|
|
|
| As a special benefit to SDG family
foundation members, Family Ties will
be published bimonthly in 2009. Feel free to
submit news about your foundation or other topics of
interest. |
June 2009 | |
|
|
|
The
Power of
Storytelling
Did you see this month's edition of Family Giving
News (a publication of the National Center
for Family Philanthropy)? It features an essay by
family foundation trustee and NCFP board member Bill
Graustein about how stories can create stronger
communities and better leaders. We heard a
similar message at last year's popular SDG Annual
Conference closing plenary, featuring Andy
Goodman.
Interested in how storytelling might improve the
work of your family foundation?
Don't miss this upcoming SDG event:
In this hands-on workshop, expert storyteller Karen
Dietz will help you craft compelling stories about your
work and its impact. Attendance is limited
and the event is already two-thirds full, so
RSVP
today! | |
|
Geographic
Dispersion
Many families begin foundations with a specific
geographic focus as a way of giving back to the
community that gave rise to their wealth. But what are
the consequences for family foundations as times passes
and family members move away, giving rise to subsequent
generations with few ties to the community that the
foundation still serves?
There are many questions for families confronting
geographic dispersion issues:
- Should the foundation begin to give in communities
where family members now live and/or begin to fund
different community issues that interest them?
- What are the consequences for the original
mission/geographic area when funds are distributed to
family members' current communities?
- Should a foundation adapt or even change its
mission entirely (if legally permissible) to make it
more relevant to family members' philanthropic
goals?
The issue of geographic dispersion within family
foundations presents many practical as well as
philosophical challenges. In addition to younger
generation family members who have no personal
connection to the original donor, the funding
area/mission, or region; geographically dispersed
foundations can find it difficult just to schedule
convenient and economical board meetings.
However, many family foundations approach
geographic dispersion not just as a challenge to
overcome, but as an opportunity to strengthen family
ties, learn about new communities and focus areas, and
promote the cross-fertilization of ideas and practices
that ultimately lead to more impactful grantmaking that
is also more meaningful for their families. See below
for research and resources related to this important
topic.
|
Related
Research
Grantmaking with a Compass A
55-page monograph by National Center for Family
Philanthropy (NCFP) exploring how family foundations
deal with different issues that arise from geographic
dispersion. Click here
to access in SDG's members-only section ( email us for login info), and click here
for purchase information.
Family Matters: Geographic
Dispersion
An issue of COF's Family Matters
newsletter (pdf) that includes articles on how
family foundations can bridge distance, how a
geographically dispersed board can approach its mission,
and the opportunities presented by geographical
dispersion.
The Connected Giving
Family
A transcript
of the 2008 NCFP teleconference on simple online
techniques that small family foundations can use (online
video, Skype, virtual site visits, etc.) to connect
family members and bridge the geographical divide for
better impact.
Family Ties: A Newsletter for Family
Foundations and the Future Generation of Philanthropic
Leaders
A newsletter
from Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers focusing
on how family foundations can address the challenges and
issues related to the geographic dispersion of family
members.
|
Family Philanthropy
Headlines and Resources
An Entrepreneurial Spirit: Three
Centuries of Rockefeller Family
Philanthropy
Did you miss this SDG program
on June 3? We viewed a short documentary film
about Rockefeller family philanthropy and had a
conversation with Rockefeller family member Anne Bartley
and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Senior Vice
President Judy Belk. We have a few copies of the
film, as well as an accompanying book (pdf). Please contact us if you are
interested.
Wall Street
Journal: "Family
Charities Shift Assets to Donor
Funds"
"Frustrated by the upkeep, philanthropists are
increasingly unwinding their private foundations into
donor-advised funds, which invest assets and make grants
to charities from individual accounts based largely on
donors' recommendations. Some have been spurred by tough
economic times: Donor-advised funds can cost thousands
of dollars less to maintain than foundations -- a factor
that has taken on increased significance as many
foundations' assets have plunged."
Family Foundation Lifespan
Choices
The Foundation Center and Council on Foundations
have released the findings of the first large-scale
study of family foundation lifespan plans: Perpetuity or
Limited Lifespan: How Do Family Foundations Decide? (pdf). Read the PND article about the report, which shows that more than a third
of family foundations are either undecided or plan
to spend down. For more on the question of
perpetuity, read The Beldon Fund's spend-down
story, Giving While
Living.
|
FP
Online: Helping Your Family Make Informed
Decisions
SDG's partnership with the National Center
for Family Philanthropy offers direct access to the
Family
Philanthropy Online Knowledge Center and
teleconference series (FP Online). In addition a
library of books is available to borrow related to
family philanthropy. FP Online provides practical
information and advice through a continually updated
collection of more than 1,000 articles, research
reports, and sample documents related to family
philanthropy. Topics include:
- Teaching and involving your children in giving
- Managing family dynamics in the decision-making
process
- Understanding the legal and ethical dilemmas of
family philanthropy
- Creating a mission statement and guidelines and
finding a focus for your grantmaking
- Addressing issues of geographic dispersion and
succession planning within your family
- Creating a meaningful legacy for your family's
giving
To access FP Online: Click here
and then click on the "Family Philanthropy
Online/Knowledge Center" button. Enter Username
and Password. For further information--or if you
need the login info--contact Phyllis Levine, SDG Member Services
Director, at
619-744-2180. |
Upcoming SDG
Events
Click here
for a complete list of SDG programs. To RSVP, please
call (619) 744-2180 or 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.
|
|
| |
| |
