Strengthening Family Foundations through the Power of Stories Through more than three decades of working with family foundations, Don Brown, founder and CEO of FAMILY OFFICE, a wealth management firm, has developed a vision for helping his clients preserve what matters most.

The family foundations Don works with are often deeply connected to their communities, and they desire to make a significant impact on future generations. Through the philanthropic division of FAMILY OFFICE, Don encourages these families to capture meaningful stories about their grant-giving in order to use their foundations as “family universities.” He believes that preserving stories unifies family members around shared values and teaches the younger members of the family about the philanthropic process. “Financial advantages enjoyed by families should be shared with others and should reflect the values that the family has lived with for generations,” Don said.

“Each generation is the steward of the family legacy, and each generation should attempt to enhance the work of their forebears. The legacy and values of the family should be recorded and preserved to form the framework upon which future generations can be reliant. Without intentional efforts at recording and preserving these values, the family often withers.” More than Grant Reporting However, Don acknowledges that capturing a family’s values can be difficult.

Most families record the impact of their charitable giving through written grant reports provided by the grantee, but Don notes that these reports are duly archived and rarely seen again. Because of this, the reports fall short of being inspirational and do nothing to unify family members around shared values. Don opts instead for telling the stories of how each grant changes the lives of individuals or benefits the community at large. He believes that these stories will live on forever, having a greater impact on the way families work together. To accomplish this type of storytelling, which demands much more than a conventional (and often boring) grant report, Don looks to FamilyArc’s Professional Services teams.

“Storytelling is a powerful tool. It allows us to make an emotional connection with others; it inspires; it motivates,” Don said. “FamilyArc helps preserve memories and provides a continuum of family legacy. They capture life through the magic of our new digital world and create a family repository for memories. This adds a cohesive thread upon which future generations will be able to build their lives.”