BY LIZ MARTINEAU
Los Alamos
How does your family choose to give?
Do you talk about giving priorities as a family?
How can children be included in the process?
One of the most important things that families do is pass along their values and priorities to the next generation. How you choose to give time and money is a tangible expression of your family values. This giving season, consider making giving a family affair by talking about decisions together. More important than the amount of money you choose to give is the discussion about what you value and how you choose to give.
Remember that “giving” can take many forms (time, talent, and treasure). Every family situation is unique, but here are some ideas to consider when having discussions about giving.
1- Browse the list of nonprofits on LosAlamosGives.org. Have you heard of all of them? What services do they provide? Discuss how they contribute to our community and which ones you value most and why. Choose to give to your top 3 (or more) organizations.
2- Parents, choose three organizations and then vote as a family about who receives a set amount of money. If you want to make it more complex, decide how you will divide your giving dollars. (For older children, this can be a real-world example of percentages.)
3- Give each family member some money, and let them decide which organization to support. Younger children can choose from a preselected “menu” of organizations. Encourage each person to explain how they made their decision.
4- Think about the community programs that you enjoyed this year. Did you attend a concert? Art show? Pumpkin Glow? Earth Day Festival? Send the sponsoring organizations thank you cards or stories about how they impacted your life. Nominate a nonprofit for a $1,000 grant from the Los Alamos Community Foundation. Nominating is free at losalamoscf.org.
5- Brainstorm, as a family, what you could do to help a local organization, give back to the community, or help those in need. Actions can be simple: donate used books to Little Free Libraries in your neighborhood (or Friends of the Library), save seeds for the Seed Library, shovel the neighbor’s walk, pick up trash in your neighborhood, leave a kind note for someone, take treats to a person or organization that you appreciate, etc.
You may find that while helping our community, you are also strengthening your own family.