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By Josh Manifold | Principal | Advisor

Looking back, my childhood family was on the receiving end of charity more often than the giving end. We consistently faced financial needs due to my father’s struggle with MS, and our community did a remarkable job of stepping up to fill the gaps. It cultivated a deep appreciation for the power of charitable giving that I carry to this day.

Fast forward to our current season as a family. We find ourselves in a far more capable situation financially, but I feel the responsibility to instill the same values in my kids. This means that we need to establish a culture of generosity intentionally. Sometimes we do our giving as a family, while other times we do this through the Compass Ion Advisors brand. Sometimes we do this anonymously.

Whatever the approach, we are always asking questions like these as a family:

  • Who are we trying to help?
  • What is the need? What problem are we helping to solve?
  • How can we support those already serving in this area?
  • Are there bridges we can help build for communities?

Our family today is not on the receiving end of generosity as much as my family of origin, but I still want my kids to have first-person encounters with giving. For your family, are you giving your kids or grandkids opportunities to participate in family giving? If you want to pass generosity down as a value, give them the chance to catch it.