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Planting the seeds of compassion in our children….

This past weekend I was in San Francisco working with the nonprofit  Project Giving Kids, an amazing organization that helps families connect with  incredible philanthropic opportunities. Their motto is “connecting kids to causes” with the hopes of planting the seeds of compassion in our children. Honestly, it was the perfect way to kick off the season of giving and to celebrate tomorrow’s National Philanthropy Day.

I think so often when we hear the word philanthropy we think of fancy parties, old school wealth and privilege, when in reality philanthropy literally means the love of humankind. In 1986, Ronald Reagan proclaimed November 15th as National Philanthropy Day to bring the world together to recognize and celebrate the work that volunteers and donors bring into our communities each and everyday to make our world better.

Watching young children participating in a multitude of service projects at Project Giving Kids Create the Change Day gave me hope for the future. With all the negatively in our world, seeing young children and families helping others was truly witnessing the love of humankind…..and that is something I hope we can all experience not just tomorrow….but everyday.

 

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Charitable Children continued

“Children must early learn the the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving.”

– Charles Alexander Eastman

Raising philanthropic children

This post was originally intended to follow up The Raising Charitable Children post. However, due to the passing of Nelson Mandela it was bumped back in line.Regardless of this post’s timing, the  message of Charitable Children is timeless.

So with that said, it is upon us to show by example and lead the way to those that do not know where to go. Giving is no different than someone asking directions who is lost. Simply show them and they will learn the way, regardless of age.

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Raising Philanthropic Children

Raising charitable children

charitable kids that givePeople ask me all the time about suggestions for raising philanthropic children. While my sons are far from the poster children for philanthropy, they certainly do a lot to help others. My oldest has spent more than 600 hours in Watts, serving inner city children. His younger brother throws touchdowns for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and reads to low-income children struggling in school. The youngest, at 12, is still finding his way but a few adventures to the LA Regional Food Bank, Childrens Hospital and Watts are giving him food for thought.

The reality is that there is no simple answer to this question and that raising charitable children is an ongoing process. I read an article recently that said role modeling philanthropy is simply not enough. The article referenced a new study from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University. The director, Debra Mesch, said “the research showed that talking to children about giving increased by 20 percent the likelihood that children would give.”

Here are a few tips to remember as we approach the season of giving:

Six Tips for Raising charitable children:

  1. Start early, as early as 4 or 5 years old. Giving becomes a habit.
  2. Talk to your children about what causes interest them and bring causes to their attention.
  3. Be intentional by involving your children in your own charity endeavors.
  4. Use online tools to research organizations to involve your children
  5. Be consistent. Make charity a part of your traditions, the holidays and birthdays.
  6. Emphasize the joy because giving feels great.

Benefits of raising charitable children:

  1. Opens children’s eyes to the fact that others are not as fortunate as they are
  2. Develops empathetic thinking
  3. Fosters an appreciation for what they have
  4. Enhances self-esteem
  5. Correlates to improved performance in school

While this topic is relevant for the holidays, it is important to remember that giving does not just happen once a year. Teaching the gifts you receive from giving should be a part of the year, not simply the season. Once your children feel how great it is to give, their lives will forever be altered in wonderful ways.

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Copyright © 2013 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.

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