There’s an oft-repeated saying in the philanthropic sector: “When you’ve seen one foundation, you’ve seen one foundation.” That’s because every foundation has its own unique approach to making the world a better place.
At Foundation Source, we see this first-hand among our more than 1,100 private foundation clients.
Some of our client foundations are endowed with hundreds of millions of dollars; others have a few hundred thousand. Some client foundations are the province of a single donor; others engage entire families, spanning many generations. Some focus their giving on a single cause; others spread their donations across many worthy giving areas.
Despite these many differences, there’s an emerging thread that connects the majority of today’s philanthropists; they want more from their philanthropy. They look for greater impact and deeper engagement with their families. And they expect to see impact today, not at the end of their lives.
For these reasons, many have chosen the private foundation as their charitable vehicle, for the flexibility, versatility and control that only a private foundation offers, but with a difference.
Too busy to do everything themselves, and being used to competent support in their business and personal lives, contemporary donors see no reason why their philanthropy should be different.
These families are now choosing an alternative model to operating their foundations. Rather than hiring staff and building infrastructure to support their philanthropic initiatives, they are choosing a far more expeditious and less costly route by outsourcing their back-office, technology and support requirements to professional firms such as Foundation Source.
By choosing a turnkey solution that coordinates all functions of a private foundation – simplifying, organizing and automating foundation management – these families can focus on what matters most: their philanthropy – without having to bear the corresponding burden associated with the traditional foundation. These families are choosing Foundation Source.
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"Since we are a one-staff foundation, Foundation Source has been instrumental in allowing me the freedom to focus on what is most important about having a foundation – and that is interacting with our grantees, listening to their hopes and dreams and then making those dreams, a reality. "
Carol MaivelettAdministrator Sylvan/Laureate Foundation