The family office is often called upon to organize and staff family charitable endeavors. Community foundations can be a resource for the family office by providing information, insight, technical know-how, and alternate means of funding and conducting a family's charitable activities.
Our advice to anyone hesitating to bring about an intergenerational family foundation because the time does not seem right or there are too many family issues to confront is — just get started. There is no better time than now to have the satisfaction of helping others and, at the same time, to give your family the opportunity to grow and to discover the pleasures of working together.
Some families start a private foundation because they want to give back while others are seeking tax savings. Whatever the impetus, private foundations serve as a powerful and flexible philanthropic vehicle and offer tremendous advantages over giving as an individual donor.
At the most basic level, the difference between a donor-advised fund (DAF) and a private foundation is the construct, or form, in which each entity is created and operated. Because a private foundation is a freestanding legal entity, and a DAF is an account, the two charitable vehicles offer very different levels of control, authority, and philanthropic versatility. For families considering which charitable structure to form, this side-by-side comparison is a helpful guide. And it turns out that form does dictate function.
While it might seem like a great position to hold a concentrated position in a low-basis stock that has appreciated over time, it poses several challenges related to investment risk and taxes. Here are some charitable options for lowering your risk while doing the most good with your gains, whether that means giving to a worthy cause, gifting to a family member in a lower tax bracket, or both.
In philanthropy, meaningful change is the aim—it’s the purpose and the promise. But in striving for and achieving impact, effectiveness must go beyond healthy funding practices with grantees and the greater communities we serve. It must touch on intra-family dynamics, family philanthropy staff, and speak to the varied stages within the family fiving lifecycle—from purpose to succession and legacy.
There are many benefits to establishing and running a family foundation, including strengthening the family bond and developing a philanthropic legacy while creating a lasting impact through charitable giving. In this 10-minute interview, attorney Emmaline Jurgena of Foley & Lardner’s Estate Planning group joins Brian Lucareli to discuss how to plan for the next generation’s involvement in family foundations.
Using charitable giving strategies to enhance the tax-efficiency of your donations plays a vital role in maximizing the impact of your gifts. To make the most of your charitable gifts and achieving high-impact philanthropy, take the time at year-end and during the year to review these giving strategies that include different ways to give, knowing and understanding gifts that protect assets and pay income, and giving from other entities such as donor-advised fund gifts.
Philanthropists from Europe, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East are approaching philanthropy in an innovative way and actively promote their causes. Interviews illustrate how they are trying to make a lasting change in terms of impact on the ground as well as the longevity of their charitable organizations. For many philanthropists, achieving a sustainable outcome is the second motivation, after the cause itself. And impact investing and collaborative philanthropy are considered as the top trends in achieving sustainable outcome.
The passionate generosity of countless American families has inspired extraordinary gifts. What is most remarkable is the very phenomenon of American family philanthropy itself. Indeed, many of these families are known more by their philanthropy than by the business successes that made their largesse possible. Through their philanthropic missions, they enrich lives of millions not only in America but around the world.