The Harrison Family Foundation was growing quickly. But as its giving expanded, so did the complexity of keeping three family branches connected, supported, and able to pursue what mattered most to them.
This is the 4th installment in our “Case Notes for Advisors” series: short, real-world examples to help financial, legal, and trustee advisors recognize philanthropic questions that often sit just outside the estate plan, tax strategy, or investment conversation. Read/Download the one-page case study at the end.
Hold this thought
Family philanthropy can grow faster than the systems supporting it.
When family foundation administration can’t keep up with the giving
After the passing of the Harrison family patriarch, new capital significantly increased both the scale and expectations of the Foundation’s giving. At the same time, three family branches brought different priorities, preferences, and ways of working to the table.
The question
How does a family scale its philanthropy without allowing the administration of giving to overwhelm the people doing it?
What advisors should notice
For advisors, this is the moment to notice. A family may describe the problem as needing help processing grants, organizing meetings, tracking expenses, or simply “keeping everything straight.” But often, the larger issue is capacity: the systems that worked at one level of giving may no longer work when the foundation becomes significantly larger or more complex.
The Harrison family wanted to stay involved.
They just didn’t want running the Foundation to become another full-time job.
Rebuilding the foundation’s administration
Strategic Philanthropy began by meeting with each branch of the family to understand its needs and priorities. We also reviewed the Foundation’s systems, policies, and workflows and developed clearer processes for grantmaking, expenses, travel, reimbursements, and reporting.
As annual grantmaking approached $20 million, structure became essential. We put four things in place:
- A centralized grants system
- Branch-level reporting for each family line
- A single point of contact for grantees
- Support for quarterly family meetings and retreats
That infrastructure allowed the family to preserve something equally important: flexibility. Shared initiatives could continue to bring the family together, while individual branches retained space to pursue their own philanthropic interests.
Where the Harrisons stand today
Today, the family can remain engaged in its giving without being weighed down by its administration. The Foundation has the structure to operate at scale while still reflecting the interests of the people and family branches carrying their father’s legacy forward.
In the client’s words
“Strategic Philanthropy gives our family the structure and support we need to grow thoughtfully. They’ve made complex giving easy and have helped us stay connected and attend to our individual giving priorities while honoring our father’s legacy.”
Read/Download the complete, one-page case study:
Client names have been altered for confidentiality.