APPENDIX D
Discussion Guide

How to Use This Guide

This guide is designed to help you reflect more deeply on the themes, stories, and implications found in Generation Impact. Each section gives a short summary and background on a specific part of the book, followed by discussion questions for each chapter. For the three main parts of the book, the guide also offers “Next Steps Exercises” to help you begin to act on what you've learned so you can make practical progress on suggestions or themes discussed in these chapters. Consider trying any or all of these action steps and then share your experiences with others.

For Use within Discussion Groups

Discussing the book within groups can reveal different viewpoints and interpretations, and hopefully, inspire people to act together to make the most of this Golden Age of Giving.

Tips for Group Members This guide was designed to accommodate informal self-led groups, formal leader-led groups, and groups that rotate the leadership role. This guide can also support a typical book discussion session running one hour or more, or shorter sessions—such as a 30-minute lunchtime group—as well as online groups that meet virtually.

  • Two essentials to having a meaningful and lively group discussion are: 1) everyone reads the material in advance, and 2) everyone participates in the discussion.
  • It is as important to listen as it is to contribute to the conversation. Listen actively, be yourself when you share, and remember, there are no “wrong answers.”
  • Be respectful of different perspectives. Hearing how people can read the same passage and come up with alternate takeaways is half the fun, so be kind and enjoy the diversity.

Tips for the Group Leader (If Applicable)

  • Establish clear ground rules for discussion at the beginning of your session, such as mutual respect, a willingness to listen, and—should you be addressing any sensitive subjects—confidentiality. Remind the group that there is no such thing as a “wrong answer.” And remember, you are a facilitator—not a lecturer or presenter. Be a good listener and model this behavior for others.
  • Whether you select a chapter at a time or one of the book's three parts to read, moderate the number of questions posed to fit the discussion time accordingly. Then, review the discussion questions beforehand, choose which ones you'll pose first, and consider potential responses or additional prompts to get the discussion moving.
  • Don't feel obligated to address every question here. If a certain question engenders a long, fruitful discussion without going off on a tangent, it's usually best to allow that dialogue to flow rather than cutting it off to “get to more questions.” Most important is that your group enjoys a lively, meaningful conversation. Disagreement is okay, too. Subjects that people are passionate about can lead to differences of opinion. Be tough on the ideas, soft on the people.
  • Do feel free to add or substitute your own questions. The guide's discussion questions are not meant to address every chapter or theme in the book equally. These questions were chosen as those most likely to catalyze engaged conversation. But if a certain theme is more relevant in your group, spend more time on that.
  • One of your most important roles as facilitator is to encourage an atmosphere of acceptance and trust. For groups meeting in a physical space, keep in mind that tone and body language account for the majority of good communication. For example, how you prepare the meeting room or greet people coming into the space will set the tone for your gathering. Consider setting chairs in a circle rather than in rows. Attend to your body language, look people in the eye, and say “hello.” For groups that meet physically and those that meet virtually, encourage some informal social conversation before you begin. During the discussion, be sure to invite people by name to answer questions— especially the introverts in your group—and after, thank everyone for their contributions.
  • If your group meets more than once, you may want to open discussion sessions by asking participants to share new insights they've had since the last discussion, or to describe experiences they've had in following through on the “Next Steps Exercises” found at the end of each section of this guide.

For Use as an Individual Reader

Even if you're not part of a discussion group, this guide can still be a useful resource. Consider using the discussion questions as prompts for your own reflection and contemplation, or find a friend, colleague, or advisor to review with you. You might try journaling your responses. You could also consider taking a particularly meaningful question to a knowledgeable person you trust to get their viewpoint.

For Additional Resources

We encourage you to visit www.generationimpactbook.org for additional Generation Impact resources, such as reviews of this book; related media; tools for effective giving; a list of feature writers and some of their key grantees; supplemental resources for nonprofit professionals, donor advisors, and other special audiences; and more.

