At a Glance

Research-informed decision making is a crucial part of effective philanthropy. Philanthropy professionals, donors, and volunteers can apply insights drawn from Lilly Family School of Philanthropy research to help advance their philanthropic missions.

The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy partnered with the Goldman Sachs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund to develop materials based on some of the school’s existing research, which donors and practitioners can use to increase their knowledge and inform their giving. Each of the fact sheets presents a topic, highlights the research, and provides examples of potential steps readers might consider amidst the changing philanthropic landscape.

GenX and Millennials, who represent 41.3% of the U.S. population, approach philanthropy differently from their parents and grandparents. Understanding the motivations of Next Gen philanthropists and their giving strategies will help families, practitioners, and Next Gen individuals themselves better leverage their interests, knowledge, and energy to address society’s pressing issues. This fact sheet highlights research around Next Gen philanthropy and examples of potential steps readers might consider to engage all generations in family philanthropy.

Given the ever-changing social, cultural, religious, and philanthropic landscapes, families are increasingly crucial transmitters of their values and philanthropic engagement to next generation(s). Philanthropy can unite and strengthen multiple generations of a family through a shared vision and commitment to the common good. This fact sheet explores factors that influence people to give, family dynamics, and research around how birth order affects parental giving and how attitudes about money shape conversations around philanthropy. It also shares practical, how-to prompts to begin conversations around philanthropy in families.

A giving plan combines values, motivations for giving, and a practical path in one document to assist donors in aligning their giving with their values. Giving plans can help donors become more intentional and strategic in their giving, ultimately leading to more joy and fulfillment in their philanthropy. Included here is one template for a giving plan.

Since 2010, research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has shown consistently that women and men have different motivations for giving and patterns of giving, One is not better than the other. They are simply different. Much of the intergenerational transfer of wealth, estimated at $84 trillion by 2045, will go to women. This fact sheet highlights some of the research, offers questions to reflect on, and provides examples of potential steps readers might consider to leverage their giving.

Supporting organizations focused on women’s and girls’ causes is one strategy to advance philanthropy while advancing opportunities for women and girls. Because support for these organizations is woven among all traditional nonprofit categories (i.e., arts, education, health, human services, etc.), it has been difficult to determine how much funding these organizations receive. Since 2019, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has released the annual Women and Girls Index, a database of more than 50,000 organizations, and has quantified charitable giving in this area.

This fact sheet highlights research from the annual reports, explores trends over time, invites individuals to reflect on causes they care about deeply, and provides examples of potential steps readers might consider.

Climate change has been identified globally as one of the world’s most pressing concerns. Given the potential for private philanthropy to accelerate finding solutions for climate change, it is important to understand how philanthropy is involved in this issue. This fact sheet examines who is funding climate change mitigation and adaptation, explores research around how the funds are used, and provides examples of potential steps readers might consider. The majority of the data presented is from Mapping Nonprofit Spending on Climate Change (2023), a report by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.