What is a Founder's Mandate and how is it different from a will?

A Founder's Mandate is a nonbinding document where the founder writes down intentions for the wealth and shares it with the family while the founder is still alive. It clarifies what the founder wants the wealth to do, what they don't want it to do, and how they hope the family will engage with it. Unlike a will or trust, it has no legal force. It must align with the formal estate documents. But it does the work the legal documents can't. It tells the next generation what the founder is actually trying to accomplish, in plain language, while everyone is still alive to ask questions about it. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, treats the Founder's Mandate as the missing bridge between the legal side of transition and the human side. Most founders haven't written one.