FEATURE: Advocacy and Family Giving: Leveraging Limited Dollars to Maximize Impact (May 2012 FGN)

Lemonade Stand at a Healthy Montana Kids Rally. (Photo Courtesy of Montana Women Vote)

The Brindle Foundation in New Mexico is concerned with the well-being of children and youth, and funds in the areas of education, early childhood development, youth development and human services.  Brindle has assets of $14.2 million and annual giving of $579,000 (as of 2010). As the Board and staff of the foundation explored how to make the most difference with their limited grantmaking dollars, they heard the same thing again and again from leaders in their community: support our efforts to make a bigger impact. According to Nan Schwanfelder, president of this independent family foundation:

“We got into advocacy as part of our early childhood initiative in response to what we heard from our grantees, the people in community organizations directly connected to babies and families. And they convinced us that investing in advocacy would mean more bang for our buck in expressing our shared passion, and in promoting the efforts to help those families prosper.” 

As just one example, Brindle made a long-term investment in the state’s premier anti-poverty advocacy organization New Mexico Voices for Children. Brindle has supported their early education and care policy work, as well as Children in Focus, which seeks to increase federal resources for programs that promote child wellbeing. With this consistent support from Brindle and other grantmakers, NM Voices played a key role to dramatically expand access to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and raise eligibility levels for child care subsidies, ensuring that 22,000 children and parents just above the poverty level would have decent, affordable health care and child care in New Mexico. The SCHIP expansion alone increased federal and state health care investments by $800 million over 5 years. These investments in turn generated tremendous business activity and jobs in New Mexico.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: National Center Staff Transitions: New Faces, New Voices, New Energy (May 2012 FGN)

Virginia M. Esposito, President, National Center for Family Philanthropy

The National Center is fortunate to attract top caliber staff dedicated to promoting philanthropic values, vision, and excellence across generations of philanthropists and their families. We’re pleased that two of our newer staff members are masters’ level graduates of philanthropy programs – something that would have been unimaginable even 10 years ago.  Lauren Hasey, program manager, graduated from Indiana University, and Marlene Corrado, assistant to the president, from Grand Valley State University.  They have been joined by Kirkland Hamill, an experienced major gifts professional, as our first director of advancement. Lauren, Marlene, and Kirk have each brought tremendous new energy, skills, and perspectives to our shared work.

Beginning this month, Kathy Whelpley joins the staff as vice president, as Karen Green departs to care for her family.  Sadly, Karen’s parents’ health needs have increased dramatically in recent months, making a full-time position impractical. During Karen’s short but amazingly productive tenure, the National Center issued the Family Foundation CEO Leadership Guide Series and conducted three well-received seminars including: The Family Member CEO Retreat (December 2011) and the Just for You Retreat for CEOs (a two-day preconference at the Council on Foundations’ Family Philanthropy Conference, February 2012); and Governance Essentials, a three day seminar to introduce current and prospective family foundation trustees to key legal, investment, grantmaking, ethics and family dynamics issues.

ASK THE CENTER: We’re a Family: How Can We Be Diverse? (May 2012 FGN)

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on the Minnesota Council on Foundations’ Philanthropy Potluck Blog, and is used with MCOF’s permission.

During discussions of diversity in philanthropy, family grantmakers sometimes get frustrated. Their thoughts may immediately turn to: “Our board members are family, how can we be diverse?”

No matter your family’s DNA or your foundation’s charter, it is possible (and desirable) to diversify the demographic make-up of your governance structure. But beyond that, your family foundation can embrace diversity and inclusion in virtually all other areas of your work, too.

During the recent National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) teleconference entitled “Diverse Voices in Family Giving,” panelists shared some excellent, first-hand examples of diversity in action. Judy Belk, senior vice president at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, moderated the discussion with:

• Kimberly Myers Hewlett, Myers Family Foundation and Flora Family Foundation
• Deborah Santana, Do a Little
• Victor De Luca, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation

NEW @ the National Center (May 2012 FGN)

This month we feature a welcome to new National Center Vice President Kathy Whelpley upcoming events in our Family Philanthropy Teleconference series, an invitation to join our Family Philanthropy Network on LinkedIn, and new resources in our Family Philanthropy Online Knowledge Center.

Welcome to New Staff!

We are delighted to welcome Kathy Whelpley to the National Center’s staff as Vice President. Please see this month’s President’s Message for additional information about Kathy’s diverse background.

