Next-generation Jewish philanthropists continue to be active donors at the same time they are looking for new ways to maximize the effects of their giving, according to a new study.
They also want to be more formally involved in their family’s philanthropy.
The report, released last week by 21/64 and the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, looks at the causes next-gen donors care about, how they approach their giving and how their approach differs from earlier generations.
The survey involved 88 respondents, described as “high-capacity donors,” who self-identified as Jewish. Half were in their 20s and half in their 30s.
Next-gen donors in the survey continued to fund Jewish organizations despite research indicating that new generations of the Jewish community are less involved in formal religious practice than previous generations.
Sixty-five percent of respondents identified religious and faith-based organizations as the second most common area of their giving (behind education, 73%).
The findings have important implications for the Jewish organizations that seek their support, according to the researchers.
“Many Jewish organizations and Jewish families are re-evaluating how to engage the emerging generation of Jewish donors who will carry the legacy of Jewish family giving into the future,” Michael Moody, Frey Foundation chair for family philanthropy at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, said in a statement.
“The new findings from this study help advance our thinking about how these Jewish next-gen donors want to be engaged, either by the organizations they support or within their own families.”