Like the birds and the bees and the 123s, philanthropy should be taught early and often.

By Katherine Falk , Janet R. Wakefield and Nancy Swanson

There was concern then about whether the philanthropic values with which boomers’ parents were raised had been passed down, and if such values would be passed to their children and future generations. An innate sense, backed by research, led fundraisers to conclude that children needed to be taught philanthropic values just as they were taught how to say “please” and “thank you” — and that the best way to teach is to model behavior.