CHAPTER 1: Introduction: The Most Significant Philanthropists Ever

“We need to get to know these next gen donors—find out what they're about and figure out how to engage them—so we can know what to expect from their emerging philanthropic revolution. More important, we need to make sure their historic potential is channeled in ways that make our world better, not worse.”

—Generation Impact, p. 3

We open our exploration of the next generation of major donors with what we as authors realize is a bold claim: that this rising group of big philanthropists will be the most significant in history. That means their achievements stand to eclipse even the philanthropic giants of the Gilded Age: the Carnegies, Rockefellers, Pews, Kelloggs, and more. This is not only because these next gen donors will have such unprecedented wealth at their disposal, although that alone is significant and worth our attention. But they will be significant also because they want to start their major giving at younger ages than previous generations—and so will be dedicated to causes over a longer term and will give even more because of it—and because they are excited about expanding many innovations in philanthropy and the social sector that are already leading to historic changes. They will fundamentally transform giving, in the name of achieving greater impact, even if they have to kick down some traditional walls to do so.

We are convinced that in a time when the world needs smart, effective donors more than ever, we have a collective opportunity to seize this moment and nurture and guide Generation Impact's momentous potential, making the most of this new Golden Age of Giving. The first steps in this journey are learning about these rising donors, listening to them, and beginning to design ways to better engage them. This book can help us all take those steps.

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 1: Introduction: The Most Significant Philanthropists Ever

  1. Spend a few moments reflecting on what drew you to the topic of this book. What do/did you hope to learn about next gen donors and the future of giving? Once each person in the group has a chance to answer, discuss the similarities and differences in your expectations.
  2. What challenges, trends, or problems worry you about the philanthropic and nonprofit sector today? What worries you about next gen donors specifically?
  3. Share your perception of a philanthropist. Describe what you think they do and why and how they do it. Has your life been affected by them?
  4. What is your specific perception of Gen X and Millennial major donors? How do you see them as different from traditional philanthropists? Is the image this book is beginning to paint of next gen donors different at all from what your image was before reading the book? If so, in what specific ways?
  5. Today's unprecedented concentration of wealth and historic wealth transfer mean more and more of society's resources are controlled by fewer and fewer people. Yet, the philanthropic outcomes from this concentrated wealth will affect so many lives. How would you respond to those who say that just because next gen donors will create or inherit the majority of wealth doesn't mean they have the right to steer society?
  6. Given what you know after reading this chapter, are you more hopeful about the coming Golden Age of Giving led by next gen donors, more pessimistic, or about the same? Why? What worries you? What makes you hopeful?

PART One: The Impact Revolution

“We cannot continue to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. It won't happen.”

—Daniel Lurie, in Generation Impact, p. 31

In Part One, we explore the most dominant shared characteristic of next generation donors, and the trait most likely to cause greatest disruption in the status quo of giving and the nonprofit sphere: their desire for greater impact.

As authors, we wrestled with the decision of whether to name the coming changes an “Impact Revolution.” For starters, it's not as though previous generations of philanthropists haven't cared about impact. And was revolution too dramatic or pretentious a word? But, ultimately, what stood out to us, and what will drive the massive changes ahead, is the striking degree to which next gen donors think about, talk about, worry about, work toward, and are willing to make fundamental changes to achieve impact. Nearly all of the 300 major donors in their twenties and thirties we surveyed ranked “impact” among their three top reasons for giving, and this passion for impact came out even stronger in the 75 in-depth interviews we conducted.

Impact can mean different things to different people, but it's something we all—as observers, readers, donors, or participants in the nonprofit space—surely care about as well. We all want to have an impact, but at what cost and for what benefit? If chasing the goal of impact will be the driving force in so many changes soon to rock our philanthropic foundations—chiefly through new giving strategies, innovations, and even experiments—we think it's in our best interest to look deeply into what impact means, and to discuss the implications—both good and bad—of making it our highest priority.

Let's take some time to ponder and prepare.

