A Profile of Modern Philanthropy

From the New York Times, David Brooks writes about how people who want to do good today are really different from those who came before. This must be one of those generational things, because as a member of GenX, his description of the expectations and methods of younger people (50 and under) involved in charitable giving and action makes complete, no-questions-asked sense to me. Long-standing targets of philanthropy (higher ed, among others) would do well to turn this insight into practice. There are implications here for case statements, for asking, for stewardship, for all the information you might want to offer them as they make gift and volunteer decisions.

But of course, it all depends on who your donor base is, and where it's trending. And you might could ask them what they like and then give it to them.