Community Philanthropy Futures Project
Emerging Issues: An iterative list
v. 2.1
July 16, 2004
The following list is both a repository of ideas and a catalyst for your thinking. As part
of the community philanthropy futures project we are cataloguing key issues that face
community philanthropy organizations and the innovations they are employing to
address these issues. The ideas presented here represent important issues (both
positive and challenging) facing community philanthropy. This list comes from our prior
research and writing, our interviews and research to-date for this project, and our
ongoing review of major industry literature and trend analysis. This list will evolve over
the course of the project and your input is critical to its utility.
The bold face type in the list below represents broad categories of change. Within
each category we’ve provided examples of the ideas or clarifying questions about the
potential impact that needs to be investigated.
Economic trends
Specific to philanthropy
 Wealth creation—will the next 20 years be like the last in terms of creating new
opportunities for community giving?
 Intergenerational wealth transfer—is this playing out? Is it really inevitable,
given tax law changes? What can influence where the money goes?
Larger scale economic issues
 Changing concentration of economic markets, e.g. China replaces U.S. as world’s
largest economy.
 New sources of wealth, e.g. biotechnology, elderly care innovation
 New challenges to economic security, e.g. water shortages around the world
make water the most precious commodity.
Demographic trends
 Racial, ethnic and cultural diversity – how are culturally-specific philanthropic
practices interacting with or bypassing mainstream organizations?
 Racial, ethnic and cultural diversity - how should community philanthropy
respond to the slow but significant changes taking place, in governance,
outreach, funding, etc?
 Racial, ethnic and cultural diversity – how are newly wealthy minority groups
(e.g. some Native American tribes) using their wealth within their communities
and in surrounding regions?
 Aging populations—what new opportunities for engaging older people will exist?
What new services will have to be created? What effects will the fact that people
live longer have on the amount of money that goes into their estates for
philanthropy? On the pool of available volunteers?
Community Philanthropy in the World
As influence on donors interests
 How will globally connected populations and economies influence transnational or
diaspora giving?
 How will the disparities between wealthy and poor countries be influenced by
philanthropic action?
 How will the growing recognition of transnational remittances and/ indigenous
philanthropy influence community philanthropy?
 How will established global forms such as commercial banks facilitate or inhibit
transnational philanthropy? How might these entities work with community
philanthropy organizations?
As influence on governance of community philanthropy
 How will changing governance structures at the regional and global level
influence community philanthropy? For example, how will the new EU structures
interact with community foundations in EU countries?
 How will the need to compete in global industries such as banking, finance, or
insurance change the landscapes of local community philanthropic actors?
 How will fears of terrorism, Patriot Act requirements, or other efforts to monitor
overseas charitable activity influence community philanthropy?
 How are regulatory structures for philanthropy and NGOs changing around the
world, e.g. efforts in the U.K., Australia, or the E.U. and what do these changes
mean for community philanthropy?
Standards and standardization
The implementation of national standards for community foundations may be one of
great change drivers over the coming decades. With their implementation in 2004, we
can look at the next 20 years as proof of concept time.
Practical implications
 What are the predictable consequences of the national Community Foundation
standards implementation?
 What are some possible unintended consequences?
 Will there be a continued focus in the field on standards?
 On professional development?
 On ethics?
Community Philanthropy Futures
Blueprint R & D and The Monitor Institute
2/16/2016
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
If we narrow definition of community foundations, do we limit the potential
impact of community philanthropy and invite fracturing?
Community organizing implications
 Is there alignment or is there a gap between the legal structures of community
foundations and the traditions of community philanthropy?
 Will the implementation of standards foster more community philanthropy or
create/further fissures in community?
Regulatory landscapes
 What are the likeliest sources of regulatory change on philanthropy and how will
community philanthropy react to or attempt to influence these shifts?
 How will the repeal of the estate tax in the U.S. influence giving? How will
community philanthropic organizations attempt to drive those changes?
 How will regulatory change play out at the state level?
 Given that there are organizations within philanthropy currently promoting
various activist regulatory agendas, who will carry such proposals for other
elements in philanthropy? What body should or will represent regulatory agendas
that promote community philanthropy?
Vendors of philanthropic products
 As alternative funds and identity - or issue-based funds grow, how do they coexist with community foundations?
 Does the changing geographic identity of individuals and families turn issues or
identities into more relevant community organizing concepts for philanthropy?