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 2: Show Me the Impact

  1. Choose a social issue you care about (e.g., improving the schools in your community, ending food insecurity globally). It can be an issue you are working on now or want to address more in the future. Share how you define impact for your philanthropic work on that issue.
  2. Next gen donors expect to “see the impact” of their giving. But some organizations are working on social changes that are harder to “see,” or won't be visible until the end-stages of a long, successful progression. What will the next gen's call for seeing impact mean for those organizations? How might they adapt to help show their impact in creative ways?
  3. Critics and skeptics hold a distaste for, maybe even a distrust of, nonprofits that spend significant dollars on their overhead and core operating expenses (staff salaries, buildings, etc.) versus channeling funds directly to programs serving those in need. These critics argue that funders should insist on most or all of their funds being used for programs, and some “watchdog” websites even rate charities based on the percentage of funds they use for overhead. Reflect on the case Daniel Lurie makes for the importance of funding a charitable organization's general operating budget and R&D needs (considered overhead). How do you feel about such funding? Should general perceptions shift?
  4. Next gen donors have high expectations for major impact and bold (some might say unreasonable) goals. What's to lose by these donors lowering their sights and pursuing more modest goals? What's to be gained by holding philanthropy accountable for moving the needle in significant ways, not just making incremental changes?

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 3: Changing Strategies for a New Golden Age

  1. What do you make of next gen donors who say strategy is their passion? What changes when both strategy and impact drive decision making?
  2. What do you find reassuring, troublesome, or expected about Figure 3.1, which compares the personal giving of next gen donors to that of their family, such as their parents and grandparents? Does the similarity in most issue areas surprise you?
  3. What do you think about the five critical elements of strategy for next gen donors (Figure 3.2)? What might be the ultimate consequences—good and bad—of these preferences? What about their preference for funding programs that address root causes and systemic change over charitable aid, like disaster relief funding, that meets immediate needs?
  4. How will next gen donors' demands for greater reporting and transparency from recipient organizations be beneficial or detrimental for social change? In what ways will their requests/ demands for transparency affect organizational choices? How should organizations respond?

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 4: Why Not Innovate?

  1. This chapter describes how next gen donors want to be philanthropic disruptors. Discuss if this disruption helps improve giving, in your view. What might older or more traditional donors say are the dangers of this disruption? Could the lack of experience—or naiveté, or instinct to “ignore what others think is best”—among next gen donors be a problem? Conversely, would preserving the status quo curtail the chance for groundbreaking innovation?
  2. Which of the “new tools in the tool belt” that next gen donors are excited about also excite you, and why? Which are you using personally now and which do you want to use more in the future?
  3. Through next gen donors' drive to innovate and use nontraditional funding vehicles to achieve greater, faster impact, the boundaries between nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental sectors are starting to be “obliterated, for better or worse.” Describe any experiences you've had with such boundary-blurring innovation. What were (or might be) the advantages and disadvantages of this?
  4. Impact investing is another favored new tool for next gen donors. Justin Rockefeller notes that the next gen's interest in impact investing will push financial industries to adapt, to provide more information about and more choices for socially responsible investments. What are some direct and indirect implications of this in the greater effort to do good in the world?
  5. Part One's featured donors are both decidedly optimistic about the future of philanthropy and the likelihood for the Impact Revolution to have a positive effect on the causes we care about. After reading these chapters, do you share this optimism? If not, what keeps you up at night?

PART Two: Going All In

“There are very few young people I know who write big checks who don't want some kind of substantial involvement with the organization to which they're writing that check.”

—Jenna Segal, in Generation Impact, p. 134

In Part Two, we show that Generation Impact's revolution is about more than money. The next gen donors will transform not only how donors fund in the future—their philanthropic strategies and innovative vehicles for giving—but also how donors engage beyond their wealth. They want to bring other assets to the table and to develop closer and more interconnected relationships with both the groups they support and with other donors. Here, we explore the generational tendency of next gen donors to go “all in” for impact by giving their time, talent, and ties as well as their treasure.

