services

Philanthropy, whether practiced by an individual or through an institution, evolves over time. Thinking, interests and resources change. Regardless of where you are in your philanthropic journey, our engagement will be client-centered, values-driven, and managed with discretion.

"Nancy Wiltsek engaged me in a deceptively casual conversation — by email, phone, and in person — that allowed me to discover for myself, with her gentle but extremely knowledgeable guidance, just what I wanted to fund and why. Our conversation was wide-ranging — from a discussion of the philosophy of social change to the practicalities and intricacies of forming a foundation.

Nancy is flexible, creative, and nurturing as she offers a plethora of knowledge with a very light touch. It's this quality that allows the new funder to find her feet and move forward independently and with confidence.

Nancy's decades of working in the field in a variety of capacities has given her a base of knowledge and experience that was extraordinarily valuable to me as I took steps toward creating a foundation. I would recommend her to anyone starting out, eager to engage, but uncertain how to go about it."

— Anne Germanacos, Germanacos Foundation

Scope of Services

Examples of services provided include but are not limited to:

Determining the right giving vehicle(s) for you — private foundation, community foundation, donor advised fund (DAF), direct giving, etc.
An analysis of current giving and/or foundation practices
Research into potential funding areas
Development of a grantmaking strategy
Overseeing/managing your grantmaking over time
Advising/coaching to take your thinking and your giving to the next level
Facilitating family meetings, board meetings, retreats
Assistance with governance issues
(e.g. succession, planning related to spending down)
Foundation assessment (using the National Center for Family Philanthropy's Pursuit of Excellence Assessment Tool if desired)

Process

Engagements can be short or long term depending on your needs. Regardless, each begins with a conversation to clarify and understand what you are trying to accomplish, and to help you determine if working together is the best use of your time and money. Assuming you choose to move forward, there will be additional meetings to develop a more comprehensive assessment of your values, interests and philanthropic goals. A concise scope of work and a plan to realize those goals will be drafted. Once approved, work will begin. The level of ongoing communication will be determined by the plan, your desired level of engagement, time and need. Assessment, with the goal of learning and improving practice, is built into all work-plans.

“I met with Nancy to discuss starting a foundation. We discussed a number of things including my charitable interests, giving history, the family and financial issues. Much to my surprise, she advised me to consider other options. Her counsel saved me a lot of time and money, and made a lot more sense given my situation.”

— Bob K.