February 20, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
Creating Tomorrow’s Philanthropists: Curriculum Development for Youth
by Patricia O. Bjorhovde
This collection of essays, compiled by Patricia O. Bjorhovde, offers advice to teachers, directors of nonprofit groups, and others who want to encourage youths in the United States to become philanthropists. The publication is the summer 2002 installment of the quarterly series New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising.
Ms. Bjorhovde, senior director of development at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, writes in one chapter that an effective curriculum—whether offered by kindergarten teachers or college professors—should help students understand the history of philanthropy, how charities work, how they benefit society, and the reasons people are motivated to give to them. Ms. Bjorhovde believes that educational programs should include opportunities for students to participate in philanthropy firsthand, by volunteering at a charity as well as by contributing out of their own pockets.
The collection includes a discussion of programs carried out by religious nonprofit groups and youth organizations that help students learn about philanthropy. One chapter describes a 4-H program that organizes young people to solicit donations from town residents. Before the young volunteers are sent out to seek money, they are educated about the group’s mission and techniques for building donor relationships.
Some of the chapters offer specific philanthropy curriculums for students in kindergarten through graduate school. For example, the Council of Michigan Foundations, in Grand Haven, and the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, in Trenton, have developed lesson plans, philanthropy-related vocabulary lists, and activities that teachers can adapt for use in their classrooms.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (415) 433-1740 or (800) 956-7739; fax (415) 433-0499 or (800) 605-2665; http://www.josseybass.com; 124 pages; $28.
