Suzanne Hammer

Suzanne Hammer

Colleague Conversations: Global family office expert sees growing interest in philanthropy

If it’s one thing family offices members agree on, it’s this: It can be lonely working at a family office. Family members and staff value the opportunity to come together to meet peers, share and exchange ideas, gain a support system and learn from each other’s experiences—all in a comfortable environment where they aren’t being…

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How Family Office Staff Can Support Family Philanthropy

With the holiday gifting frenzy behind us, and now that we’re well into the new year, I’ve been thinking about how wealthy families can sustain the generous (albeit impulsive) spirit of the holidays into more strategic giving throughout the year. Wouldn’t that be a fantastic resolution to keep? While what I like to call “spray…

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Read Our Article in Family Office Elite

We are pleased to announce that our article titled “Involving the Next Generation: Opportunities for Family Offices” has been published in the winter edition of Family Office Elite Magazine! Click here to read the article.

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When a Loved One Dies: Dealing with Family Dynamics (Part 2 of 2)

The death of a family member—especially a foundation leader—is likely the largest change a family will undergo. Suddenly, or not so suddenly, family members must grapple with grief and loss, and also an onslaught of financial, legal and organizational issues. How can you plan ahead—as a family, or as a family enterprise (business, foundation, family…

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When a Loved One Dies: Dealing with Family Dynamics (Part 1 of 2)

This past January, my dad’s health went downhill. On our annual father/daughter trip to Aruba, we stepped off the plane into the warm tropical air, and he asked me to take him to the hospital. He had fluid on the lung that had started ‘squeezing’ his heart and making breathing difficult. Instead of sipping margaritas…

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Stories from London

In June I spent a whirlwind week in London. I was there for the Global Family Office Forum where I presented the findings of our report Philanthropy in the Family Office: A Global Perspective, and led a panel on the same. While in London, I met many wonderful families and family office staff committed to…

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Philanthropy in the Family Office…Presented in London!

We are very excited to present the findings of our white paper “Philanthropy in the Family Office: A Global Perspective” during the Global Family Office Community gathering of family offices and their staff on June 2, 2015 in London. The comprehensive report discusses philanthropy in the family office and trends around next gen giving, social…

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When Grant Partnerships Go Bad

How much information do you want from your grant partners? I ask this because I recently heard about a situation where a funder’s grantee organization had an internal team implosion. This resulted in a falling out between employees, a termination, and a perceived lack of balanced action on the part of the executive director. In…

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Perpetuity vs. Spend Down Research

Perpetuity vs. Spend-down Research Let’s face it: No one likes to think about our own mortality. Still, if you have a foundation or are an active philanthropist, it helps to think now about what you want to happen to your philanthropy after your lifetime. According to a 2009 Foundation Center report, 63 percent of foundations plan…

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The Great Perpetuity Debate

If you and your family have a family foundation, particularly one that involves multiple generations, chances are you’ve had an important conversation every now and again that starts something like this: How long do we want our giving to last? What change or impact do we want to see happen through our giving, and within…

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How to Talk Philanthropy with Your Clients

If you are a trusted advisor to wealthy individuals or families, chances are you’ve talked with your client at some point about their philanthropy. Perhaps it was a hurried 4th quarter conversation, as charitable giving for tax reasons kicks into a higher gear. Or maybe you felt it was something outside your realm of expertise…

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Philanthropy’s Must-Read Resources

I don’t know about you, but my email box is filled daily with emails, blogs, e-newsletters, white papers, and other valuable resources. How do you work your way through all of the information? How do you decide if something is read immediately, gets filed for Sunday reading, or goes directly to ‘trash’? I personally enjoy…

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Philanthropy that is purpose-driven, joyful, and impactful.