Family Philanthropy Teleconference Series Becomes Family Philanthropy Webinar Series

We are pleased to announce that following June’s Teleconference Celebrating Milestones in Family Philanthropy our format will change to a Webinar. This new format will include synched slide presentations and a variety of interactive tools for engaging our monthly audience of donors, trustees, staff, and advisors. Our diverse and exciting line-up of Webinars will begin with Impact Investing and Family Philanthropy: A One-Two Punch. The Webinars will continue to take place on the 2^nd Thursday of each month, typically from noon to 1:30 p.m. (ET). Upcoming events include:

June 14th Teleconference: Celebrating Milestones in Family Philanthropy

July 12th Webinar: Impact Investing and Family Philanthropy: A One-Two Punch

August 9th Webinar: Leveraging Limited Dollars for Impact

September 13th Webinar: Performance Review: A Guide for Family Foundation Boards and CEOs

October 11th Webinar: Navigating and Avoiding the Donor-Grantee Trap

IN THE FIELD: Upcoming Events for Family Philanthropy (May 2012 FGN)

We are pleased to share information and highlights of selected upcoming events in the field of interest to philanthropic families and board members, many of which feature presentations by members of the National Center’s staff and board. National Center Friends of the Family receive priority access to many of the events listed – we hope to see you there!

Family Foundations Forum, Hosted by the Southeastern Council on Foundations, New Orleans, LA, June 8 to 10

This meeting will include a combination of expert presentations and engaging facilitated discussion sessions for senior trustees, non-family staff, and next generation trustees. Packed with key information and networking events, this is a unique opportunity to enjoy some family togetherness, meet your regional family foundation colleagues and help everyone learn the skills to take your family foundation to the next level. Read more and register.

12th Biennial Family Foundations Retreat, Hosted by the Council of Michigan Foundations, Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa, MI, June 22 to 24

Join fellow family philanthropists of all ages for a memorable weekend together June 22 – 24, 2012 at Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville, MI. This retreat is a great opportunity for family members of all ages to enjoy a memorable weekend together, focus on your shared commitment to be philanthropic, develop the next generation of leaders and strengthen your giving.  Participants will leave inspired, motivated and equipped with new tools and resources. Read more and register.

Youth Philanthropy Connect’s 2nd Annual “Youth on Board” Conference, Disneyland Conference Center, Los Angeles, CA, July 13-15

The National Center is delighted to be a partner in Youth Philanthropy Connect, a youth-led, new and exciting way for youth involved in philanthropic work to connect through a peer advisory network. YPC’s 2nd Annual Youth on Board Conference, at Disneyland July 13-15, is for philanthropic youth and the adult advisors that guide them. You will meet, network with, and learn how different foundations, donor-advised funds, philanthropic families, and nonprofit organizations can create, develop, and run their youth board or advisory council. NCFP Friends of the Family can contact Jason Born at jason@ncfp.org or 202.350.9376 or Dana Marcus at dmarcus@fcfox.org or 818.308.4369 for details.

Give2Asia 10th Anniversary Celebration, San Francisco, CA, October 2nd

Join other prominent business and philanthropy leaders celebrating Give2Asia’s 10th anniversary. This unique one-day event starts with an afternoon conference exploring successful third-sector models and concepts that will pioneer the next generation of philanthropy. Featured presenters include Desh Deshpande, Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, MIT and Jed Emerson, author of “Impact Investing: Transforming How We Make Money While Making a Difference.” Read more and register.

ASF 2012 National Conference, San Francisco, CA, October 7-9

With the largest number of small foundation leaders and the broadest range of learning opportunities, the ASF 2012 National Conference is built for you, with you, and by you. The conference will feature more than 40 concurrent sessions, 9 learning labs, 3 site sessions, and a multitude of informal learning opportunities that build and strengthen core skills, examine advanced topics, and explore leadership and personal fulfillment. Read more and register.

SPECIAL THANKS: To Our Friends and Supporters (May 2012 FGN)

We offer special thanks to our Friends of the Family and funders who support and sustain the work of the National Center. Our Friends offer continuing support for our work addressing emerging challenges in the field, researching new and evolving philanthropic issues, and ensuring that future generations of donor families continue to have access to the best possible resources for sound decision making in their work.

In turn, Friends and funders receive complimentary access to all of our services, including special access to groundbreaking research, personalized assistance for information requests, seminal literature, timely teleconferences and the world’s largest online knowledge center.

We invite you to join them in their support of the National Center.

For more information on becoming a Leadership Circle member or FOF, please contact Maureen Esposito at 202.293.3276 or at maureen@ncfp.org.

2012 contributions from Friends and Leadership Circle members include:

Leadership Circle:

• C.E. and S. Foundation
• Max. M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
• Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation
• McKnight Foundation
• Surdna Foundation, Inc.