As authors, we recognize that many stand-out donors from previous generations have dedicated their lives to causes and worked side by side with grantee organizations to solve problems of the day. Giving nonfinancial resources is nothing new. But our research says that big giving for next gen donors almost always includes this engagement beyond just money because for them this “all in” involvement is what leads to bigger impact. This approach to giving will increase significantly during the Impact Revolution.

The challenge is that next gen donors expect the organizations they support to accommodate their desire to give their time, talent, and ties—even to the point of re-envisioning what major donor-to-organization relationships look like in the future. This means we are facing yet more waves of change as the next gen takes over. It means we need to discuss ways to prepare for this change, work together, and move forward in a manner beneficial to all.

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 5: The “Do Something” Generation

  1. Next gen donors believe that “just writing checks” constitutes “bad philanthropy.” And, strikingly, many of them consider giving their time to a cause to be more valuable than giving their money, even though they have money to give. Do you agree? Which do you contribute to the organizations you support?
  2. How will charitable and mission-based organizations need to adapt to accommodate the more engaged, even high-maintenance, approach of these rising donors? How can nonprofits take advantage of this “do something” attitude productively, and how can next gen donors avoid being too demanding?
  3. In this chapter, Victoria Rogers talks about how her consistent and early volunteer activities— encouraged by her father—informed her current style of being an active, hands-on donor and volunteer. What early life events have informed your approach to giving (whether of money or time) now?
  4. Even in today's age of international news and global awareness, local giving still appeals to next gen donors because it serves their impulse to be hands-on and to get close to the work. But next generation members of a giving family may not live in the same location where their family's giving is focused. How can local organizations successfully engage the next gen donors in the ways they want when they don't live in the same community?
  5. Critics of wealthy donors often say donor decisions are made from within a bubble of privilege or even with “I know what's best for you” hubris. How do you view the next gen donor's desire to get out, do something, and be closer to the work in light of this critique?

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 6: More Than an ATM

  1. Think about the relationships between donors and nonprofits that you are familiar with. How justified are next gen donors' critiques that charitable organizations see them only as human ATMs or mere party planners? In what ways can grantee organizations be proactive in changing this relationship or perception?
  2. There are clearly benefits that can come from next gen donors contributing their talents to an organization. But this might also tip the power dynamics between donors and organizations in favor of the donor, especially if the donor's expectations slip into a sense of entitlement. When and how should organizations welcome next gen donors' skills—and where should they draw boundaries? How can next gen donors offer their talents while still respecting the expertise of an organization's staff?
  3. What are some questions next gen donors can ask organizations to help these donors discern the most respectful way to offer their talents?
  4. Jenna Segal, in her feature, advocates for established institutions being “recycled for the next generation” to build on investments already made by previous generations. Would this be a realistic approach for the “established institutions” you are familiar with? How would these nonprofits need to evolve to better compete for next gen dollars and talents?
  5. What do you think of Hadi Partovi's alternative model for nonprofits, especially his points around talent, technology, scale, and public policy? For what kinds of causes and situations might his ideas be advantageous?

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 7: Inspirational Peer Pressure

  1. Millennials are the most networked people in history—and that's only going to increase. Next gen donors see some great advantages to leveraging their peer networks for strategic effect. However, there are some criticisms of peer networks in the field of giving as well—for example, that they can result in groupthink about who and how to fund, which can squash innovation. Do the advantages outweigh the concerns? Discuss the validity of the criticisms and possible safeguarding measures.
  2. Jenna Weinberg shares in her story the vital role that peer networks played in helping her form her philanthropic identity and become a more strategic giver. Thinking about your own peer connections and/or group involvements, how have they helped shape who you are today as a donor, volunteer, or professional in this space? Name one or two questions you would pose to a group of your peers today.
  3. Many next gen donors, when considering their giving strategies or preferred organizations, “trust the strategic analysis of their peers more than the wisdom of older generations.” What might this mean for nonprofit professionals, family office staff, donor advisors, and multigenerational family members who want to engage next gen donors? How can they begin to incorporate advice from peers into the mix?

