Council on Foundations Adding greatly to the greater good.
Member Benefits
One Mission One Council One Vision
We’re passionate about serving YOU — so you can best serve others.
Strength in Numbers The leadership and staff of the Council on Foundations arrive to work each day prepared to promote the interests of the philanthropic community. The day you join the Council, you gain the full benefit of having dozens of our staff members dedicated to moving your team, large or small, in one direction only: forward.
“ We would not be where we are today if it hadn’t been for the help of the Council’s staff — legal in particular — and the National Standards process. I was new to the community foundation field five years ago, and I can say, with no hesitation at all, that the Council on Foundations has been my teacher and my mentor and is partially responsible for the growth of our foundation.” Pam Montgomery | Executive Director Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley (member since 2003)
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Welcome to the Council on Foundations e invite you into our world where passion and potential prevail. . . and progress is a welcome outcome of all we do together. Our true strength is calculated in the numbers of lives improved through the combined financial contributions, innovation, and compassionate leadership of all members. The Council on Foundations believes that the future of the common good depends on philanthropy as a vibrant and growing force. Our members imagine a better world, invest in creating change, and see the positive impact of innovative ideas and focused strategic giving and grantmaking in the business of achieving human progress. This Membership Benefits Guide provides an overview to the ever-expanding services, products, and advocacy we provide. The Council represents the rich diversity of interests and the broad range of today’s global “giving” sector — including private, community, operating, family, public, corporate and independent foundations, giving programs, and emerging giving and grantmaking organizations.
But, just as important, your dues safeguard philanthropy’s future. It is through the sustained action and involvement of the Council’s dedicated members throughout the philanthropic and grantmaking community that the world will see long-term change and advancement. This is a benefit of membership that serves everyone. Take a moment today to discover how the Council can serve your organization, its staff, and the diverse communities our collective work in philanthropy impacts everyday. The Council is at your service to help your organization meet its greatest goals and realize its best ideas. By working together and sharing our combined expertise, experiences, and talents, we will continue to define philanthropy through the strength of our numbers and the progress we achieve.
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Members of the Council enjoy exclusive access to a diverse range of valuable benefits and opportunities to help advance each organization’s unique philanthropic mission. We provide our members with the products and services they need to do their best work, including legal information, technical assistance, peer networking opportunities, and public policy advocacy.
The Council works closely with policy makers, media, and other influential leaders to create an environment in which the field of giving
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Promoting Philanthropy A Growing Voice Since 1949, the Council on Foundations has existed to serve and represent the dynamic and complex needs and aspirations of the philanthropic community. The Council strives to serve as a respected voice and vision of philanthropy at the national level while becoming an increasingly powerful and highly effective partner at the local and international levels. As an esteemed voice for philanthropy, the Council works closely with policy makers, media, and other influential leaders to create an environment in which the field of giving and grantmaking can move forward, grow, and thrive. The real-world stories of each of the Council’s members tell the public and policy makers a most compassionate, compelling, and comprehensive account of the critical role philanthropy plays in addressing and solving the most pressing issues of these times. We value responsibility, accountability, collaboration, and inclusiveness in grantmaking, and our members commit to meeting the highest standards in ethics, effectiveness, stewardship, and governance. By adhering to these values — and helping our members do the same — we earn the continued respect of communities, lawmakers, and our fellow members and peers in philanthropy.
and grantmaking can move forward, grow, and thrive.
A Strong Voice in Washington Rely on the Council to be your voice in the halls of Congress and with the Administration. We actively pursue an environment encouraging philanthropic growth — through legislative and regulatory leadership — on your behalf. We meet with Congress, the Administration and federal regulators to guide and shape legislation that serves philanthropy and the missions of our members. As your champions on Capitol Hill, we created the Philanthropy Caucus — a bipartisan group of members of the United States Congress — to encourage and secure Congressional supporters for legislation promoting the philanthropic sector. Further, our experts work directly with our members and their grantees in making compelling cases for their philanthropic endeavors to legislators and policy makers. Our media and public relations team seeks and seizes opportunities to protect the reputations and raise the visibility of every member of the Council. And, as a member, you have the opportunity to proactively participate in legislation that impacts your work. For more information on our advocacy programs, please visit www.cof.org/advocacy.
