The Legacy of Generous Giving

I am thankful for national Christian leaders like the National Christian Foundation (NCF) who helps donors with planned and other significant giving. What follows is compliments of NCF and reprinted with their permission.

According to a recent study by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, teenagers report that their parents are the biggest influence on whether they give their time or money to non-profit charities.

Do you know what teen givers say their parents do?

Here are the top ten parenting techniques that separate giving teens from non-giving teens, in their own words:

1. They explained how I can help other people by my actions.



2. They encouraged me to speak up in family discussions.



3. They spoke to me about the volunteering and giving they do.



4. They supported me on things I cared about.



5. They told me why they were proud when I did good things.



6. They encouraged me to be my own person.



7. They set goals for me to achieve.



8. They spoke to me about the way my actions made other people feel.



9. They taught me to always consider other people’s views.



10. They explained the importance of giving to others.

Even though we do not see a thread of Christian generosity in this list, imagine how much more potent this teaching can be when we tie it to the work of Christ on the cross as He purchased eternal life for us.

As we talk to our donor friends, here are two more questions we can pose: "How do you inculcate your generosity to your children? What are some of the disciplines that you employ to make giving a way of life and not just a grudging obligation?"