National Center for Family Philanthropy leaders have spent the last year thinking about their role in charitable giving. The DC-based nonprofit is launching two big initiatives this year as a result. One was a sold-out forum that debuted last week in Cambridge, Mass., where leaders from foundations, funds, and family giving programs talked about issues influencing the field. The second is a first-ever study to be released every two to three years with the Urban Institute to track family giving practices over time. The center also named Susan Packard Orr as the first distinguished fellow in family philanthropy.

President Virginia Esposito founded the small nonprofit, which is the only one focused exclusively on family philanthropies, while working at the Council on Foundations as education VP. For the last 16 years, the organization has worked with over 2,000 families worldwide, some with modest budgets and some giving in the upper millions, advising on issues like governance and motivation. One function it doesn’t serve is advising families on where they should contribute their money. (The dog, however, suggested the ASPCA.)