1.
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… Weaken or distract from…
• Can improve communications about issues • Does it create expand a generational divide?
• Helps involve younger generation • Is it the technology and quickness too risky for
• Can empower small foundations to leverage a an older generation?
greater impact
• Can excite new members
• Could be an employee engagement platform
for family businesses
Support for existing grantees
Strengthen or complement… Weaken or distract from…
• Support fundraising capacity for one-off • Individual projects wouldn’t lead to a
campaigns or simple ideas to sell comprehensive overview of an issue
• 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
Needs for oversight and accountability
Strengthen or complement… Weaken or distract from…
• Grassroots giving groups can support projects • Gov’t oversight makes it problematic to
foundations can’t – cut through tax issues support individuals
• How to balance innovation and accountability • 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

2.
Is Philanthropy Ready for Adventures in New Giving?
2013 CoF Family Philanthropy Conference
Involvement of all generations in your grantmaking?
Strengthen or complement… Weaken or distract from…
• Younger generation less likely to care if a good • Too immediate – funding short-term fixes
idea comes from a tax-exempt org instead of fixing problems
• Meets the Next Generation members “where • Shifts focus from traditional grantmaking goals
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
Ability to find ideas that meet your grantmaking goals?
Strengthen or complement… Weaken or distract from…
• Good for problems that aren’t overly complex • Not a good solution for complex, system
• Yes – find innovative ideas problems
• Able to find organizations focused on voter • Problem with our giving to only 501(c)(3)s
mobilization when that was a subject that • Foundations not staffed or sophisticated
interested a younger member (no time for a enough to handle this
traditional grant round) • How to balance short-term and long-term
• Can complement and expand the current focus systems of giving
• Minnesota Idea Open is a good example of a • Need to really look at goals of the foundation –
platform do you want the opportunity to find ideas or do
• Potential leveraging options you continue with existing focus?
• Can create on-ramps for people to be involved • Overall a mixed bag
in an issue
Community relationship-building work?
Strengthen or complement… Weaken or distract from…
• Helps us find new ideas • Will this social giving be a short-term fad, or
• A great way to bring family foundation work to will this be a sustainable way of bringing
the people, to make it understandable money to ideas?
Erin Barnes (ioby.org), Nathaniel James (philanthrogeek.com), Tony Macklin (rahuntfdn.org) 2