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How much to spend is an essential question for foundations, and one of the most complex, particularly in moments of change or turmoil. This Strategy Guide invites you to reflect more deeply on how your foundation chooses to balance four factors—purpose, conditions and trends, time horizons, and assets for mission—especially in times of greater crisis or opportunity. It leaves the final decision to you, without judgment for your payout amount, lifespan, or mission.

What happens when a founding donor isn’t around to direct the foundation’s mission and grantmaking activity? To avoid unwanted consequences and confusion, succession planning requires a comprehensive strategy that addresses the foundation’s future and provide it with a mission or donor intent statement. It should answer who will make decisions for using the funds and provide the criteria for making those decisions.

When it comes to responsible investing, a simple checklist can do wonders. It can help investors move beyond intent to action and finally find the right stock or bond portfolio. This checklist includes four easy steps and begins with investors listing their concerns.

In this episode, two experts in the philanthropic advisory space talk about their experiences working with family offices, the state of the industry, and what it might look like in a post-pandemic world. They discuss the importance of family members understanding where they want to go with their philanthropic efforts, being committed, and engaging the next generation. They also share best practices of successful philanthropic families and how families need strength, courage, wisdom, and good advice to succeed.

One question that is often asked when working with family offices is “What are families like mine doing”? The interest in the answers is even greater during periods of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the world’s best investors and wealth stewards share their thoughts and insights into the unique challenges facing family offices, including investment management and opportunities, tax and estate planning, responsible investing and philanthropy, and governance and operations.

The impact of COVID-19 on our communities is only just starting to come into focus. No matter what happens from here, the damage will be dramatic. Many nonprofits that have not traditionally made grants to individuals are asking if they can do so, and how. With a little bit of planning and advice up front, disaster relief grants to individuals can allow nonprofits to have a direct and immediate impact on those in urgent need, and help those it serves stay afloat until the crisis has passed.

Whether responding to a cataclysmic event or providing sustainable financing to solve structural issues, philanthropies around the world are taking a fresh look at their approaches. As part of this examination, organizations are beginning to consider how philanthropic timelines factor into their efforts to more effectively and strategically address global challenges.

At the core of philanthropy, charitable giving stems from a desire to benefit a cause or program. That desire is even stronger during turbulent times. When moving forward with your charitable giving, there are a few key points to keep in mind to help maximize your strategy, including tax incentives and planning opportunities that are available in 2020.

Philanthropic activity within the global wealth community has been growing over the last three decades. This report aims to capture trends in family philanthropy, particularly as they relate to strategic time horizons in giving. As established players mature and new ones come into the fold, philanthropists will need to engage in thoughtful analysis of which giving strategies are best suited to their vision, goals, and available resources.

Impact investing, which seeks to generate social and/or environmental benefits while delivering a financial return, is expanding as a promising tool for both investors and philanthropists. This guide is part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Philanthropy Roadmap series and acts as an introduction to impact investing.