Family Philanthropy

Family members may be engaged in generating and spending their assets, as well as in giving them away. We help families determine their perspective on this issue. We help them think about their giving in terms of consistency with their family’s overall mission, their sustainability, and next generation development. Our unique “Give to Get Equation” provides a framework for assisting parents in approaching this subject with the next generation.

Articles

FAMILY GOVERNANCE MEETS FAMILY DYNAMICS

Fredda Herz Brown and Patricia Angus report on a survey and strategies for successful joint philanthropy. Read the Article >>

A FRAMEWORK AND GUIDEBOOK FOR IMPROVING THE LIVES OF WOMEN AND GIRLS

Rebecca A. Meyer was Project Co-Director at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania, and one of the authors of this guidebook for social impact investors. Read the Article>>

Case Studies

Talking to Your Children about Money and Wealth

Relative Solutions decided that, since several families had been asking the same question, it would be useful to hold a small educational seminar to consider this topic. We mapped out central guidelines, which included talking to the child at his/her level, teaching him or her about the responsibilities that go with wealth and some examination of the adults’ values regarding money. After this initial step, the senior generation in all the families decided to meet regularly to work on clarifying their values and how to transmit them. Later work centered on helping the adults to work with their own children. Read the Case Study >>

What Does it mean to have inherited wealth?

A fourth-generation family enterprise sought counsel because they were concerned about their daughters' reaction to inheriting rather than earning their wealth. Read the Case Study>>