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.
As your career continues, you will experience some generation issues and situations. In some cases, I have realized that parent philanthropists did not teach their children to promote philanthropy. How many times have you seen one generation serve while the next generation could care less? It is sad because many assets are transferred from generation to generation and precious funds are used to serve self as opposed to others.
The Indiana Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals presents a Youth Award at its Philanthropy Day lunch each year. The winning individuals provide inspirational stories and typically receive a standing ovation. These smiling children represent their organizations and strive to teach their peers to get involved and help others.
Going back to my lunch visit with the family foundation representative, a light went off. We both thought of a new concept to promote philanthropy that involves children. After this lunch, I immediately contacted the current president of the Indiana chapter and suggested that next year, the chapter sponsor a lunch that involves the fundraising professional and at least one child as his or her date. The speakers would be past Youth Award winners. The day would be all about the younger generation.
In fact, I suggest you establish a mentoring program where you could mentor a young professional year-round whose desire is to make a career in the nonprofit world. What have you done to promote the concept and spirit of philanthropy with the next generation?
Encourage children to volunteer within your organization. Give them important functions and let them fly. A Chinese proverb notes one generation plants the seeds for the future generations to enjoy the shade. It is also up to us to water these seeds!
- 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 master’s degree from Marshall University with an emphasis on public administration plus a thesis on annual fund analysis. He secured a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) with an emphasis on marketing/management. He has done post graduate work at the University of Louisville.
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. He has maintained a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation for three decades.