Why a mission statement isn’t enough

Posted by Susan Turnbull May 18, 2011 in Blog

It was an honor yesterday to be a presenter for the webinar hosted by Advisors in Philanthropy: Why a Mission Statement Isn’t Enough – Creating an Expression of Donor Intent. Amy Ellsworth, my co-author of  Across Generations: A Five Step Guide for Creating an Expression of Donor Intent, appeared as well.

Our main points:

• Legal governance documents that establish a philanthropic instrument rarely provide a complete picture of the grantor’s intent. The documents answer the questions of “what” the instrument is, and “how” is intended to function, but rarely get at the  back-story, the answer of “why” it was created.
• Without knowing the context, without a fully rounded picture of the motivations and visions behind the creation of the instrument, successors can flounder when they are picking up the baton. It’s no wonder. They have been asked to carry out the dreams and visions of another, and it can be hard to do that when they haven’t “stood in the shoes” of the founder.
• When successors have little attachment or buy-in, are confused about what was intended, or in conflict with each other, the vision of the grantor is at risk, and the successors are put in a very tough spot, both personally and legally.
• That is a shame, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
• There is a simple, very meaningful  solution to this common problem: create a  non-binding expression of intent that complements the legal documents – a written letter or an audio or videotaped message that provides a very personal bridge from grantor(s) to successors – a kind  of an ethical will.
• Here is a way to think about what would  go into an expression of intent: What can you, the grantor(s) not imagine your children, grandchildren, heirs and/or trustees not knowing as they carry on without you in the future? What do you want them to understand through your eyes, in your shoes? What motivated you to establish this instrument? What are the outcomes you hoped to create – within your family, upon your community, on the world? What is the history behind the assets that enabled the instrument? What are the messages of love and gratitude you wish to bless them with as they go forward into the future?
• Such a statement is a gift of yourself. The weight it carries is not legal, but personal, carrying the power to inform, to influence and to inspire.