Exchanging Expertise | Building Knowledge Joining the Council expands your professional network and opens your organization to a wealth of philanthropic expertise to guide your future strategies and benchmark best practices. Your membership gives you access and opportunities to connect with colleagues from across the philanthropic spectrum — big foundations, small start-ups, global leaders, and local funders. Our top-notch legal team is at your disposal to provide thorough analysis of legislation and regulations that will help your organization remain compliant with the letter of the law as it pertains to philanthropic and grantmaking activities.
Through the content-rich education of the Council’s three annual conferences (Family, Annual, and Community), online and onsite courses, web-based presentations, and other vehicles of information exchange, we cull the best ideas on philanthropy, and share them with you. Our experts are continually developing professional development opportunities to ensure our members stay abreast of the most critical issues common to most foundation and philanthropic leaders. As your philanthropic partner, we believe it’s our job at the Council to conduct ongoing research and to seek and bring forward the best expertise and insight in the areas in which you need advice. We do this work, so you can stay focused on yours. For a list of upcoming conferences and events, please visit www.cof.org/events.
“The legal, investment, and administrative expertise we have access to through the Council are invaluable. There are many occasions in which we would have incurred significant time or expense in chasing down a solution, had it not been for the Council staff’s ability to quickly help us address critical questions. Access to our peers is also a key value for us in terms of helping to shape our policies and practices with the knowledge of how others are handling similar matters.” Judy Sjostedt | Executive Director, PACF & Regional Affiliates (Member since 1963)
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As a member of the Council, you have access to legal expertise that is unmatched in the field. From adhering to self-dealing rules, understanding the evolving principles of grantmaking, ensuring effective board governance, and maintaining high ethical standards, the Council’s legal services staff is ready to help you understand the complex requirements you face.
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Developing Resources Enabling Communications As technology brings our worlds ever closer, philanthropic organizations have greater opportunities and vehicles to deliver on their missions, whether locally, nationally, or globally focused. To significantly add value to your organization’s philanthropic objectives, the Council has an innovative network linking online and in-person interactions and communications. Today, the Council is a respected and relied upon content provider to people working in all areas and all corners of the world of philanthropy. As a member, you have access to our dynamic member-only sections of our website, e-newsletters, publications, national research, customized reports, and many other resources, all dedicated to keeping you up-todate in our constantly changing world.
As a technology innovator, the Council helps bridge information gaps to facilitate the delivery of critical information between member organizations operating in, and serving communities around the world. With online discussions and message boards, webcasts, and a range of other web-enabled tools, members of the Council have at their fingertips new and effective technologies to facilitate collaboration and communication. The Council on Foundations also publishes and distributes a variety of publications and newsletters, audio, video, and other multimedia knowledge resources to keep you informed of today’s best practices from a mosaic of exceptional organizations reshaping the philanthropy landscape. As a member of the Council, you can purchase these resources at substantial member-only discounts.
D&O Liability Insurance at a Discount A foundation doesn’t have to be in the wrong to be sued. D&O insurance protects foundations by covering costs — defense, damages, or settlements — that result from addressing actual or alleged violations in court. Members receive a 10 percent discount on directors and officers
“By investing in Council membership, organizations ultimately invest in themselves and their mission. Membership supports activities that promote the value of philanthropy and the significant work that is being done through grantmaker/grantee partnerships, across the street, and across the nation.” Robert N. DiLeonardi | Executive Director | VNA Foundation (Member since 1996)
(D&O) liability insurance, providing financial protection for a foundation and its directors, officers, employees, and volunteers in the event of a lawsuit.
resources Member-Only Discounts Expect to save with member-only discounts on the purchase of an array of highly relevant publications and information resources our advisors and experts write, edit, review, and recommend. A few of our most popular titles include: Community Foundation Handbook: What You Need to Know The Family Advisor: Starting a Family Foundation Corporate Giving: Options and Strategies First Steps in Starting a Foundation, Fifth Edition The Guide to Small Foundation Management — From Groundwork to Grantmaking Economic Development: A Legal Guide for Grantmakers Family Foundations and the Law Grantmakers Salary and Benefit Report Investment Performance and Practices of Private Foundations A complete current catalog of publications and information resources is available at www.cof.org/publications.
