Case Study

A client approached Bob Kelly with the desire to engage her six grandchildren, ages 10-20, in philanthropy. Bob and team worked with her to establish a family foundation in her name, giving each grandchild a seat on the board.

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BK helped guide the grantmaking process, soliciting ideas from the grandchildren about favorite causes they wanted to support. One child was really into skateboarding. One was passionate about surfing. Another loved horses. The team searched for organizations that were positioned to do the greatest amount of good, solicited grants, reviewed applications, and made grantmaking recommendations to the board.

 

Once identified, BK worked with prospective grantees to define achievable goals, develop sustainability plans, and establish fundraising programs to ensure the long-term success of each organization. The process continued each year, with the BK team following up to measure the impact of each grant and report back to the board. All told, BK helped translate the children's interests into more than $4 million in meaningful grants to charitable organizations in the U.S. and internationally.

 

The amount of legwork involved was more than the founder or her grandchildren could have done on their own. But with BK's help, the young board members were able to learn the joy of philanthropy and make a lasting impact on communities locally and around the world, all while becoming closer as a family.