Millennials in Family Philanthropy

Who are the next gen major donors of today and tomorrow? While there certainly are entitled, wealthy kids out there, many are serious and responsible philanthropists, who are working hard to educate and prepare themselves because they know they are poised to become the most philanthropic donors in history. While they are not necessarily more charitably-minded than members of previous generations, the sheer volume of funds, foundations, and other giving among people from high-net-worth families is expanding to unprecedented levels.

Voices from the Field

Millennials Can Change Family Foundations

Article

As a father and a trustee, it is important to me that I understand the millennial perspective. I spend a lot of time following the latest research on millennial beliefs and behaviors because I want to understand how specifically those beliefs impact their philanthropy, investments, and approach to being good…

Millennial Engagement: The Millennial Impact Project

Report

Did you know that: More than 80 million Millennials worldwide represent a collective $170 billion in purchase power & Millennials want to create a positive impact on their community and the world through their work?

Finding the Slack: Millennials, Family Wealth, and Philanthropy

Article

As we continue to navigate the generational differences that face our society, I encourage you to explore a few insights from a millennial embracing her family’s wealth through philanthropy.

Opportunity of a Lifetime 2.0: Multigenerational Family Philanthropy

Passages Issue Briefs

More than ever before, giving families are working to involve multiple generations in their philanthropy. According to the National Center for Family Philanthropy’s Trends in Family Philanthropy Study, nearly 3 in 5 U.S. family foundations engage younger family members in the foundation — and more than 40 percent say they…

Trends in Philanthropy: Driven by Millennials

Article

The philanthropy landscape is shifting underneath us. The fact is that it is always shifting, to evolve as each generation reacts to and learns from what has worked and what hasn’t.

Honoring Legacy, Recognizing Promise: How Southern Millennial Philanthropists Are Increasing Engagement

Article

Think of millennial philanthropists and you may think instantly of tech royalty like Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Pierre and Pam Omidyar, or Sean Parker, who are very publicly pushing traditional forms of philanthropy aside in favor of new approaches.

Research and Trends

Millennial Impact Report

Report

The Millennial Impact Project is the most comprehensive and trusted study of the Millennial generation (born 1980-2000) and their involvement with causes. Since beginning the study in 2009, Achieve continues to lead the national research team in partnership with the Case Foundation. With more than 75,000 participants in our studies, The…

Growing Up Giving: Insights into how young people feel about charity

Report

Explore young people’s general attitudes towards charity and charitable giving. Understand what might encourage young people to engage even more with charities. Assess how young people see and hear about charities. Quantify what proportion of young people are engaging in charitable activities and what those activities are. Establish if young…

Who Are the Next Generation of Major Donors?

Article

Editor’s Note: This month’s issue of Family Giving News features an overview of the results of the exciting new study conducted by our colleagues at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy and 21/64. To download the full report, please go to www.nextgendonors.org. Please note that the Next Gen Study is copyrighted, and…

Next gen philanthropy: Finding the path between tradition and innovation

Report

This guide from the Philanthropy Roadmap series offers a series of questions that every next generation donor should carefully consider, as well as recommendations based on the past experiences of other next gen donors.

NCFP Webinars and Videos

June 8, 2017

21st Century Philanthropic Pipelines for Twentysomethings

How do we inspire and prepare the best generation of philanthropic leaders for the field and for our family work?​ Now in NCFP’s 20th year, we’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a 20-something philanthropist in the 21st century.  This webinar will feature a discussion among early…

March 17, 2016

Changemakers: National networks engaging next gen philanthropic leaders

Family foundation boards are expected to see a period of unprecedented change over the next few years, with a new generation of philanthropists poised to take over leadership roles. NCFP's 2015 Trends Study found that 56% of family foundations currently engage younger family members in the foundation's work, and more…

January 9, 2014

Generation next – Young donors inspiring a new generation of philanthropists

The dream of many family foundation donors is to instill a lifelong love of philanthropy and giving back to future generations of one’s family. In some cases, this love of philanthropy translates into a desire on the part of younger family members to instill in others the joy that giving…

So you want to be a family foundation trustee?

Video

Do you have younger family members who are interested in learning more about whether being a family foundation trustee is right for them? Are you looking for a quick and fun way to introduce them to concept of stewardship and the demands and possible challenges of being a foundation board…

February 14, 2013

Cultivating and Learning from Next Gen Leaders

Members of the next generation (including Gen X and the “Millennials”) are the future - and increasingly current - leaders of philanthropy, yet we still know little about how their philanthropy differs from that of previous generations. Our colleagues at 21/64 and the Johnson Center for Philanthropy have recently completed…

February 9, 2012

Tools and Tips for Next Gen Philanthropists

Most philanthropic families say they want the next generation at the table. Yet how do new trustees develop their personal values and ideas to contribute to the discussions?  And when and if the next gen has a sense of how they’d like to give, will the board actually welcome their…