CHARITABLE GIVING
Young Givers Want to See Where Money Goes
GI VING
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
MILLENNIALS LIKE TO
donate their money and time
to charitable causes, according
to local nonprofit leaders.

But — unlike older genera-
tions — they don’t just want to
donate. They want to know why.

As we enter a new giving
season, the Generation Z
cohort continues to grow into
adulthood. And, like their
older siblings, Gen Z kids want
to know why.

“A lot of them want to know
the impact of their money,” said
Polly Edelstein, the program
manager of Tribe 12, which
connects young Jews to Jewish
life. “They want to see it.”
As Edelstein explained,
older generations would just
donate to a reputable organiza-
tion. It was reliable, so they’d
trust it to put their money
toward worthwhile causes.

Millennials want to be in
the rooms where allocation
decisions are made.

“They want to be the ones
who say this money should be
allocated to x, y, z,” Edelstein
said. Tribe 12 focuses on Jews in
their 20s and 30s. It connects
them to Jewish life today so
they stay connected tomorrow.

Founded in 2010, the
nonprofit had to understand
the young generation to
survive, so it catered its fellow-
ship program to the millennial
mindset. Each year, the
program includes 12 fellows
who pay dues of $360 each.

Half of each fellow’s dues go to
a cause that the group selects
together. All 12 young people are
welcome to pitch potential
businesses and nonprofits as
worthy recipients. The process
includes talking to people from
the outside organization and
then presenting to the fellow-
ship group.

“We work together in a
consensus model,” Edelstein
said. One year, the fellows helped
The People’s Paper Co-Op in
North Philadelphia, which
shares the stories of formerly
incarcerated women trying to
gain re-entry into society. In
recent years, they have also
helped an organization that
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16 DECEMBER 2, 2021
A young family participates in Project H.O.P.E.’s Passover meal drive at Temple Sinai in Dresher in 2018.

Courtesy of Samuel Domsky
Young people volunteer at Project H.O.P.E.’s passover meal effort at Temple Sinai in Dresher in 2019.

Courtesy of Samuel Domsky
organizes visits to children’s
hospitals and one that offers
legal services to survivors of
domestic abuse.

These causes are not just
worthwhile, but specific
— another quality that’s
important to younger adults,
JEWISH EXPONENT
Edelstein said.

Millennials graduated into
an economy pockmarked by
the Great Recession of the late
2000s. Many have dealt with
economic precarity or know
people who have, or both.

Therefore, they are used to
dealing with specific problems
like expensive medical proce-
dures or unpaid rent.

“If we donate to something
that’s not hardship or
something we can see, it gives
people pause,” Edelstein said.

The millennial mindset
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