Leadership Development
Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) help shape public issues, inform public debate, and unites community leaders on matters of public concern, among various other duties. Recognizing the responsibilities of foundation executives, The Council has developed a wide array of leadership resources to provide CEOs with the expertise and tools they need to be most effective.
Leadership Insights: What Foundation Executives and Trustees are Saying About Diversity and Inclusion
Recording
A video series featuring leaders sharing their insights about their organizational journey to become more diverse and inclusive and lessons learned along the way. All videos are close captioned.
Dr. Robert K. Ross
The California Endowment
Watch video
Dr. Risa…
The Sustainability Formula: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Thrive in the Emerging Economy
External Resource
From TCC Group, which developed the Core Capacity Assessment tool, this resource investigates how organizations can put these core capacities to work in achieving organizational sustainability in difficult economic times.
A Colleague's Perspective on Generational Succession
Fundamentals
In 2013, Merede Graham of the Namaste Foundation offered her perspective about how generational succession shaped her family foundation.
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My parents started our family foundation with the intent of providing their children with opportunities to build confidence and skills to serve us…
The Savvy CEO
Publication
The role of the foundation CEO is pivotal to the success of a foundation’s goals. Even at foundations without staff, the tasks of the CEO do not disappear, but rather are carried out by board members. In this publication, we explore some of the critical issues and challenges that foundation CEOs…
Competencies for CEOs of Private Foundations
Publication
This document codifies the job functions of private foundation CEOs and the skills and knowledge needed to perform these functions, referred to as competencies.
Challenges in Succession Planning
Fundamentals
As family members come together in their collective role as trustees of the family foundation, they must grapple with many issues. Along with their grantmaking responsibilities, they set policies for governance and management and oversee the investment of the foundation’s assets. Unlike officers of…
Should CEOs Be on the Board?
Fundamentals
This briefing will help your board consider three main questions: what are the advantages and limitations of CEOs on boards? If the CEO is on the board, should they have full voting rights? How do your colleagues approach this decision?
Building a Successful CEO-Board Chair Relationship
Fundamentals
Both the board and CEO advance each foundation’s mission. They hold different responsibilities, but they need to support and balance each other.
The board chair-CEO partnership is crucial to your foundation’s effectiveness, as well as to your success as a CEO. As one CEO said, “To have a…
Executive Compensation Best Practices
Legal Compliance Guidance
The Internal Revenue Code provides excise tax penalties that can be imposed by the Internal Revenue Service whenever unreasonable or excessive compensation is paid to high-level employees of charitable organizations.
Over and above any legal requirements or public scrutiny, good stewards of…