The day started normally. Two generations of family members gathered around a table for the annual meeting, intent on making giving decisions for the small family foundation. While only six of us, we represented many roles. Sisters, husbands, daughters, a niece and me, the outsider in this family system, had a lot of work in front of us and a deadline only a few hours away. The deadline marked the ...[Read More]
How Aunts and Uncles Teach the Next Generation About Giving
Take the Grandparent Challenge and Let the Grandkids Tag Along
A morning walk triggered a fond memory in early June, mid-sixties. The water was cold as I jumped into the shallow end of the pool. My grandmother, slowly walking down the pool steps, declared it unusually cold for an early June morning. We were up early for her morning swim so we could beat the young swimming students who would be arriving soon. As I think back on it, I have no memory of her swim ...[Read More]
How Do You Know If Your Last One-third Has Started?
What if today is the beginning of the last one-third of your life? How will you define success for that last one-third? Generosity or zeroes in the bank? I recently read an article about giving in the last one-third of a lifetime. The writer, Bruce Deboskey, a well-known philanthropy consultant, was talking about donors beyond the age of 65. Of course, I immediately wondered how many of us know wh ...[Read More]
Yes, I STILL Love This Work!
As I sit here in our NEW Your Philanthropy office space surrounded by boxes needing to be unpacked, it is hard for me to believe this journey started five years ago. And now I’m looking to the next five and what’s next for Your Philanthropy. Today, I looked back and found one of the first blogs that I posted as I was leaving Fourth Partner and launching Your Philanthropy. Over the years it has gro ...[Read More]