As the president of a family foundation that has made the transition to an all third-generation board, I am often asked by colleagues for tips on successfully engaging next gen family members. Here is one: consider offering one-year, renewable board terms to family. I haven’t done a study on this, but I would guess that... Read More
Last year, for organizations positioned to engage young leaders and for young leaders themselves, a colleague and I shared ways to create a welcoming space for the next generation to learn and build confidence. See Are You Creating Space for Young Leaders to Lead? >> Because the challenge of engaging the next generation—and getting engaged as... Read More
Eager to pilot our new Grantee and Applicant Perception Survey with her grantees, Meg Ramsey (The Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation, Lincoln, MA) was especially interested to learn what her grantees were thinking about the foundation’s grant process, reporting, and site visits. Anonymity was key, so her grantees did not feel that providing constructive criticism or... Read More
Educating and developing board members can be a challenge for even the most well-intentioned foundations. Board members’ time and energy can be limited. Longstanding board members can grow increasingly comfortable in their roles and with their colleagues. Grantmaking decisions and general business can easily fill agendas. And yet, we know from our foundation members that... Read More
More foundations than ever before are facing the exciting prospect of significantly ramping up and increasing charitable giving and other activities. Whether resulting from the receipt of an estate, sale of a company, or simply a decision to contribute more resources and/or spend assets more aggressively, foundations that ramp up are undergoing a shift in... Read More
Recognizing that the next generation is truly a diverse group—including many looking for ways to make change—is the first step toward bringing the next generation along for the wonderful, incredible, and challenging ride that we all know philanthropy can be. (Whereas folks of all ages may consider themselves the “next generation,” in this post we’re... Read More