Managing Relationships with Advisors

I listened in on a conference call hosted by The National Center for Family Philanthropy on Thursday, July 8th. The topic of discussion was Managing Relationships with Your Legal, Financial, and Investment Advisors. The presenters were Patricia Angus, a New York-based philanthropy and family governance consultant and Dawn Dobras, a trustee of the Stocker Foundation.

Three most important take aways:

1. Do your part! The families, foundations and staff are actively engaged in the process of selecting advisors. 2. Use a systematic process through every stage. The process should be independent and non-subjective. You’ll know what you are getting out of the advisors you hire and you’ll know when its time to change your advisor. 3. Learn and grow! Take away something from every experience going through the process of selecting and working with advisors.