Girls and Boys Charitable Giving

If you haven’t already seen the new research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) on Charitable Giving by Girls and Boys, do order it.  It is another in the excellent Women Give series.

The report includes ways to raise children to be more charitable and gets to the question: “Is philanthropy taught or caught?”

I was surprised to find that talking to children about charity has a greater impact on children’s giving than role modeling alone, and that it is equally effective regardless of the child’s gender, race and age.

As a co-founder with Martha Taylor of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, it is extremely heartening to see the research and programmatic results of the Institute moving to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.  WPI is now part of the new Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the report was made in partnership with the United Nations Foundation.  I highly recommend it and the other Women Give reports as well and particularly congratulate Debra Mesch, Professor and Director of WPI and Andrea Pactor, Associate Director.  They have been the heart and soul of WPI as well as the engine and tracks.  Bravo!