The “Business” of Philanthropy

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American Philanthropic Values and the Future of Philanthropy
Susan V. Berresford, President, The Ford Foundation
Susan Berresford's address to the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG) looks at the values that drive the American tradition of philanthropy, the importance of understanding new developments in the field, and how these forces might constrain or encourage the expression of philanthropy's core values.

Network Philanthropy
Douglas McGray, Los Angeles Times, January 2007

Philanthropy's New Agenda: Creating Value
Mark R. Kramer and Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business Review
In two decades, the number of charitable foundations has doubled in the United States. This article calls for a new professionalism in philanthropy, creating real funding, developing longer and closer relationships with grantees, and looking at evaluation methods.

Scaling Social Impact
Mark R. Kramer, Foundation Strategy Group for Private Foundations
This article from the Foundation Strategy Group looks at the metaphor of business as a model for the nonprofit sector and the importance of taking care to apply the metaphor usefully, without allowing it to imprison new thinking in the social sector.

The Seven Principles of Firmly Centered Grantmakers
Lee Draper, Foundation News and Commentary
A look at “grantmaker's hubris disease” and the danger that grantmaking staff and trustees can become aloof, demanding and patronizing to nonprofits applying for funding. Offers a guide for grantmakers to continually challenge themselves to overcome such temptations and propensities.

Today's Wealth Holder and Tomorrow's Giving: The New Dynamics of Wealth and Philanthropy
Paul G. Schervish, Journal of Gift Planning
Increasing numbers of individuals are approaching, achieiving, or even exceeding their financial goals at younger and younger ages. A level of affluence that had been rare has come to characterize large groups and even whole cultures. In the context of an ongoing intergenerational transfer of wealth, the author examines demographic and spiritual trends that are motivating wealth holders to allocate an ever-greater portion of their financial resources to chartiy. From http://www.bc.edu/research/swri/features/recentpapers/

Women and Wealth
Joanna L. Krotz, Town & Country
You can't live happily ever after if you don't take care of your money – it's as simple as that. Here's what you need to know.

Books // Back to Top

Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan, 2nd Edition
by Tracy Gary & Melissa Kohner
Offers a plan to make individual charitable giving catalytic, no matter how much or little one has to give. Includes exercises that illustrate how to align giving with values to help bring about substantial change.

Other Resources // Back to Top

Giving Circle Knowledge Center
Across the country, donors are pooling funds, learning together and investing in their communities through giving circles. New Ventures in Philanthropy conducted research to map this growing field and to share lessons learned about this relatively new philanthropic model. Download the report here or visit their website for additional giving circle connections across the country. Developed by New Ventures in Philanthropy, an initiative of the forum of Regional Associates of Grantmakers.

With Knowledge Comes Change
Changemakers' new curriculum integrates the leadership and expertise of diverse communities into the broader field of philanthropy. With Knowledge Comes Change – Essentials for Diversity in Giving (EDG) builds upon Changemakers’ tradition of advocating strategic, effective, and sustainable giving while honoring the people and communities most impacted by injustice. The ten-module curriculum works to support donors of color and all donors invested in effecting the root causes of social issues to examine their current giving practices and become more strategic in their giving. EDG provides tools, exercises and worksheets for community foundations, public foundations and philanthropic advisors working with families and donors at all levels of philanthropic experience and capacity to give.

Family Philanthropy

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Finding Ways to Bridge the Generation Gap in Family Foundations
Family Foundation Center of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, January 2006

Growing to Give: Instilling Philanthropic Values in Teens and Preteens
Darlene Siska, National Center for Philanthropy, Passages, August 2004
Describes some of the steps parents can take to help their children become philanthropic and provides examples of what parents can do for their preteens (10-12) and teenagers (13-18) to involve them in family philanthropy.

Opportunity of a Lifetime: Young Adults in Philanthropy
Allison Goldberg, National Center for Philanthropy, Passages, May 2002
An issue paper addressing the engagement of young adults in their families' philanthropies and exploring the reasons that families involve young adults, strategies that some families have used, and what young adults can do to become more connected to their family's philanthropy.

