Learning to Give Time, Talent, and Treasure (Webinar #1)

In 2018, the Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana (YPII) and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy partnered to host a free 4-part webinar series designed to support next-gen leadership and giving. Sessions featured national experts and Lilly Family School of Philanthropy faculty and students sharing research, resources, and examples of classroom-based grantmaking programs.

The first webinar, “Learning to Give Time, Talent, and Treasure,” addressed how young people bring passion to issues they care about, developing skills to find solutions and create dialogue through guidance and practice. This webcast provided ways you can help empower these students as citizens and shared solutions for engaging students in taking action for the common good.

Featured speakers included Dwight Burlingame, Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy; Betsy Peterson, Executive Director of Learning to Give; Dana R.H. Doan, Doctoral Candidate at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy; and Salvatore Alaimo, PhD Associate Professor, School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration Grand Valley State University.

Key highlights of the webinar indicate that school-based service leads to:

• Likelihood of future volunteering
• Increased sense of personal efficacy
• Greater interest in current affairs and politics

Participation in programs such as Learning to Give, which offers free online K-12 philanthropy curriculum, shows students have an improved understanding of philanthropy, increased volunteer service in schools and community, and have developed a commitment to future engagement.

Other studies suggest that youth who participate in voluntary societies:

• Obtain experience in problem-solving
• Improve communication skills
• Develop confidence and networking skills
• Learn how institutions function

An easy way for students to begin learning about how to give is to watch these four whiteboard videos from Learning to Give: What Is Philanthropy?; Advocacy and Action; Connecting Skills to Needs; and Stages of Service-Learning.

A full recording of this webinar along with the resources shared can be found on the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance website.

The 2018 Youth Philanthropy Series incorporated YPII’s 4-pillar model of Serving, Giving, Leading, and Engaging to highlight the progression of youth taking action and engaging others in their communities. It was tailored for foundations, youth-serving organizations, and nonprofits interested in engaging young people in philanthropy.

For breakfast, I had a banana and a beautiful pour-over Costa Rican coffee (yum!). 

Author: @jmarkland