Due Diligence is a critical function of grantmaking organizations, yet too often funders seek to know everything. With appropriate due diligence, a grantmaker ensures their funding choices align with their mission. Without it, grantmakers overburden charities and selection committees during the proposal process. While due diligence doesn’t prevent failure, it will improve confidence that the…
As a mother of a two-year-old living in the affluent city of Los Angeles, I often think about how to raise my son with philanthropic values instead of materialism and entitlement. As a philanthropic strategist to wealthy families, I am often asked, “How do I raise motivated, philanthropic, hard-working, kids when they have everything they could possibly want? While I’m…
Many of my clients come to me saying, “I want to start a foundation,” but really they are interested in establishing an operating nonprofit. It is quite easy to get confused by terms like foundation, charity and nonprofit when used interchangeably albeit, incorrectly, in philanthropy. In the United States, we look to the Internal Revenue…
A quick Google search for “social venture partners” underscores the Venture Philanthropy trend across the United States with the Los Angeles Social Venture Partner (LASVP) website listed first as pioneering a new model of giving. As a board member and partner of this diverse group of professionals, I am proud to spotlight LASVP for the…
Legacy planning is frequently referred to as leaving an inheritance to family members or your favorite charity. These days, legacy planning, through establishing a private foundation, can preserve your family name and make a social impact for generations to come, a far greater significance than simply a singular financial gift. Said so well by Ernest…
I googled the “definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR)” and more than 3 million hits came back in .17 seconds. For the fun of it, I clicked on page 14 of the results and was struck by all the international links defining CSR. Clearly, this is a global phenomenon. And even the President and Fellows…