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Family connectedness, not money, has the greatest influence on multi-generational family continuity. But when many think about legacy, it’s often in the context of multi-generational financial wealth. Money, though, masks what people are really interested in passing to future generations of their family. Money can support the connections, but...

The question Virginia “Ginny” Esposito, Founder of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, gets asked the most, is “How can I engage my family in philanthropy?” In this episode, Ginny highlights what family business is and common trends in the work she has been in for over 30 years. She has lots of wisdom for parents an...

Much has been written comparing the administrative, financial, and programmatic criteria of private foundations and donor advised funds. It is often presented as an “either/or” choice. It’s important to know that the two can be used in tandem to achieve complementary goals of families and other donors. Some examples are illustrate...

The fun and rewarding activities of a family foundation center around determining the causes and organizations the foundation will support. While working together to make a difference, it is important to remember the family foundation is also a business requiring the same effective governance practices as a family business. This is especially criti...

Two common charitable giving vehicles are donor advised funds (DAFs) and private foundations. A DAF is an account housed in and governed by a public charity. A private foundation is a standalone trust or nonprofit corporation that qualifies as a tax-exempt organization. Both DAFs and private foundations feature the ability to engage family members ...

For the majority of Americans, the tax overhaul has altered or reduced many of the financial incentives for making charitable donations. But charitable giving is rarely driven solely by the desire to trim tax bills. In fact, most individuals and families give for a variety of reasons and support organizations in whose missions they believe. Still, ...

Cyber risk has become a major potential loss exposure for almost any company. As with any other exposure, directors should confirm that reasonable steps are taken to identify, mitigate, respond to, and recover from third parties relating to cyber-related problems when they arise. However, because of the potentially severe nature of this risk, the d...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect on January 1, 2018, and some experts suggest there could be a significant impact on charitable giving. Kim Laughton, President of Schwab Charitable, sat down with Hayden Adams, CPA, Director of Tax and Financial Planning at the Schwab Center for Financial Research (and former IRS agent) to discuss the new ...

If you are a newer family foundation with one or two generations on the board, five generations may seem like a long time away. Yet in family philanthropy, quite a few foundations have been operating and thriving for 50, 75, even 100 years. What’s the secret of these family philanthropies that make it five generations, and across family branches? H...

The field of philanthropy has primarily been built around the more tactical aspects and the how of giving while taking the why for granted. It has made the assumption that a purely rational approach (i.e., providing donors with more information or metrics) will unleash more giving, without exploring the often nonrational, psychological journey on w...

Private foundations assessing the impact of the tax reform legislation (HR1) signed into law on December 22, 2017 should look beyond the private foundation-specific proposals that were not included and assess the impact of provisions affecting all tax-exempt organizations. For some private foundations, the list of key items may include the new exci...

For a majority of impact investors, impact investing means seeking a general or specific environmental, social, or governance outcome, in addition to a financial return, from their investments. Through a collection of articles on impact investing—including how The Russell Family Foundation has charted a course to impact investing—famili...

The United States is home to tens of thousands of family foundations that have and continue to make positive contributions to society. It’s also not uncommon for the foundations’ boards of directors to play a leading role. Reflecting on the philanthropic journey and the family engagement and ties at the heart of it, here are seven profiles that pre...

Few, if any, roles are more significant in ensuring a foundation's success than that of the board chair. This may be why many people find assuming this position a daunting project. And yet the successful businessperson who serves as chair of a family foundation dedicated to a cause that was dear to his or her parents' hearts or the community leader...

The term “Outsourced Chief Investment Officer” (OCIO) has gained popularity in the investment industry as investment consultants, banks and small wealth management firms are now offering OCIO services to foundations, endowments and nonprofits. You may be considering this model instead of the self-managed or consultant model used in the ...