A Small Holiday Experiment

Have you been thinking about setting up a donor advised fund here at the Community Foundation of Grundy County?  Aside from the technical aspects, have you wondered whether you and your family would enjoy being philanthropists?

 

If so, may we use this holiday season to suggest a small experiment:

 

When you are together with your family this Christmas, give each child (or adult) $100 with the instructions that they are to give it away to charity.  You get to choose who participates – maybe you’ll want to give away $100, too!

 

Then, next time you’re all together, they are to share with the family a) which charity (or charities) they selected and b) why.

 

It’s as simple as that.  No rules, no conditions – just give it away.

 

One of our board members did this with the kids when they were college-age and he was pleasantly surprised and enlightened by their choices.

 

I think you’ll be surprised at the passion and intensity of the kids’ choices as well as the warm feelings you’ll all experience.

 

If you like, you can continue the experiment, maybe even up the ante.  Or you can invite the Community Foundation of Grundy County to meet with you and your family to learn how our services can best serve your family to grow this one small experiment into a lifetime of strategic philanthropy.

 

Wouldn’t it be great to watch the excitement grow as the family’s philanthropy meeting date approaches?

 

This is the season of excitement and anticipation – we wish you all every opportunity to enjoy it!