Private Family Foundation Dissolves into a DAF

We work with multiple generations of families in all stages of giving, each experiencing unique situations and life milestones.

Cindy and Doug have three adult children and eleven grandchildren and created the Shipper Family Foundation through their estate plan. Two years into the launch of the foundation, the adult children decided it was too much for them to manage. They no longer live in the state where they were born and raised, and they are all running their own businesses. They approached OCF and embarked on a series of exercises to build a large donor advised fund to recognize the legacy of their parents. Through a series of individual and group interviews OCF staff helped to lay the groundwork for their vision of giving and analysis of charitable investments.

A unanimous concern is the involvement of subsequent generations. Staff worked to rewrite the family’s mission statement and developed a roadmap that included strategies to invite the next generations to participate.

They established a legacy giving program to support a handful of organizations important to their parents. By refocusing their grantmaking strategies, new community opportunities emerged to support basic services and small arts organizations.

The grandchildren have their own philanthropy program that includes service learning projects and ongoing discussions around their giving.

Learn More Abut Family Giving

See our recommended books and articles to learn more about giving with your family. Visit our resources for families page.