New birth in the darkness

Mark PetersenNews

In this tumultuous season of dark nights and raging viruses, our prayer for our readers is to find the promise and joy of new birth. We remember Jesus’ birth during Christmas and the light that pierces through the fog of the daily grind, bringing hope and peace to our weary souls. To all colleagues and companions on this journey to … Read More

Orientation to the new Stronger Philanthropy App

Mark PetersenApp, Community, Workshops

During this phase of our soft launch, we are excited to see new members joining our online community each day. Some may want a better overview of the features of our new Stronger Philanthropy app. Click below to watch our 34-minute video which responds to just about everything you’ve been wondering about the app. You may also download the notes … Read More

Changes in family philanthropy

Mark PetersenVision

While family philanthropy is frequently created as a vehicle to ensure the perpetuity of funding charitable causes, one should not think this means that a foundation never changes. Family philanthropy is ever-evolving. The foundation you knew a decade ago has shifted in the intervening years. In some cases, the foundation you knew even last year has also shifted significantly. Creative … Read More

Announcing Stronger Philanthropy’s virtual community!

Mark PetersenCollaboration, Community, Innovation, News

One of the benefits coming out of the pandemic is the time and space to reassess the status quo, and reimagine a better way to achieve one’s mission. At Stronger Philanthropy, we continue to do just that. Our mission is to empower generous families in smart giving for strategic projects aligned to their passions. Generous families need effective, healthy charities … Read More

Giving Done Right podcast launches season 2

Mark PetersenPodcast

The Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP)’s President Phil Buchanan and Vice President, Programming and External Relations, Grace Nicolette are back to host season 2 of the Giving Done Right podcast! In the season’s debut episode, Phil and Grace are joined by Cathy Moore, executive director of Epiphany Community Health Outreach Services (ECHOS) in Houston, TX. Tune in as Moore discusses her experience … Read More

Family dynamics in foundations

Mark PetersenFamily Systems

In my research on succession in family foundations, I came across an excellent resource by Kelin Gersick called Generations of Giving: Leadership and Continuity in Family Foundations. This 2006 work was commissioned by the National Center for Family Philanthropy as the first-ever social science study of the organizational life and development of family foundations. The study focused on thirty family foundations … Read More

Website refresh with new FAQ page and more…

Mark PetersenNews

We’ve spent some time with our website this month to bring greater clarity and focus to how we communicate. Included in the refresh are the following: Redesigned menu bar with sections for Charities, Clients, and Resources New summary of our granting process for charities New FAQ page for charities where we respond to questions like: Can I tell you about … Read More

MacKenzie Scott blazes a new path

Mark PetersenStrategy

Articles that claim there’s a new way to do philanthropy merit some examination since traditional models aren’t perfect. So I was drawn to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s recent cover spread on MacKenzie Scott whose divorce from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos suddenly put her in the driver’s seat of a $60 billion settlement. In 2020 she gave $5.7 billion in unrestricted, one-time … Read More