The culture of philanthropy is increasingly gaining the participation of different parties, including companies, individuals, and families. Family-based philanthropy is such a welcome idea that can be passed on from one generation to another. The chances of success in such an undertaking are particularly high once the trend is established. But how can you encourage philanthropy in your family?
Experts have no one-size-fits-all strategy on how to go about establishing philanthropy in a family. To start off, however, the family members should understand the multiple benefits of engaging in philanthropy. The feeling of satisfaction after having helped alleviate someone’s plight may be sufficient to encourage family members to engage in charity. Once that passion has been established, family members should start thinking of the individual competencies they have and how they can give back to society.
Finding passion in philanthropy along the lines of professionalism increases the motivation and ability to give to charity successfully. For example, if there are persons in the family whose profession is in line with the healthcare sector, then they can contribute by offering a free health check-up clinic or even seminars on healthcare topics. On the same note, if there are welders and engineers within the family, then they can give back to the society by constructing simple pitch accessories such as goal posts, among other activities that are in line with their individual profession.
The choice of a charity project that your family has opted for can also determine the sustainability of your family’s dedication to philanthropy. For a start, the family may choose to start with basic projects with quick-evidenced results. For example, choosing a community cleanup exercise may help make a visible impact after cleaning the environment. Such short-term benefits and visible results serve as incentives that encourage more participation in even bigger projects.
Lastly, to elicit enhanced participation and ownership of the philanthropy project across the family, responsibilities should be allocated to different members. Different responsibilities that can be handled by family members and their spouses and children include drafting charity project plans, budgeting, organizing the events, coordinating with the beneficiaries of the project, among others. Such duties, however little, help to enhance the dedication, participation, and involvement of all the family members.