Simple ways to engage your family
in a donor-advised fund
How do you engage your family in giving? Thrivent Charitable believes in a hope-filled world, where empowered people create the change that matters most to them. This includes not only you as a donor, but also helping you to inspire others to ignite a passion for giving. The holiday season when people are already thinking about generosity is a great time to bring these conversations to the forefront. So, here are four simple ways donors are using their donor-advised funds to engage their families in giving.
1. Incorporate with holiday traditions.
What holiday traditions do you have? One Thrivent Charitable family invites each of their grandchildren to research a charity and present about it at their Thanksgiving meal, and then the grandparents make a grant out of their Thrivent Charitable fund in honor and on behalf of each grandchild. Incorporating giving into the holiday traditions or other traditions you have as a family is a great opportunity to both discuss, model and empower others in your family to create change.
2. Match a child's donation with a grant.
Leverage your fund to create impact, and give voice to the change your family members—including youth—want to make. Maybe a child in your life has shown interest in a charity or cause—ask why? Encourage them to give to the charity themselves, and
then match it with a grant from your fund, doubling their impact.
3. Gift a child a grant to a favorite charity in lieu of a present.
Model the importance of generosity by giving a child the opportunity to direct a grant to a charity of their choice as part of a birthday present —or other milestone occasion. Or engage guests for a celebratory occasion to vote on a nonprofit to support from a short list. Announce it and discuss.
4. Decide grants as a family.
How do you decide where to give? The process is as important as the decision. Some donors make family giving an annual event, by selecting a time of year or special occasion to come together and jointly decide on the nonprofits they’ll grant to from their donor-advised fund. These can be incredibly meaningful occasions that create space to reflect on values—and ignite passions for giving.
No matter how you’d like to engage your family in giving, know we’re here to support you. To speak with a member of our donor services team contact us at