Blog

Known somewhat erroneously as the Chamberlain Curse, this expression seems to be part of our collective current experience. These are interesting times indeed. I sense that current events have resulted a feeling of a loss of control on many fronts. The current...

A few decades ago, I met Charles W. Collier. He was the Senior Philanthropic Advisor at Harvard University and somewhat of legend in his own time. He had written a book entitled, Wealth in Families, which is an effective manual on the subject of helping families deal...

The current politically charged environment offers plenty of opportunity to become increasing concerned about the future. Martin Luther once said, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” I feel that this quote...

Recent events have many development professionals scratching their heads with regard to asking for needed funds. With all the media attention being given to the reduced economic activity and diminished wealth, not to mention an unprecedented  health crises, it’s no...

The current economic environment, although quite different in many respects, is somewhat reminiscent of the 2008 financial crises. Back then, financial markets responded by adjusting downward in value to reflect the reality of the time. I was meeting with a client of...

Former GE CEO Jack Welch passed away this week. He once said, “Only satisfied customers can give people job security. Not companies.” I think a parallel can be applied to the philanthropic community. Charities are financially secure when they are supported by their...

Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is not far away. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday have also passed. It has become a time of year when a lot of organizations are asking me for money. Most of what the merchants are offering are not in my size nor do they...

Some people live with a mentality of scarcity and some with a mentality of abundance. Some think of charitable giving as taking a piece of their pie and giving it away so less pie remains for them and their family. But charitable giving is more like inflating a...

When I was chair of our church’s endowment fund, we instituted a successful program of thanking our planned giving donors. In addition to the usual written and telephone thank you, we held an event every year for the legacy society. I referred to it as our “report to...