Philanthropy for the Wise Door-Investor: A Primer for Families on Strategic Giving
The Philanthropic Initiative, Inc.
The Philanthropic Initiative explores their experiences in working with families in the development of charitable giving processes that work for them.

Successful Successions: Inspiring and Welcoming New Generations of Charitable Leaders
Virginia M. Esposito, National Center for Philanthropy, Passages, July 2003
This article looks at why, when, and how a family foundations board can prepare the next generation for charitable service. The author provides descriptions, examples, and pointers for “12 Tips for Successful Succession.”

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Classified: How To Stop Hiding Your Privilege and Use It For Social Change
by Karen Pittelman & Resource Generation
Illustrations by Molly Hein
Afraid of being branded the enemy, most young people with wealth who believe in social change keep their privilege hidden. As a result, they are unable to bring their much-needed resources, access, and connections to the struggle for justice. Classified is a guide for all those who are tired of the cover-ups and want to learn how to put their privilege to work.

Creating Change Through Family Philanthropy: The Next Generation
by Alison Goldberg, Karen Pittelman, & Resource Generation
Many families are looking for ways to engage the “next generation” in philanthropy. But for next generation members, getting involved raises complicated questions. How can they bring their values to the table? How can they move more resources to social justice? Complete with personal stories and exercises, this guide gives young people the tools they need to not just participate, but help transform the field itself.

Legacy and Innovation: A Guidebook for Families on Social Change and Philanthropy
by Stephanie Yang and Changemakers
Practical for grantmakers at all levels, this guidebook provides tools and resources to begin conversations within the family, as well as to deepen existing practices and strengthen philanthropic structures. Each section highlights personal stories from individuals and families as models for how to manifest values of social change in giving practices and structures.

Money and Meaning: New Ways to Have Conversations About Money with Your Clients
by Judith Stern Peck
Provides a framework and approach for understanding the role money plays in health, wellness and resolving conflict in an individual or family's life. Filled with case vignettes, Money and Meaning helps open the door to thoughtful conversations that explore money's multiple meanings.

Wealth in Families
by Charles W. Collier
A call to families to think deeply about the fundamental questions surrounding wealth and its effect on a family, offering ways in which to plan and act with regard to both wealth and family.

When Generations Collide: Who They Are, Why They Clash, How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work
by Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman
A look at generational differences between “Traditionalists” (1900-45), “Baby Boomers” (1946-64), “Generation Xers” (1965-80), and “Millennials” (1981-99) and how members of each group interact in contemporary work settings.

Other Resources // Back to Top

Family Leadership Training for Families, Family Foundations, Businesses and Offices
For experimental programs, see the National Outdoor Leadership Schools's (NOLS) new Leadership Training Programs developed by Molly Hampton for family foundations.

How Young People Are A Part of Family Philanthropy
Excerpted from Creating Change Through Family Philanthropy: A Resource Guide for Young People by Alison Goldberg, Karen Pittelman, and Resource Generation, forthcoming.

No Small Change: A Tzedakah Collective for Women and Teenage Girls
Participants in this giving circle took the time to document their work in order to offer it to others. Download this curriculum, including a schedule of meetings, exercises, and ideas to apply to your giving circle or funding collaborative. Curriculum and Resource Guide, Compiled by Shira Hanlon, Rachel Hyman, Mara Kaplan, Susan Sapiro, Merrill Zack, and Stefanie Zelkind, sponsored by Ma'yan, the JCC in Manhattan, and the Jewish Fund for Justice, September 2002.

Generational Change

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The 2006 Millennial Cause Study
Cone Inc. in collaboration with AMP Insights
This study presents the findings of an online survey capturing the opinions, perceptions, and beliefs of today's teens, college students, and young adults.

For Many Americans, Religious Identity Is No Longer a Given
Andrea Useem, Religion News Service, February 2007

The Generation X Factor
Wealth, Northern Trust, Winter 2007
Self-directed and investment-savvy, the next generation of wealthy investors is looking beyond stocks and bonds at a new class of investments. They are changing the market, and possibly your investing style, too.

