I recently had lunch with an individual who has a family foundation. We decided in advance that we would meet at his favorite local pizza place near where he lived. We also determined it would be dress-down day, and we both were very comfortable in our jeans. The clothing was perfect as the weather was horrible that day. It rained more than two inches in a 24-hour period.
As the rain was coming down, we talked about philanthropy, and he discussed how his family makes decisions regarding gifts. His late father created the foundation, and his 83-year-old mother still plays an important role in the operations of the foundation. It is truly a family affair.
He said he taught his three children philanthropy through the years by having them engage in charitable work of interest to them. In fact, he noted that when children in the family reach the age of 13, they are invited on the family foundation board as "junior members." They must participate by finding new charities to serve and be hands-on with the organization.
They are also given a dollar value of grant monies for distribution. They do not rubber-stamp someone else's thoughts. They must jump in and engage. That said, however, over time they must continue to earn their seats at the table. I thought this concept was especially important in teaching the next generation to serve and serve well.
In my current role, I work closely with an advisory board. On this board, I work with the son whose father who was a volunteer on an organization I represented 15 years earlier. In many ways, their views of the charitable world and personalities are amazingly the same. Fortunately for me, the son's caring for causes and gifts of time and treasure continues to increase. The retired father passed the lesson of giving to the son.
- Categories:
- Children/Youth
- Fundraiser Education
- Companies:
- Association of Fundraising Professionals

Duke Haddad, Ed.D., CFRE, is currently associate director of development, director of capital campaigns and director of corporate development for The Salvation Army Indiana Division in Indianapolis. He also serves as president of Duke Haddad and Associates LLC and is a freelance instructor for Nonprofit Web Advisor.
He has been a contributing author to NonProfit PRO since 2008.
He received his doctorate degree from West Virginia University with an emphasis on education administration plus a dissertation on donor characteristics. He received a masterโs degree from Marshall University with an emphasis on public administration plus a thesis on annual fund analysis. He secured a bachelorโs degree (cum laude) with an emphasis on marketing/management. He has done post graduate work at the University of Louisville. ย ย ย ย ย ย
Duke has received the Fundraising Executive of the Year Award, from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter. He also was given the Outstanding West Virginian Award, Kentucky Colonel Award and Sagamore of the Wabash Award from the governors of West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, respectively, for his many career contributions in the field of philanthropy. Heย has maintained a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation for three decades.





