Search Results

Jessica Jackley, cofounder of KIVA, the world’s first microfinance website, shares her unique wisdom on financial inclusion and social justice. Jessica highlights stories and lessons from her book, Clay Water Brick: Finding Inspiration from Entrepreneurs Who Do the Most with the Least, as well as experiences from her own life as an entreprene...

A rising generation of clients in their 20s and 30s turned to Jim Steiner, president of Abbot Downing, and asked him to share his insights, both as a parent and a wealth management leader. Through four memorable stories and thoughtful questions, Mr. Steiner reflected on matters of career, philanthropy, family, and leaving a legacy. He beg...

For a number of philanthropists, philanthropy is a family affair: a means of passing on key values to the next generation as well as giving back or doing good. How are millennials in family foundations, with the weight of legacy on their shoulders, approaching philanthropy? This fascinating generational shift is explored in more detail in this new ...

Wealth amassed by affluent individuals is being channeled into family foundations, increasingly led by millennials. They sit at the crossroads between the forces driving the millennial generation and the weight of their families’ legacies. They want their financial resources to achieve the greatest possible impact. They question why all their inves...

There are many benefits to involving children in family philanthropy. One of them is the children’s realization of the positive impact their own participation has on the world (no matter how small); another is their excitement about making a difference. For the families who want to pass down the value of charitable giving to their children, there a...

Charitable planning can be an important part not only of managing income and estate taxes, but of engaging the family and strengthening family values. Adding in a multigenerational component can make it even more meaningful and compelling. Just as every family is unique, so is the philanthropic approach where communication is key and there is ...

A foundation is a powerful platform through which families can address the challenges in society about which they care about most. Yet, most families only use a small portion of their foundation assets to pursue their philanthropic missions. As families grapple with the scale of funding solutions to the world’s toughest challenges, many are t...

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 ...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...