5 Tips to Engage Your family in Charitable Giving

When Christmastime rolls around, you might see volunteers standing on the street corners, ringing bells next to a red kettle. You might be inundated with mailers from charities seeking year-end donations.
 
Whether it’s during the holiday season or any time of year, how do we instill in our families the Christian principle that it is more blessed to give than to receive? (Acts 20:35)
 
Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Develop the heart and lifestyle of giving.
   Encourage your children to give sacrificially of their money, possessions, and time throughout the year. It could be through regular tithing at church, helping to assemble a gift package for the needy, or volunteering at a soup kitchen. Remind them that we give out of love, not reluctantly or out of compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
2. Let the kids research a cause to support.
   Give your kids the opportunity to cultivate their passions. This will build their motivation and increase their level of involvement. Maybe your children want to sponsor an orphan in another country. Maybe they want to help the homeless. Find a credible non-profit organization or ministry that fits with their interests.
3. Create an annual family fundraising goal.
   Set a dollar amount and giving date for your family to meet together. Each member can pledge a certain percentage of their income, whether it’s from an allowance, a job, or gifts. Be creative in how you save up the money. You could have a physical piggy bank somewhere in your house. Or you could set up a bank account and track the growing balance.
4. Organize a family fundraising event.
   If Girl Scouts sell cookies and local schools sell candy bars to raise funds, what can your family do to help meet your charitable goal? Some families set up simple lemonade stands. Some families organize community workshops and summer camps. (Check out the Young Musicians Workshop as a great example of this.)
5. Celebrate your impact.
   After your family has made the charitable donation, rejoice in how you have helped others together. If the non-profit organization or ministry you supported sends impact reports, then take some time to read through it together and pray for the people you’re helping. Help your children realize that their sacrificial giving is truly a blessing.

References
https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/content/five-ways-to-make-giving-family-affair-this-holiday-season?cmp=em-QYB
https://www.fidelitycharitable.org/guidance/family-philanthropy/5-steps-to-engage-family-in-philanthropy.shtml