PART Three: Respectful Revolutionaries

“[I'm] paying respect to the opportunities that I had, paying respect to the philanthropy that I learned, but taking that and evolving it into something that will be more uniquely my own.”

—Next gen donor, in Generation Impact, pp. 204–205

We continue to believe that our 2013 research report and precursor to this book was rightly subtitled, “Respecting Legacy, Revolutionizing Philanthropy.” We cannot overstate the sincere respect we see next gen donors affording to the values and legacies of giving that they are inheriting, either in their own families or in the field as a whole. We see this respect even as the next gen donors passionately plan to revolutionize so many practices, concepts, and mainstays of traditional philanthropy.

It is an interesting dichotomy, perhaps one that makes sense if we understand that next gen donors appreciate why their predecessors' philanthropy looked the way it did, in light of their social, economic, and historic context. They even sometimes stand in awe of some of their predecessors' achievements, but they still want to give differently now—for a different time, with a more focused goal. They see these changes in the future as the best way to truly respect the past.

The next gen donors want to live their values across their private, professional, and philanthropic lives more seamlessly than any generation to date. Rather than waiting until their parents and grandparents step down from their philanthropic roles, the next gen want to be part of new multigenerational teams that span three, sometimes four, generations in an effort to affect greater social change right now. And they want to form their own, unique philanthropic identities rather than match the footprints of their elders—even as they respect, steward, and advance the legacy of said elders.

So, let's explore together this complex mix of respecting the past and revolutionizing the future.

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 8: Living Values Seamlessly

  1. With next gen donors set to make sweeping changes in giving, does it surprise you that nearly 90 percent say their core philanthropic values were influenced by their parents? Who influenced your values?
  2. John R. Seydel III's story conveys how his family, by exposing him early in life to giving—via firsthand experiences with foundations and nonprofits, site visits, and travel to communities of need—helped form his philanthropic value system. What was your first exposure to giving? What are some ways you can help your children, the children within your extended family, or youth in your community to experience giving early on?
  3. In his feature, Justin Rockefeller describes a strategic, intentional model for his personal giving and investing, one that places a priority on “aligning” both with his values. What do you make of his model for values alignment? Do you find it inspiring? Daunting? Wise? Privileged? Is this a model you can or would want to follow in your own personal giving?
  4. The book advises readers plainly that “to engage effectively with the next generation, you need to start by engaging them around values.” What would this look like in your work with the next gen?

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 9: On the Shoulders of Giants

  1. What does legacy mean to you—both in general and personally? Is it about family legacy or something broader? How much do you think about legacy in your personal attempts to do good in the world?
  2. This chapter claims that a primary challenge facing many next gen donors is reconciling their respect for the past with their avid desire to improve the future. Based on the stories of the next gen donors featured in this chapter and other chapters, how are these donors trying to reconcile this tension?
  3. What has been the significance of a family narrative in your life, if any? Share examples of how family stories in your past have given you the confidence to navigate life choices in the present.
  4. On page 203, we pose three provocative questions resulting from issues Alex Soros raises in his feature. Choose one as a group to answer.
  5. If you work for or support a charitable organization, or if you work for or advise donors, what are some specific actions you can take to help encourage current major donors to speak to their next generation about their legacy wishes?