The Next 20 Years: How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve
Neil Howe and William Strauss, Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007

Passing the Torch
Pamela David, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2006

Poll: Family ties key to youth happiness
Jocelyn Noveck and Trevor Tompson, Associated Press, August 2007

Potential Charity Leaders See Top Job As Unappealing, New Survey Reveals
Jennifer C. Berkshire, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 2008

Survey Finds New Generational Trends in Women’s Philanthropy
December 2007
A study put together by the Falconer Group, an independent investment and philanthropic consulting firm that measures success via the “triple bottom line” of financial return, social responsibility and long-term sustainability.

TV's Silver Age
Lorne Manly, New York Times via Free Press, May 2007

Up Next: Generation Change and the Leadership of Nonprofit Organizations
Frances Kunreuther
Examines issues relating to executive leadership transitions between generations, specifically in the non-profit sector. Kunreuther looks at specific foundations and how they have managed the transition, and applies findings from intergenerational studies.

Young Nonprofit Professionals: Preparing the Path for Leadership
Emily Davis
A report on the challenges among the generations within the nonprofit sector. As Boomer executives retire, young nonprofit professionals are excited about preparing for leadership roles, but find resistance. The report contains a literature review and results from a national survey of 172 young nonprofit professionals that guide strategies and recommendations that nonprofit leaders, board, executives, and staff can use in preparing for the upcoming transition.

Books // Back to Top

Better Together: Restoring the American Community
by Robert D. Putnam, et al.
A follow-up to Bowling Alone, this book offers a dozen case studies examining what groups of various sizes have accomplished by cultivating networks of mutual assistance.

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
by Robert D. Putnam
An in-depth look at the deterioration over the past two generations of the organized ways in which people relate to one another and partake in civil life in the United States.

Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069
by William Strauss and Neil Howe
Strauss and Howe posit the history of America as a succession of generational biographies, from 1584 through the children of today, theorizing that each generation belongs to one of four types and that these types repeat sequentially in a fixed pattern.

Loose Connections: Joining Together in America's Fragmented Communities
by Robert Wuthnow
Wuthnow argues that, while certain kinds of civic engagement may be in decline, innovative new forms are taking their place, with movement toward affiliations that respond to individual needs and collective concerns.

Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion
by Wade Clark Roof
An exploration of the proliferation of complex spiritualities (e.g. feminist, Latino, ecological, etc.) that often overlap with various established religious traditions. The book posits the remapping of the spiritual landscape for all Americans, with attention shifted from the institution to the individual search for meaning.

Videos // Back to Top

The Millennials Are Coming!
Morley Safer reports on the new generation of “millennials.” They are in their late teens to early twenties and could be ill prepared for a demanding workplace.

New generation of bosses
Even as America's work force ages overall, a new generation of younger bosses is moving into the corner office. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.

Jewish Life & Jewish Change

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Attracting Young People to Jewish Life: Lessons Learned from Kehilat Hadar
Elie Kaunfer, CAJE Journal, Spring 2005
This article appears in the spring 2005 issue of Jewish Education News, published by the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education. Additional articles on this topic and information about the organization can be found here.

Brandeis University Study Finds That American-Jewish Population Is Significantly Larger Than Previously Thought
Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation, February 2007

Enabling the Next Big Jewish Idea
Daniel Sieradski, The Telegraph, November 2007

Fading Into History
Allen Salkin, The New York Times
This New York Times article looks at the deep changes that New York City's Jewish Lower East Side has undergone in recent years, one of which has to do with the religious identity of the current Jewish population.

A Flame Still Burns: The Dimensions and Determinants of Jewish Identity Among Young Adult Children of the Intermarried
Pearl Beck, Ph.D.
This study by the Jewish Outreach Institute combines qualitative interviews with quantitative data to offer a nuanced view of the first generation of children from intermarriages of Jews to non-Jews since the mid-1980s.

