Human Resources & Operations
Staffing decisions are among the most important decisions that foundations will make. Foundation staff are responsible for executing organizational strategies and advancing the foundation’s mission; without strong and competent employees, the foundation may be left floundering. In human resource decisions, foundations must assess needs; recruit, screen, select, and hire personnel; orient new employees; and develop evaluation, training, and development strategies for long-term growth.
Hiring a New CEO Resource Guide
Toolkit
Non-profit executive searches generally take a minimum of four months, and can take as long as six to eight months. A clear sense of mission and a well understood position description for the new President and CEO will be absolutely essential for success in identifying and, more importantly,…
Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey FAQs
Fundamentals
What are the benefits of participation?Can I participate?How do I participate?What information will I need to complete the survey?What positions are included in the survey?Where does my state fall within the geographic breakdowns in the report?How much does the report cost?When is the report/data…
Record Retention for Foundations
Legal Compliance Guidance
Foundation recordkeeping is an inherently dull topic—unless it’s done wrong. The foundation manager who has not kept adequate documentation regarding expenditure responsibility grants risks an IRS audit. Similarly, a foundation manager confronted with a trustee succession battle will find the…
Legal Compliance Guidance
Question:
May a company and its private foundation share employees?
Answer:
Yes, so long as any arrangement between the private foundation and the sponsoring company is structured in a way that does not violate the prohibition against self-dealing.
Corporate foundations and their sponsoring…
Fundamentals
The following are some of the models that are used for staffing family foundations. Many families use variations on these models or a combination of them. Any of them can be effective, depending on what is important to the family. The two major considerations, and they are linked, are: how much…
Managing Your Family Foundation: Consider These Options
Fundamentals
Looking for the single best way to manage a family foundation? You may be looking for a long time. Because family foundations are unique within the foundation world, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to management. Each family creates its own rules and structures for its foundation, allowing for…
Hiring An Archival Consultant
Legal Compliance Guidance
The services of a consultant may prove beneficial to an organization considering the creation of a records management or archival program.
From a consultation, those who oversee the records and archives project should derive a general sense of the existing historical record of the organization —…
Sample Document
By Al Castle, Executive Director Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation
Al Castle is a family trustee of the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation in Honolulu. After serving on the board for several years, he was hired as the first executive director of the foundation by his fellow board members. He…
Fundamentals
The First 100 Days is not intended to be a comprehensive job description or in-depth exposé on the giving officer’s career; rather, it will help you, as a novice in this role, prioritize your activities during the early stages of your transition.
Fundamentals
During the summer of 2004, we interviewed several corporate community relations managers to gather advice for new staff in similar positions. Their comments are summarized here, and direct quotes appear in italics. While First 100 Days is not a detailed job description, it will provide novice…
Legal Compliance Guidance
Question: May a private company foundation support the volunteer activities of the sponsoring corporation's employees?
Answer: Company foundations sometimes play a role in coordinating volunteer activities of the sponsoring corporation's employees. The IRS has approved company foundations'…
First 100 Days of the Program Officer: Advice from the Field
Fundamentals
Note to the Program Officer
The scope of the program officer job description has evolved. Where it was once primarily tactical—reviewing funding requests and developing requests for proposals—the program officer’s role more commonly includes strategic activities. Program officers must master three…
Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan
Sample Document
Community foundations have proven themselves to be cornerstones of support to the community, especially in times of need and disaster. When emergencies or disasters strike, the Foundation must be well-prepared to quickly and effectively help itself in order to be able to help others.
This…
Developing a Travel Policy
Fundamentals
Under the rules applicable to private foundations, directors or trustees and staff members may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in connection with the foundation's charitable activities. Such expenditures fall under the heading of administrative costs and will generally…
U.S. Foundation Employment and Payment of Foreign Nationals and Students
Legal Compliance Guidance
Over the past decade or so, economies have become more global and the tools for communicating news from around the world have become more effective and timely in reporting global events via the internet, video and text messaging, Twitter, and Facebook, to name but a few of these tools. Foundations…