Family Philanthropy Navigator

The world needs all hands-on deck to address the big challenges we face – they can’t just be fixed by governments or NGOs alone. Our mission with this book is to inspire more individuals and families to give and to ensure that their giving is effective and efficient.

The mission of the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD is to help aspiring and established philanthropic families start or improve their giving – in a way that is structured, organized, efficient and effective as an integral part of their family enterprise system.

My hope is that this book will challenge, educate and inspire families in their philanthropic activities – whether you are new to giving or have decades of experience. In our workshops, while developing the Family Philanthropy Navigator, for example, I have been delighted to see well-established philanthropists finding fresh insight from, and enjoyment in, the toolkit.

Ultimately, I want to see the navigator taking on a life of its own as a tool that families all over the world can find value in as they seek to make a real difference through their giving. 

Peter Vogel is Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship and the Director of IMD's Global Family Business Center. He holds the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD and a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship from EPFL.

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My wish is that this book will be an invitation to have meaningful conversations within families so that everyone can be empowered to give more, better and smarter.

My experience as co-founder of WISE philanthropy advisors has shown me that, when well organized, philanthropy can play its part in building innovative and sustainable solutions for local or global challenges. But giving can also become an incredibly rewarding journey for families to engage across generation."

I also experience that philanthropy is often an inner journey before it becomes a structured process, as the Family Philanthropy Navigator is intended to be for you. The navigator is not about promoting one-size-fits-all but eight important questions for you to address.

Etienne Eichenberger, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at WISE - philanthropy advisors, and member of the Advisory Board for the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD.

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Giving is complex, and it can become even more complex when you are giving together with your own family.

My contribution to the field of family philanthropy comes through my research at the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy, through which I’ve had the pleasure to meet so many good-hearted (business) people who have generously shared their philanthropic stories with us – their successes, but also their failures. We are greatly indebted to all of these enterprising families who have participated in our research project, for supporting us, but also for their courage in doing good where it is most needed. Their support and feedback while developing the navigator has shown us that this tool is truly needed, now more than ever.

Giving means opening one’s heart to others. My sincere hope is that the navigator will ignite philanthropy in each of us, and in each of our families.

Malgorzata Smulowitz (née Kurak) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics, Management and Organization from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

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