GA “Next Generation” Plenary Speech
Esther Kustanowitz, My Urban Kvetch, November 2007

A Great Awakening
Jonathan D. Sarna
Historian Jonathan D. Sarna looks at the history of American Jewish questions of identity and visibility over the course of the 19th century and the beginnings of the 20th century.

Unorthodox New Year
Suzanne Sataline, The Wall Street Journal, October 7th, 2005
A discussion of alternative traditions and new searches to find meaning in Judaism by the younger generations of American Jews.

Books // Back to Top

American Judaism: A History
by Jonathan D. Sarna
A survey emphasizing the religious history of Jews in America, providing a sweeping overview of the trials, tribulations and triumphs of American Jews from 1654 to the present.

Jewish Philanthropy

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American Jewish Public Activity: Identity, Demography, and the Institutional Challenge
Sherry Israel, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs looks at waning indicators of Jewish support – membership, participation, and contributions – for most of the organizations that have been in the forefront of Jewish activity in recent decades.

Federation Philanthropy for the Future
Charles Edelsberg, Journal of Jewish Communal Service
A look at fundraising within Jewish community federations and a call for them to become more participatory and effective as philanthropic enterprises in order to remain relevant to a new generation of donors.

Mixed Motives
Mark Kramer, Jewish Funders Network
Explores the multiple possible motives behind philanthropy, looking at “obligatory,” “social,” and “strategic” giving.

Raising Charitable Children

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Engaging the Family In Your Philanthropy
Page Snow and Kim Foreman, Foundation Source, April 2007
Foundation Source is the nation's leading provider of support services for private foundations. Our recently published booklet, Engaging the Family In Your Philanthropy, offers creative strategies and practical approaches to involving the next generation.

'Finance 101' courses target the wealthy
Charles Paikert, Investment News, April 2007

For Those Born Rich, Lessons in How to Stay That Way
Julie Bick, The New York Times, October 2007

Preparing Children for a Life of Wealth
Joline Godfrey, Independent Means, Inc.

'Tis the season to give and get
Janet Bodnar, Kiplinger's, December 2006
Inspired by the holiday season, Bodnar presents ideas and examples for involving children in philanthropy.

Books // Back to Top

The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving
by Ellen Sabin
Aimed at young readers, this is a fun and interactive book that helps children think about their wishes and dreams for the world and the power of their actions to make those dreams come true.

The Giving Family: Raising Our Children to Help Others
by Susan Crites Price
Offers advice about how to teach children the value of charitable giving and encourages parents to think about the responsibility to instill a sense of altruism in their children.

Activities to Involve Children in the Family Foundation
Developed by Lauren Kotkin, Family Foundation Services, January 2007
Family foundation trustees often ask, “How do I get my children involved in philanthropy or in our family foundation?” Although there is no simple answer, there are many ways to start the conversation and open the door to their involvement. This guide contains activities geared toward children ages six to 13 that will help you present to your younger family members the meaningful work of your foundation and the importance of philanthropy.

FLY - Financially Literate Youth
FLY is a whole new way to teach kids about money, the world, and making wise choices. It is the mission of FLY to empower youth to think critically and make meaningful choices around their natural, human and financial resources. FLY produces books, music, games, and educator kits to teach youth how to be financially literate. FLY recognizes that we must teach our kids to earn, save and spend, but that is not enough. We must show them how to act with integrity and be resourceful, disciplined and generous. We must teach them to FLY!

Available tools include:

• The Great Mountain Hike – Join Falco for an exhilarating Asian adventure in this new children's book. Learn how to meet the challenges of earning, saving, giving and spending wisely while scaling Mt. Everest.
• The Great Mountain Hike CD – Listen to songs by the beloved characters in the Great Mountain Hike storybook. Sing-a-long to songs teaching such principles as integrity, being content with what you have, and finding love and generosity even when everyone else has given up hope.
• FLY website – Explore FLY online with your children and play games, read stories, and listen to music that inspires us all to think more deeply about how we use and give our financial and natural resources.