 How will the rapid increase in the number and variety of donor advised fund
vendors change the industry?
 What roles do workplace giving or alternative giving campaigns have on
community philanthropy?
 How might global facilitators of small giving (e.g. Global GreenGrants) grow or
spark imitators?
 What will be the lifecycle of donor circles moving forward?
Changes in allied industries
 Are the industries in which professional advisors work, specifically accounting,
tax law, estate planning, investment advising, and financial management
organizing in new ways that will effect their relationships with community
foundations?
 How do community foundations retain relationships with advisory firms that
begin to take philanthropic services in house, or law firms that bring on
accountants?
Human capital in philanthropy
 Are community foundations experiencing the transition of a generation of
leaders? (or does it just feel that way?)
 Who will be the new leaders? Where are they going to come from?
 What do leaders need to know or be able to do?
 Is there a need for wider / deeper policy skills to address systemic issues?
Community Philanthropy Futures
Blueprint R & D and The Monitor Institute
2/16/2016
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Customer bases
 What does market research tell us about donor desires / preferences?
 What does market research tell us about community desires/preferences?
 How are family dynamics and the active presence of multiple generations
changing philanthropy?
 How is the Giving Portfolio changing donor behavior?
 Will we continue to see a proliferation of family foundations? How do they
partner with CFs?
Multiple definitions of community
 Are we experiencing new tensions between communities and donors?
 How do new patterns of individual/family mobility affect donors’ relationships to
place?
 What is a sustainable business model for serving communities and donors?
 Are we seeing:
o Local donors at wider ranges of net worth / giving?
o More or new ways of involving people in the community?
o Shifts toward or away from “democratization of giving?”
 How are community foundations defining their core communities and how does
this change how they act?
 Are community foundations developing new relationships with local and regional
governments? Is public policy an emerging area of work, revenue, expertise
and/or impact for community foundations?
Maturation of an industry
 Where are community foundations, as an industry, in their lifecyle? Is it a mature
industry, a start up field, or a declining industry?
 How are new community foundations coming into existence now? What kinds of
issues or leaders galvanize communities to create foundations?
 What other kinds of philanthropic entities are communities creating instead of (or
in addition to) community foundations?
 How will/should local conditions drive the community foundation form to be
altered?
Business models for community philanthropy
 Are there new business models for community philanthropy?
 Does the current business model serve the varied field of community
philanthropy?
 Have we developed new means of sustaining community organizations?
 How will the increased connectivity of community foundations to each other
(decrease in
 Isolationism and increases in alliances, partnerships, and joint ventures) play out
over the next 20 years?
 What are the implications for those who opt out of those alliances or joint
ventures?
 As donor advised funds become commodities, what are the business models for
services that will provide revenue to community foundations?
Community Philanthropy Futures
Blueprint R & D and The Monitor Institute
2/16/2016
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Services and products
 Of the current industry vendors, who are the likeliest creators of new
philanthropic products and services?
 What external innovators might come onto the scene?
 What are the likeliest catalysts to product innovation?
 How will the past decade of innovation in terms of services for transactional
philanthropy change the industry going forward? For example, will new
databases of giving information emerge from sources like Foundation Source or
National Charitable Services, LLC?
 What products will the transactional providers introduce next?
 How will increased attention to the actual costs of services and products
influence community
foundations and donors?
Community Philanthropy Futures
Blueprint R & D and The Monitor Institute
2/16/2016
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Project informants to-date
Emmett Carson, The Minneapolis Foundation
Suzanne Feurt, Council on Foundations
Mary Jalonick, Dallas Foundation
Elan Garonzick, Mott Foundation
Linetta Gilbert, Ford Foundation
Helen Goodman, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Mike Howe, East bay Community Foundation
J. Augustin Landa, Loteria Nacional para la Asistencia Publica
Jennifer Leonard, Rochester Area Foundation
Kathryn Merchant, Great Cincinnati Community Foundation
Char Mollison, Council on Foundations
Monica Patten, Community Foundations of Canada
Peter Pennekamp, Humboldt Area Foundation
C. Dennis Riggs, Community Foundation of Louisville;
Julie Rogers, Meyer Foundation
Diane Sieger, Grants Rapids Community Foundation
Sterling Spiern, Peninsula Community Foundation
Community Philanthropy Futures
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2/16/2016
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