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Teaching the joys, benefits, and responsibilities of philanthropy is often a top-down process. For most families, the starting point in encouraging a philanthropic mindset in children is to identify specific values that matter to them and to live by those values. Most important, continue to set a good example through meaningful actions and active giving plans.

The form of your giving must follow the function you intend for your philanthropy. Explore the vehicles and structures available to you and how to determine which best supports your philanthropic goals.This primer is the second in a series of seven about the Family Giving Lifecycle by the National Center for Family Philanthropy, comprising of seven inflection points and orients donors toward effective outcomes at each stage:

As the world’s challenges become increasingly urgent and complex, philanthropists benefit from periodic analyses of strategy to inform their vision, goals, and optimal use of available resources. In this second biennial report that analyzes responses from 150 philanthropies across 30 countries, key insights are provided for anyone who is interested in:

With an array of charitable giving options, it's important to understand how each gift could affect your annual deductions. Here's a quick guide to tax deductions, out-of-pocket deductions, and required substantiation. For the individuals and families looking to go beyond the standard donation, there are a few alternate options with their own tax considerations.

Families of wealth often ask for views on two related topics—how to think about philanthropy versus impact investing and how to best implement a socially and/or environmentally impactful investment strategy. While common themes transcend these topics, each is distinct and presents an opportunity by allowing families to engage in a powerful combination of both philanthropy and impact investing.

In this second paper of a two-part series on philanthropy and sustainable investing, we outline how families may wish to identify opportunities within sustainable and impact investing themes.

Whether the goal is to improve a local community or support a more far-reaching cause, charitable giving is an important goal for many investors. From donating cash to establishing a donor-advised fund or a private foundation, there are a variety of ways to support the causes that matter to you. If deciding between establishing a donor-advised fund or a private foundation, high-level guidelines and a comparison table are provided to help you choose the best vehicle for you.

While modeling your charitable nature for your children is important, studies have shown that the impact is even greater when role modeling is combined with meaningful discussions about charitable giving and its impact. Armed with this knowledge, parents can create meaningful opportunities to talk with their children and ask each other questions about giving.

To position your wealth and philanthropic goals in an optimal position for the long-term, there are 8 strategies that can help activate high-impact capital and initiate purpose-driven charitable giving.

While charitable giving peaks in December, it is good planning to go past the last month of the year to help make a greater impact for your communities. Depending on your tax needs and philanthropic goals, consider making a gift of appreciated assets, creating a charitable lead trust, and using other options that go beyond making a gift of cash or property.