FEATURE: Finding Common Ground, Valuing Different Views (April 2012 FGN)

By Jason C. Born

Coming to consensus. Agreeing to disagree. Finding a win-win solution. Whatever you call it, the art of negotiating and making decisions can be particularly tricky for families with a shared philanthropic mission but different – sometimes very different – ideas for how to achieve that mission.

Dealing with different views is challenging in any family. Beliefs, opinions, and practices can diverge in so many ways. Making collective decisions across generations and branches within family foundations – while taking into account differing politics and religions, different attitudes toward money, and varying comfort levels with how public to be about wealth and foundation gifts – often requires patience, flexibility, and compromise.

“One thing all family foundation boards have in common is disagreement. Rare is the board that never wrestles with differing points of view and even serious conflict,” writes GMA Foundations President Mary Phillips in a recent post for the Council on Foundations RE: Philanthropy blog. “A key to effective governance is addressing conflict and managing the discussion so that discord does not derail a decision. Not only can cordial disagreement be healthy, it can often lead to truly innovative grantmaking.”

GOVERNANCE ESSENTIALS RECAP: The Privileges and Responsibilities of Foundation Leaders (April 2012 FGN)

Kirkland Hamill, Director of Advancement, National Center for Family Philanthropy

As somebody who is fairly new to the wonderful world of family philanthropy, I can’t tell you what a privilege it was to sit through the National Center’s 3-day Governance Essentials seminar at the Pew Charitable Trusts Conference Center this March and learn about the ins and outs of trustee leadership.  Until I accepted this position I thought the job of a family foundation trustee was to breeze into a room, checkbook in hand, and bestow Aladdin-esque wishes upon people.

Little did I know the extent of the work that goes along with the reward – the legal issues, IRS guidelines, investment questions and fiscal responsibilities – to name just a few.  While trustee leadership may not be everyone’s passion, I can honestly say that I was riveted as our staff and expert presenters covered the essential things a responsible trustee needs to know with humor, enthusiasm and skill – while mixing lecture and interactive sessions perfectly.  The event led one of our participants to send us the following note:

I could not have been more pleased with my experience at NCFP’s Governance Essentials program. As a relatively new trustee, and even newer Executive Director, this seminar provided invaluable knowledge that will serve me well for years to come.  Full of practical advice – from common legal pitfalls, to effective grantmaking practices – this seminar addressed all of my needs in a comfortable, interactive environment.  I arrived full of questions and uncertainties, and left feeling empowered and supported. I would wholly recommend this program to any foundation trustee with a desire to improve upon their family’s legacy of giving.

– Amy Goodwin, Executive Director, The Johnson Foundation

Amy was one of several impressive “next generation” trustees who I had the pleasure of getting to know and learn from – young people who attended our 3-day workshop alongside both new and more seasoned trustees because they realize that they have been given an important responsibility along with the great privilege of serving as a foundation leader.  

NOW AVAILABLE: New Family Foundation CEO Research and Leadership Guides (April 2012 FGN)

After many months of interviews, focus groups, writing, editing, design and production we’re absolutely delighted to announce the National Center’s new series, Executive Leadership in Family Philanthropy: The CEO Leadership Guides, covering everything from when and how to hire your first CEO to getting through the first year in the life as a new family foundation CEO, to preparing for a transition to new leadership when the time is right.

The Family Foundation CEO: Crafting Consensus Out of Complexity

This groundbreaking report focuses a new lens on the family foundation chief executive, marking a broadening of the National Center for Family Philanthropy’s sights as it seeks to understand and represent what makes family philanthropy not only unique but effective. This new research unveils a wide variety of important findings and insights. Some confirm preconceptions; most reinforce our sense that family philanthropy is better understood as a result of formal inquiry into staff (and specifically in this case, CEO) dynamics. The findings presented in the report form the basis for a fuller appreciation of the family foundation chief executive, for new resources to support their work, and sets the stage for additional research to come.

ASK THE CENTER: Common Mistakes in Foundation Planning (April 2012 FGN)

My parents are in the process of establishing a family foundation, and we are wondering  if you have a list of common mistakes that other donors have made in planning for a family foundation?

A foundation is a business enterprise and, like any good business enterprise, a little bit of planning goes a long way. What can go wrong, you might ask? Well, plenty. Poorly planned foundations typically make many of these common mistakes:

• The founders did not consider the appropriate life span for the foundation.
• The foundation’s bylaws do not specify how the officers are to be elected.
• The bylaws do not specify how important decisions are to be made.
• The articles of incorporation and bylaws are vague and boilerplate, and they provide no guidance for future trustees.