At meetings, your board does the bulk of its work for your foundation, so it’s important to make every meeting count. Your board may be fulfilling its mission and managing its responsibilities, but if board meetings start and finish late, if trustees aren’t prepared, or if there never seems to be enough time to get... Read More
Three years ago, Ann Murray and I were having lunch and discussing our favorite subjects: family, friends, and community. Ann and I are married to first cousins who are lawyers and partners in a family law firm in collaboration with brothers, cousins, sons, and a daughter—nine Murrays total. Collectively, we have 30 children and 17... Read More
Board self-assessment is a process by which you objectively gather board members’ perspectives about how your foundation operates, compile what you learn, and report your findings to the full board so it can learn from the information, leverage successes, and address any shortcomings. In our experience, boards that make time for self-assessments tend to accomplish... Read More
The Buhl Regional Health Foundation is a new health conversion foundation in Western Pennsylvania, situated on the Ohio state line. We convened a daylong community health forum last fall to connect community leaders and organizations, explore our evolving region, and identify opportunities to improve the region’s well-being. Over the past 30 years or more, our... Read More
It is a risky proposition to take issue with any advice offered by Warren Buffett. Recently Marc Gunther, a notable philanthropy and sustainability reporter, wrote an article entitled Warren Buffett Has Some Excellent Advice For Foundations That They Probably Won’t Take. In the article, Mr. Gunther quotes part of the renowned investor’s annual letter: “When... Read More
This post is an excerpt from the complimentary resource Essentials of Impact Investing: A Guide for Small-Staffed Foundations, created by Exponent Philanthropy and partners Mission Investors Exchange and Arabella Advisors. Want to align your investments with your mission? Download your copy >> By Lucy Cantwell, New Belgium Family Foundation Many people are beginning to intuitively grasp the promise of impact investing but... Read More