Stewardship Principles The Stewardship Principles were created to help you achieve excellence in board governance, grantmaking, and management. The Council provides an array of services and tools to help put those principles into practice, including its web-based Best Practices Databases, showcasing sample documents and other tools that your peers have used with great success in putting stewardship principles into effect.
Philanthropy Solutions: Promising Practices in Corporate Giving In 2008, the Council launched Philanthropy Solutions to serve our members as the “go-to” resource and knowledge hub for tools, information, leadership, and promising practices in corporate philanthropy and to reinforce the Council’s commitment to strong governance, ethics, and accountability in grantmaking. For more information on the Philanthropy Solutions initiatives, visit www.cof.org/philanthropysolutions.
www.COFinteract.org: Where Council Members Connect, Converse, and Collaborate on the Web The Council on Foundations has launched philanthropy’s most exciting and interactive Web 2.0 a peer-to-peer networking and information-sharing website. Members can now connect, converse, and collaborate in exciting new ways within the burgeoning social networking sphere. Our member-exclusive portal at www.COFinteract.org links members of the Council to MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn and provides another online access point to reach Economic Xchange and Thought>Action>Impact. We invite you to connect to these sites and join in on the conversations!
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Rules of the Road: A Guide to the Law of Charities in the United States
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Cultivating Leaders Serving Philanthropy
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The Council on Foundations’ board and advisory committees are comprised of your peers — philanthropic experts who help lead our sector by guiding our future.
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Through volunteer participation in board and advisory committees, joining in online discussion groups and webcasts, attending and presenting at conferences, and participating in e-learning events, your membership in the Council affords you and your staff countless ways to grow as important and more effective philanthropic and grantmaking leaders. Our constituency services groups — Council staff dedicated to serving specific types of grantmaking organizations — ensure you have someone to turn to when you have questions or need guidance on virtually any topic pertaining to philanthropy and grantmaking. Through membership in the Council, you can count on an excellent return on your investment. Your membership dues give you full access to the many valuable services and benefits the Council offers today and is developing to meet the changing needs of tomorrow.
In a world of need, the Council on Foundations fosters a world of opportunities. In the U.S. and abroad, grantmakers are facing an era of unprecedented economic change. Foundations are being challenged to choose between responding to immediate needs and long term grant commitments. We are ready to support you in moving forward with confidence and pride Council by continually drawing on our resources, research, and educational programs to help you respond effectively to your challenges. Take full advantage of opportunities to learn from peers and other experts, network with each other, and share best practices face-to-face. Our conferences continue to grow in international attendance and content. Join a community of foundations of every size in every part of the world with ideas and strategies to share; our members have expertise, solutions, and benchmarking data to help you do your best work. Harness the Council’s leading efforts to establish a centralized repository of information on non-U.S. organizations that will simplify the process of cross-border grantmaking and develop a global compact to promote philanthropy around the world and reduce barriers to cross-border giving.
Maximize your membership in the Council by continually drawing on our resources, research, and educational programs to help you respond effectively to your challenges.
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in the work you do. We encourage you to maximize your membership in the
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Each year, the Council on Foundations Awards honor the achievements of the best leadership and contributions in philanthropy through these awards of recognition:
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Critical Impact Awards The Critical Impact Awards celebrate grantmaking at its finest: grantmaking that has changed lives and communities — perhaps even nations — for the better.
Distinguished Grantmaker Award Honors an individual who has made significant lifetime contributions to the field of philanthropy.
Henry Hampton Award Honors an individual who has broken traditional molds of documentary filmmaking and has put excellence and innovation at the forefront of their work.
Paul Ylvisaker Award Awarded to a foundation that has demonstrated excellence in affecting public policy by using creative and effective
For more information about the Council Awards programs or the nominating process, please call 703.879.0600 or visit www.cof.org/awards.
strategies to inform and inspire other grantmakers to become engaged in policy work.
Robert Scrivner Award Honors grantmakers who, with a combination of vision, principle, and personal commitment, are making a critical difference in a creative way.
Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Showcases the ways foundations and corporate giving programs use communication strategies and techniques to advance the goals of their grantmaking.
Council on Foundations 2121 Crystal Drive Suite 700 Arlington, VA 22202 tel 703.879.0600 fax 703.879.0800 www.cof.org