For some time, I’ve wondered whether I’m doing my family a disservice if they don’t see me actively giving during the offertory at Mass. It once was common to see a mother taking out the checkbook or a dad putting money in the envelope and placing it in the basket.
Our family gives, but we’ve gravitated to giving online (in our case, through our donor-advised fund with Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund). However, without that visible reminder of the offertory basket, my wife and I began to ask, “How do we engage our children with giving in this new digital era?” Our donor-advised fund supports our charitable work, but we want our children — ages 5-18 — to be involved and participate in our family’s practice of generosity.
So, we instituted a family night where we review our fund account and share which charities are on our hearts. We encourage the kids to pray for those to whom we are giving and even to make contributions of their own. It’s a joy to see the spark in their eyes when they have a voice in these decisions, and it’s humbling to see what is on their hearts and what they will sacrifice. I might begrudge giving a 10% tithe, but their $5 gift could be half of their monthly “income”!
Methods of giving have evolved, but we can still build a visible family culture of generosity toward the Church and those in need.
To learn more about applying tax-efficient strategies with donor-advised funds, visit kofc.org/familyfinance.
*****
JOSHUA GIDEON is the chief of strategy for Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund and a member of Dr. Earl C. Bach Council 3340 in Littleton, Colo.








