The most effective donor-intent safeguards are internal: Creating a strong mission statement, picking the right timeframe for your giving and the appropriate vehicle, and choosing the right people for your Read more…
Philanthropy, both big and small, has been a vital force throughout the American experience. It represents the best ways that civil society responds to problems and needs in our smallest Read more…
Donor intent remains an afterthought for far too many givers. But the risks are significant. Without a plan for donor intent, your philanthropy can quite easily slip into a comfortable Read more…
A strong, well-crafted mission statement is the first step to safeguarding your intent. “It all starts there,” says philanthropic consultant Calvin Edwards. The importance of a mission statement holds true Read more…
Several ingredients go into making an effective mission statement for your philanthropy: specificity, brevity, clarity, proper supporting documentation, and the input of trusted family members or colleagues, to name a Read more…
A mission statement helps you create a roadmap for your giving. This article explores five key steps you can take to make the process more effective. 1. Discuss your values Read more…
It’s important to keep your mission statement concise and focused. That means more descriptive material is better left to supporting documentation. This is an excellent way to further protect your Read more…
Although allocating all your charitable dollars during your lifetime is becoming popular, it doesn’t appeal to all donors. Some are focused on problems that will become more acute in the Read more…
Giving while living and limited-life philanthropy are choices many donors make out of grave concerns about the future. But these choices also reflect optimism about future wealth creation—that succeeding generations Read more…
Most of the time, donors make the decision to sunset their foundation while they’re still living. In an unusual step, trustees of the New York City-based Avi Chai Foundation took Read more…
The Earhart Foundation is another example of a board of trustees deciding to sunset after the original wealth creator’s death. Harry Earhart was born in 1870, one of eleven children. Read more…
A spend-down approach to your philanthropy could create a golden opportunity to have a significant impact during a short period of time. That was certainly the case with the John Read more…
Many donors concerned with preserving their intent choose to give while living or sunset, but it is still possible to operate your foundation in perpetuity—with no end date in mind—and Read more…
There are certainly many examples of philanthropies operating in perpetuity while honoring the original donors’ objectives. This article explores three of them. Some common threads tie them together: A fervent Read more…
Establishing family foundations in perpetuity is a popular choice among donors; some estimates suggest as many as two-thirds of family foundations operate in perpetuity. Often, this choice is almost automatic Read more…
Money can be an enormously destructive force within families—even money dedicated to charitable purposes. This is true even with careful planning. If your philanthropic goals include operating a family foundation, Read more…
John and Susan Sobrato have a singular philanthropic passion for their family foundation: Make California’s Silicon Valley a place of opportunity for all its residents. They are addressing their mission Read more…
While examples of donors successfully protecting donor intent across multiple generations are rare, there are some success models. For example, heirs involved with the Hilton and JM foundations, respectively, have Read more…
When it comes to choosing the right vehicle for your philanthropy, the good news is that you have many options. The challenge, of course, is deciding on the best vehicle Read more…
If you choose to use a non-operating foundation for your philanthropy, a trust is frequently the better vehicle to protect donor intent. Once your organizational structure and funding guidelines are Read more…