Raising Future Philanthropists

As in most things concerning family life, children who love their parents will tend to live their lives in some approximation as it relates to personal values, and instilling philanthropic values—as this survey reveals—happens when parents are open about their own philanthropy.

An excerpt from the article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“How do you encourage teens to tap their inner philanthropist?

“A new survey found that parents who talk to their children about their own charitable work -- especially about why it's important and its impact on real lives -- are more likely to raise young donors than other parents.

“In addition, strong parental support in general builds strong donors, according to the national survey of 500 parents and 500 teens. More than half of the most philanthropic teens surveyed reported that their parents "encouraged me to be my own person.''

“The survey was conducted between March 30 and April 5 by Harris Interactive Service Bureau. It was funded by the Pearson Foundation, an arm of the international media group Pearson, to examine parenting practices that create future philanthropy.

"Although 90 percent of all parents say that they want to raise children who are charitable ... there is a large gap between what parents say they want to do and what they may know how to do,'' said the survey report.

“Teens who regularly donated their time or money said their parents were their primary influence, the report said. These teens were more likely to hold paying jobs and have responsibilities for helping neighbors.”