Much has been written about the dawning of a new age of philanthropy, as wealthy high-tech entrepreneurs work to make sure their contributions are used effectively by charities.
Philanthropy's future, however, rests with the attitudes about charitable work handed down from parents to their children. A new survey finds that many parents -- in fact a reported 70 percent -- aren't teaching their children about the importance of giving back to the community.
The "2000 Cone/Roper Raising Charitable Children Survey" found that just 30 percent of children take part in charitable activities, either on their on or with their parents.
According to the parents surveyed, several factors keep their families from doing more, such as work taking up too much time, not enough disposable income, too many family commitments and not being confident that an organization will put contributions to good use.
There is some good news, however. The survey findings include the most popular and effective ways to get children involved in charity work, including:
Parents and children working together for the same cause or activity;
Youth groups such as scouts emphasizing community service;
Parents encouraging children to make cash and other donations to nonprofit causes;
Religious groups promoting charity work;
Schools likewise promoting charitable and community-based efforts.
"It is clear that there is a gap between what parents want for their children and for society and what they can deliver," said Carol L. Cone, CEO of Cone Inc., which prepared the study. "Due to the time and financial constraints of most Americans today, a collaborative effort among a cross section of sectors will be critical to train and truly cultivate the next generation of philanthropists."
The full text of this press release is currently found at:
http://news.excite.com/news/bw/
001125/ma-cone-roper
