Are daughters or sons more attuned to our giving habits?

As we think about the next generation of arts patrons, it's important to remember that we are not passive observers to the development of the future giving landscape. We can and do shape giving behavior among our peers, friends, colleagues, mentees, and children. In Women Give 2018, the Women's Philanthropy Institute of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy outlines the influence that parents have on their children's future giving. That influence seems to be greater on daughters.

Before digging into the report, I wonder if there is a gender bias in how parents attempt to pass on generosity to the next generation. Further, with the observed generational differences in giving, is there a difference in the approaches that Matures, Boomers, Gen Xers, and now Millennials choose to take when instilling the philanthropic spirit in their children?

Not surprisingly, children whose parents give are more likely to give, and daughters seem to be more sensitive to whether or not their parents give and the frequency with which they give--in other words, there is a greater likelihood of daughters giving if their parents give and if their parents give frequently. Parents' giving habits had a less noticeable effect on sons' giving.

When the report factors in wealth, the data suggests that daughters' likelihood of giving increases significantly if their wealthy parents give, while sons of wealthy parents are equally likely to give regardless of whether or not their parents give.

Interesting implications for giving, but how could the report be improved upon in the next iteration? First, the data in the report is not broken out by age of parent or child, giving no indications if there are generational divides. Second, does it matter if a mother or father is the primary patron, and what about single-parent families?

What is the takeaway for parents? The report concludes that parents need to more actively socialize sons about giving and understand the impact that their giving is already having on daughters. For me, instilling philanthropic values in my child is very important. My daughter was born at the tail end of Gen Z, so when I involve her in my volunteer activities or teach her about shopping from local artists, I am helping to shape the giving habits of that generation.