While change is inevitable in most pursuits, managing it well in the practice of family philanthropy can be particularly complicated as so much of philanthropy is deeply personal. National Forum speakers Rebecca Cisek, Tina Kimbrough, Sylia Obagi, and Kyle Peterson shared their tips for managing a wide-variety of change. Here, Cara Binder-Kopchick synthesizes their recommendations, offering ways that philanthropic staff leaders can support their teams while focusing on their missions and taking care of themselves to effectively go about navigating change in family philanthropy.

Leaders need to navigate nearly constant change in family philanthropy. This can be exciting and invigorating as well as destabilizing and exhausting. These changes can be predictable like a long-anticipated board chair transition or a thoughtfully planned strategic refresh, or they can be unpredictable like shepherding the organization through a family emergency; an unexpected local, state, or federal election result; financial downturn; or natural disaster.

In family philanthropy, even predictable and strategic change can be more complex than in other organizations, as so much of this work is deeply personal. Leadership transitions are often spurred during a time of sickness or death of a family member; strategic shifts might bring about conversations of deeply held family values, underscoring the importance of effectively navigating change in family philanthropy.

As Kyle Peterson, co-founder and managing director of Boldly Go Philanthropy, said, “No one really told me that the job of the executive director and of senior staff is to navigate and manage constant change. Everyone has been hit with this. We aren’t going to solve the fact that we will all need to manage change, but we can share some tools and ideas about how to lead these shifts.” Peterson engaged in a conversation with three other leaders in family philanthropy at the recent National Forum on Family Philanthropy to reflect together on what they learned in hopes of helping others who are navigating change in family philanthropy.

Create a Nimble and Connected Environment and Team To Navigate Change in Family Philanthropy

The best thing a leader can do for an organization is to create an environment and team that can weather (and thrive through) consistent change. As Tina Kimbrough, executive director of the Nord Family Foundation, mentioned, “I would not be able to be successful without the coalition of people behind me.” While there are many ways to create a thriving team in a strong environment, four ideas for navigating change in family philanthropy were highlighted.

Read the full article about navigating change in family philanthropy by Cara Binder-Kopchick at National Center for Family Philanthropy.