The Intersection of Family Philanthropy and Business Philanthropy

Think about walking past the community soccer fields on a Saturday morning. The fields are packed with children running around in bright colored shirts. Take a closer look and you will probably notice the names of companies on those shirts – those companies are probably family-owned businesses supporting the community in which they live and work.

Family owned businesses are crucial to our economy in terms of creating jobs, generating wealth and building community. According to Family Enterprise USA, there are 5.5 million family-owned businesses in the United States. What is astounding about these businesses is that according to that same study, 95% of them are engaged in philanthropy.  That is a lot of soccer shirts!

Corporate philanthropy (whether a business is family-owned or not) has been in the midst of change for quite some time now.  To simplify, what has emerged are three ways of thinking about the outward expression of company values.  These are philanthropy, community involvement and social innovation.  When combined, these practices ultimately define the company’s culture and, in the case of a family-owned business, they define the family’s culture and those things they deem important. 

The Network of Family Businesses is excited to present this Webinar scheduled for Thursday, December13^th, 2012 at 10:00 AM EST, with Teresa Araco Rodgers, CAP® President and Founder of harp-weaver LLC.

This discussion will explore emerging practices, Philanthropy considerations, and questions your Family should be considering.

Teresa Araco Rodgers began her career at SEI, a global provider of asset management, investment processing and investment operations solutions.  Teresa founded harp-weaver LLC in 2010 because she wants to give donors a better way to add meaning and align gifting with personal, family and financial goals.  Her mission is to inspire others by helping them articulate their values and passions to be purposeful givers. With more than 10 years of grantmaking experience, Teresa works with clients in the Greater Philadelphia area, supporting donor interests professionally, ethically and cost-effectively.  As a "network weaver," Teresa brings people and organizations together to address issues of concern and enables donors to be more strategic with their charitable dollars and more fulfilled with their involvement.

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