The major themes and overall lessons learned from the 2008–2009 financial crisis include issues related to the mortgage crisis, to global financial systemic risk, the concept of “too big to fail” and related bailouts, negative impacts of overuse of leverage in investment portfolios, lack of transparency at many levels, lack of appropriate risk management, and... Read More
Foundations use software for some of the following tasks: preparing mailing labels, creating lists of grantees, recalling grant history, tracking outstanding commitments, sharing grant requests with other trustees online, and tracking letters and reports from grantees. Assessing your needs Any computer consultant will tell you that the first step in choosing software is to take... Read More
All foundations rely on trustees for leadership, oversight, and planning. Many small foundations also rely on trustees for a considerable amount of the labor needed to run a foundation. To acknowledge the crucial role that trustees play in governance and operations, some foundations compensate for routine board service, such as attending meetings, reviewing proposals, and... Read More
If your board becomes geographically dispersed, don’t let it daunt you. With the challenges come opportunities to fine-tune your foundation and address the dispersion in creative ways. Strategy 1: Revisit your foundation’s mission Geographic dispersion is a much bigger challenge than just keeping trustees in touch. It often calls into question the future of your... Read More
Private foundations are permitted to pay for or reimburse ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in carrying out their activities, including the costs of travel by board members. These expenses typically include travel expenses for board meetings or philanthropy conferences, long-distance telephone expenses for conference calls, and expenses incurred while going on site visits (e.g., mileage,... Read More
Exponent Philanthropy cannot offer sample bylaws—there are many state variations and characteristics and needs of individual foundations—but the following overview does describe common sections and what a foundation board might expect within its own bylaws: Name—In some states, the first section gives the name of the foundation or other similar details required by state corporate... Read More