, San Diego 92122 Speakers: Nick Macchione and Dale Fleming, San Diego County Health and Human Services
NEW! The Why and the How: Building the Capacity of Grassroots Nonprofits
March 16, 2010, 12:00-2:00pm (lunch served) SDG, 5060 Shoreham Pl, Suite 350, San Diego 92122 Speakers: Linda Wood, Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund John Fanestil, Foundation for Change Hamse Warfa, Alliance Healthcare Foundation Corporate Roundtable with Hitachi Foundation Leader
March 24, 2010, 12:00-2:00pm (lunch served) SDG, 5060 Shoreham Pl, Suite 350, San Diego 92122 Speaker: Barbara Dyer, The Hitachi Foundation NEW! Assessing Financial Health of Nonprofits: Implications for Grantmaking
March 30, 2010, 8:30-11:00am (coffee/continental breakfast served) SDG, 5060 Shoreham Pl, Suite 350, San Diego 92122 Speaker: David Greco, Nonprofit Finance Fund
NEW! Taking Employee Engagement to New Heights
April 22, 2010, 8:30-10:30am (coffee/continental breakfast served) SDG, 5060 Shoreham Pl, Suite 350, San Diego 92122 Speaker: DeShele Dorsey, Changing Our World Click here for a complete list of SDG programs and working group meetings. |
Other Family Philanthropy Events & Teleconferences
NCFP Teleconference: The Right Ways to Handle Conflicts of Interest
March 11, 2010, 12:00pm Eastern
National Center research shows that only about half of family foundations have a conflict of interest policy. Yet conflicts often arise if, for example, a board or staff member volunteers for or serves on the board of a nonprofit that seeks funds from the foundation. Two of our speakers, Diana Gurieva, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Dyson Foundation, and Mary Mountcastle, a trustee of both the Mary Reynolds Babcock and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundations, will share how their foundations have dealt with conflicts of interest. They'll be joined by Kelley Simone, Senior Staff Attorney at the Council on Foundations. For more information or to find out how you can participate, email ncfp@ncfp.org or call 202-293-3424.
March 30, 2010, 1:00-2:30p, Eastern
It's easy to break the rules when you don't know them, particularly for trustees. Being a board member or trustee of a foundation can be one of the most satisfying ways to give back to your community. Avoid legal pitfalls by learning about the fiduciary responsibilities of foundation board members and trustees. Discussion areas will include the rules and real life examples from foundation leadership in corporate and family philanthropy and community foundations/public charities about everyday situations where self-dealing, conflicts, and issues of meeting the duties of loyalty, care, and obedience occur. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