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 10: Fielding a Multigenerational Team

  1. Multigenerational leadership teams guiding our foundations and nonprofits is another “new normal” being ushered in by next gen donors. What are some obvious challenges you can foresee members of these teams, and the institutions they support, experiencing as both adapt to this new dynamic? What are some opportunities?
  2. If you know an example of a highly effective multigenerational team—whether in the field of giving or another industry—share a description of this team, how it functions, and what you think makes it so effective.
  3. Katherine Lorenz outlines philanthropic differences within her family that she sees as generationally based, such as competing desires for privacy versus transparency and the preference to fund tangibles versus intangibles. Describe any specific philanthropic tensions you have experienced in your family or your work that you believe have roots in generational personalities. How have you tried to resolve these tensions?
  4. Think about the struggle of “achieving peerage” in the parent-child relationship versus having a “kids' table” for up-and-coming generations in family enterprises, foundations, or nonprofit boards. Do you agree that peerage is a healthier group dynamic for parents and their adult children? List some basic first steps, values, and ground rules that might need to be present in order to facilitate true peerage in your family or another institution you know well.

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 11: Next Gen Philanthropic Identity

  1. Do you agree or disagree with the claim in this chapter that as a society today we too often undermine the next generation's ability to launch? Give examples to support your viewpoint.
  2. What do think of the “project” Sara Ojjeh's parents gave their children as a way to help their next generation launch and form their own philanthropic identities? Could you see yourself adapting a similar model for your own family? What would your version look like?
  3. Many next gen donors, like Sara, talk about the importance of being given permission by their family, by peers, and by themselves to fail. Do you agree that failure can be productive? What are the dangers of granting this permission? How would you weigh the responsibility of next gen donors to do good with their unprecedented philanthropic funds against the importance of the freedom to fail?
  4. Which role do you most closely align with: nonprofit professional, advisor to a family or person of wealth, donor peer, or family member of a next gen donor? Name a specific thing you could do to help encourage and support healthy philanthropic identity formation in next gen donors.

CHAPTER 12: Conclusion: Making the Most of the Golden Age of Giving

“[A] revolution is coming, and we need to make the most of it.”

—Generation Impact, p. 276

While past generations of donors may have defined success primarily as “giving back” or “fulfilling my responsibility as a person of great means,” we hope you've come to see that the next gen's definition is degree of impact, as this view will profoundly transform philanthropy as we know it.

This mindset among next gen donors will drive them to go all in for impact, and yet do so while respecting the legacies of the past. It will cause next gen donors to take more risks, try new strategies, and concentrate their funding on fewer organizations while at the same time still forming their philanthropic identities—all of which will have very real consequences in the forthcoming shake-up of the nonprofit world. This will also mean changes for those who advise donors financially, who work with donors in family offices and foundations, and for the donors and their families themselves.

We hope after reading this book you've also come to understand a little more about next gen donors as multidimensional people with big hopes, big intentions, and big questions and challenges.

As authors, all this leads us to be cautiously optimistic but also, quite frankly, curious to see how far next gen donors will actually take their Impact Revolution as they come into their own. Looking to the future of giving, we can't help but see more questions than answers. Will these changes of next gen donors be welcome? Are we all doing enough to prepare for what's ahead? Will the dream of greater impact actually be achieved?

We look forward to learning the answers to these questions together with you all.

Discussion Questions for CHAPTER 12: Conclusion: Making the Most of the Golden Age of Giving

  1. What are you most looking forward to in this new Golden Age of Giving as summarized in this chapter? Do you think it will be as historically important as this book anticipates? (Try to allow each person in your group the chance to answer this question if this is your closing session.)
  2. Are you as optimistic about the future of giving as this book is? Is your view of the future more hopeful, less hopeful, or about the same compared to before you read this book? Why?
  3. What cautions raised about next gen giving are the most significant and challenging, in your view?
  4. What did you learn about next gen donors that surprised you the most? What are the key questions about the future of giving that remain for you, or are newly generated as a result of reading Generation Impact?
  5. What are three specific things you can start doing now to better prepare for the coming revolution in giving? Answer based on whatever role(s) you play in this field—as a supporter of a social cause, as a nonprofit professional, as a donor advisor, as family of next gen donors, or even as a next gen donor yourself. (Again, allow each person in your group the chance to answer if this is your closing session.)
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