Minnesota Council on Foundations Blog – Philanthropy Potluck

Many of us heard our parents exclaiming this to us in exasperation as we were growing up. I never thought that I, as a parent, would utter these words (after all, wouldn’t I be the hippest, coolest parent around? What kid wouldn’t want to hang on my every nugget of wisdom?).

These days, though, I find myself asking not only how can I get through, but how can I connect? Great divides in the area of technology seem to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Connecting and engaging with the next generation is an important topic in the foundation world too.

My colleague Chuck Peterson, MCF’s vice president of member relations, upon his return from the Council on Foundations conference in Denver last week, has been sharing with MCF staff some take-aways. Among them was this from the session titled “The Next Generation Trustee: Insights into Engaging the Next Generation,” presented by Sharna Goldseker, vice president, Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies; and Joseph Thalheimer, next generation family member, Alvin and Fanny Thalheimer Foundation:

“Top 10 Tips on Engaging the Next Generation”

1. The “next generation” is two different generations with distinct personalities.  Different approaches are needed for different generations.
2. The “kids” are now adults. Transition from a parent-child dynamic to a peer-to-peer relationship.
3. Generational personalities are enduring. Accept that the unique generational experiences of Gen X and Gen Y (a.k.a. “The Millennials”) might cause them to become different people. Don’t assume you can wait them out.
4. Look for the values that underlie the next generation’s choices. Take time to discover what motivates someone’s choice; you may find you have a lot in common.
5. Learning is a two-way street.  If you have things you want to teach, be ready to learn.
6. Show rather than tell. Experiential learning is preferable to didactic learning with these generations. Think site visits rather than binders.
7. You don’t have to step away to let the next generation step up. Think about ways to share and trade power rather than transfer it.
8. Transparency matters. Access to information is a given these days.  Being open about challenges is a strength, not a weakness.
9. Engaging new leaders requires more than a Facebook page. Technology is a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.
10. Engaging people is easy, sustaining their involvement requires change. They can only stay at the kid’s table (or the junior board or the associate position) for so long, and then they are looking for more material involvement.

In our Spring issue of Giving Forum, Sarah Andersen, board president of the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation, talks about her foundation’s efforts to engage the next generation in their family philanthropy and the challenges they’re encountering. The issue also includes insight from Tim Showalter-Loch, senior manager of community relations at Best Buy, on his company’s @15 platform encompassing grants, employee giving programs, a website, cause marketing, data collection and research targeting the strength of teens.

And finally, if you’re like me and think you really are more “with it” than your age belies, try taking the Pew Research “How Millennial Are You?” quiz. Here, in 14 questions, you’ll discover how “Millennial” you are and how you stack up against others your age.

What’s your reaction to your score? Mine? It was like one of those moments when you happen to glance at your reflection as you pass by a mirror at the store, and you think, “Wow, when did THAT happen?”

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 3:30 pm and is filed under boards, conference, giving forum, mcf, promotion of philanthropy, youth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.