If you haven’t involved your children or grandchildren in your charitable giving, this may be the year to consider it. Children of all ages can benefit from learning even just a little about philanthropy and the role local charities play in supporting the people and places around them. Many parents and grandparents believe — rightly — that early experiences with giving help shape young people into caring, engaged adults.
There’s good evidence behind that belief. As the Greater Good Science Center has documented, generosity isn’t merely a social construct — it appears to be wired into us. Acts of generosity light up the same reward pathways in the brain as eating and other pleasurable experiences, and people consistently report greater happiness when they spend on others rather than themselves. Just as importantly, charitable values can be nurtured. They spread through families and communities, grow stronger when modeled and practiced, and tend to be “contagious” — passed along through the people we live and give with.
It’s worth remembering, especially in a year when the tax rules around giving have changed, that for most of us the decision to give is driven by something deeper than the deduction. Compassion, moral conviction, empathy, a belief in a cause — these are what move people to give. Tax incentives are real and worth understanding, but research from Northwestern’s Kellogg School and many others suggests they play a supporting role, not a leading one. The values we pass down to our children and grandchildren are more durable than any line on a tax return.
Delco Gives is a wonderful entry point. The giving campaign offers a low-stakes way for a young person to discover participating nonprofits, choose a cause that speaks to them, and recommend where the family gift should go. One idea is to use the day to give each child or grandchild a small amount to direct themselves — turning a single afternoon into a meaningful first lesson in stewardship and choice. It is exactly the kind of practice the research describes: local, concrete, and shared.
We here at the Foundation are always happy to help you explore best practices for shaping the young people in your life into charitably minded adults and inspiring your extended family to get more involved. A conversation can start small — and Delco Gives on May 6–7 is a wonderful place to begin.
