Charities Should Focus on People Under 25

To the Editor:

Peter Panepento’s article about recruiting members of Generation X to become involved in nonprofit organizations (“Connecting With Generation X,” March 31) raises important points, but he doesn’t go far enough. It’s not only people in their mid-30s that are “financially ready and emotionally mature enough to be become activein philanthropy.” Teenagers have an abundance of wealth — spirit, heart, time, commitment, energy, and, yes, money — that they contribute to their communities.

Charities that target their outreach to adults over 25 may be missing a golden opportunity to shape young people’s philanthropic habits. Households where adults volunteered when they were young are more likely to give and give more than households where youths were not involved in community service. Two-thirds of all adult volunteers began some form of civic involvement before turning 18.

But young people are more than future donors or volunteers. Organizations that involve young people meaningfully find that they help clarify and bring focus to the organization’s mission as well as enhance the energy, efficiency, and commitment of adult staff members.

Wendy Wheeler
President
Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development
Takoma Park, Md.