"How can we expect our children to know and experience the joy of giving, unless we teach them that the greater pleasure in life lies in the art of giving rather than receiving?”
These words by department store founder J.C. Penney introduce a whitepaper on Talk About Giving (TAG), a long-term initiative of the Central Carolina Community Foundation (CCCF) to encourage multi-generational conversations about philanthropy. The idea originated with long-time CCCF Board Member Cathy Monetti after watching Oprah interview Maria Shriver and her mother, the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
“I had two thoughts as I watched that interview,” says Monetti. “First, that philanthropy is actually a family value, passed from one generation to the next. Second, that my husband and I had never had a single conversation with our children about any financial gift we had made. Our own children had no idea who we were supporting, or why.”
Monetti presented the Talk About Giving idea to CCCF for implementation, and considerable time and resources were donated to bring the idea to fruition. That was in 2008, on the brink of what became a frightening recession. It seemed ill-timed to ask people to give while so many were struggling to keep or find work and make ends meet. So TAG sat on the back burner until April of this year, when CCCF decided that social and economic climates were ripe for a proper launch – which included the development of an interactive website and a fun card game with thought-provoking conversation starters. The program was soon underwritten by Tobin and Bill Castles of Southeastern Freight Lines, who embody the TAG philosophy with their own families and employees.
“The program is embraced 100 percent wherever we go,” says Marketing Manager Kristin Williamson, who leads the TAG initiative for CCCF. “When it comes to giving, we’ve discovered a huge generational gap in most families. A recent poll by TheMint.org found that while 90 percent of parents want to raise charitable children, 77 percent of kids under age 17 either don’t know that their parents give, or don’t know how or to whom they give. Parental involvement in nonprofits increases the odds of a child becoming a donor by more than 80 percent. When parents aren’t involved, there’s only a 25 percent chance the child will become philanthropic. If we don’t educate children on the importance of giving, many of the nonprofit human and social services we know today will become obsolete in four to five generations.”
TAG’s ultimate goal of increased philanthropic conversations is difficult to measure, so the Foundation has found creative ways to measure success. “We seek and share stories of kids giving back: donating their birthday to a local cause or organizing fundraisers for a cause they’re passionate about,” says Williamson. “We celebrate civic-minded young entrepreneurs with annual awards. We ask adults to take our Conversation Pledge, a ‘moral commitment to creating space and time for conversation about philanthropy.’ We’re seeing more frequent feedback to stories on Facebook and Twitter – including a recent tweet from Maria Shriver herself, which was a huge boost for us. To think that she not only inspired the program but now knows about it and shared it with her 900,000-plus followers is just incredible.”
Although TAG’s impact has grown far beyond the Midlands in nine short months, CCCF President and CEO JoAnn Turnquist shares some startling statistics to demonstrate the need for local giving, despite improved economic and employment numbers.
“Harvest Hope currently provides 48,000 meals per week across central South Carolina, a 24 percent increase over this time last year,” says Turnquist. “Every school in Richland District One has at least one homeless student, and most likely more than one. One in four local children goes to bed hungry. Harvest Hope estimates that they’ll provide food to more than 20,000 families throughout the holiday season. How do we use these facts to teach the importance of giving to our children? Questions like ‘When was the last time you were really hungry?’ and ‘Can we give something other than money?’ help families explore ways to make a difference together.”
Among the many ways and places to donate as a family, yet another opportunity will be available in January. Heroes for the American Red Cross is a grassroots fundraising and awareness campaign where local Heroes pledge to raise $1,500 in their own community – personally, as an organization, or by hosting a fundraising event.
“It takes about $1,500 to support a family of four in the wake of an unexpected emergency or natural disaster,” says Williamson. “Through the TAG blog, social media outlets and other resources, the Foundation will promote family participation in our local Red Cross Heroes campaign and provide ongoing awareness, training and support. Partnerships like these help us make an even greater impact locally.”
The holidays are a perfect time to talk about giving, and the promise of a new year offers families a chance to set new goals and priorities. With 60 questions in four categories – Giving Matters, Money Matters, Family Matters and What Matters to Me – the TAG game helps parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other adults inspire a true legacy of giving. The Foundation also supports philanthropic employers, business and community leaders who want to start or strengthen a corporate giving campaign.
“Corporations can set up a charitable fund here at the Foundation, and we’ll help them distribute money throughout the year to worthy causes in line with their mission and values,” says Williamson. “Businesses can also encourage family pledges or sponsor a TAG seminar that includes a card game for all attendees. It’s a great time of year to instill the spirit of giving.” Turnquist has suggestions for philanthropic gift-giving as well.
“My husband and I tried an experiment with our nephews last year,” says Turnquist. “We asked what they would do with $100 and received some typical responses: new shoes, sports equipment and electronics. Then we asked: ‘What if you had to give it away?’ And that’s exactly what happened. We gave each of them a check for $100 with the expectation that they would share their story of giving with us in two weeks. The boys researched online to find causes important to them and to learn how the money would be used (both TAG questions, by the way). The excitement in their voices when they told us who they’d chosen was infectious. Talk is important, but moving from words to the act of giving can change an individual and ultimately our entire culture. Fortunately, we have the tools and resources to make it happen.”
CCCF is offering TAG games for just $5 (regularly $7.99) to readers who mention this article—call (803) 254-5601, ext. 328, to receive your discount. Take the Conversation Pledge and find online resources, books, financial literacy tips and more at
www.TalkAboutGiving.org.