Is Philanthropy Ready for Adventures in New Giving? 2013 CoF Family Philanthropy Conference

Think of your family’s foundation/fund and discuss how the trends and tools of “new giving” might strengthen or complement OR weaken or distract from the topics below. – Answers from the session attendees

Sense of shared legacy, values, and mission

Strengthen or complement… • Can improve communications about issues • Helps involve younger generation • Can empower small foundations to leverage a

greater impact • Can excite new members • Could be an employee engagement platform

for family businesses

Weaken or distract from… • Does it create expand a generational divide? • Is it the technology and quickness too risky for

an older generation?

Support for existing grantees

Strengthen or complement… • Support fundraising capacity for one-off

campaigns or simple ideas to sell • Support capacity for disaster fundraising • Helps them find new ideas • Provides global access to ideas and resources • Foundation can provide matching grants to

engage the crowd • Location-based support • Creates wider community involvement • Opens up other doors – not an either/or but a

both/and to what the foundation already does

Weaken or distract from… • Individual projects wouldn’t lead to a

comprehensive overview of an issue

Needs for oversight and accountability

Strengthen or complement… • Grassroots giving groups can support projects

foundations can’t – cut through tax issues • How to balance innovation and accountability

Weaken or distract from… • Gov’t oversight makes it problematic to

support individuals • Need assurance about proper due diligence

and legal issues – adds a layer of complexity to grants

• Higher level of risk and trust • How to support programs without finite

beginnings and endings? • Board and staff education needed about the

issues and options

Erin Barnes (ioby.org), Nathaniel James (philanthrogeek.com), Tony Macklin (rahuntfdn.org) 1

Is Philanthropy Ready for Adventures in New Giving? 2013 CoF Family Philanthropy Conference

Involvement of all generations in your grantmaking?

Strengthen or complement… • Younger generation less likely to care if a good

idea comes from a tax-exempt org • Meets the Next Generation members “where

they are.” Next Gen expects technology access. This adds new dimensions of giving from younger trustees.

• Can be a glue that brings the family together – a foundation exists from more than just grantmaking

• Family members and/or foundation grants matching crowdsourcing drive

• Engages different people in new thought processes

Weaken or distract from… • Too immediate – funding short-term fixes

instead of fixing problems • Shifts focus from traditional grantmaking goals

Ability to find ideas that meet your grantmaking goals?

Strengthen or complement… • Good for problems that aren’t overly complex • Yes – find innovative ideas • Able to find organizations focused on voter

mobilization when that was a subject that interested a younger member (no time for a traditional grant round)

• Can complement and expand the current focus • Minnesota Idea Open is a good example of a

platform • Potential leveraging options • Can create on-ramps for people to be involved

in an issue

Weaken or distract from… • Not a good solution for complex, system

problems • Problem with our giving to only 501(c)(3)s • Foundations not staffed or sophisticated

enough to handle this • How to balance short-term and long-term

systems of giving • Need to really look at goals of the foundation –

do you want the opportunity to find ideas or do you continue with existing focus?

• Overall a mixed bag

Community relationship-building work?

Strengthen or complement… • Helps us find new ideas • A great way to bring family foundation work to

the people, to make it understandable

Weaken or distract from… • Will this social giving be a short-term fad, or

will this be a sustainable way of bringing money to ideas?

Erin Barnes (ioby.org), Nathaniel James (philanthrogeek.com), Tony Macklin (rahuntfdn.org) 2