Learning to Give (LTG) was launched by the Council of Michigan Foundations in 1997. Founder, Dr. Kathryn Agard, learned from the Michigan Community Foundations Youth Project that high school students, while excellent grant-makers, had little understanding about the civil society/non-profit sector and its importance.
Learning to Give defines philanthropy broadly, based on the work of Dr. Robert Payton the founder of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, as: giving, serving, and private citizen action intended for the common good.
Learning to Give:
- EDUCATES youth about philanthropy, the civil society sector, and the importance of giving their time, talent and treasure for the common good (knowledge),
- EQUIPS youth by encouraging philanthropic behavior and experience (skills), and,
- EMPOWERS youth to take voluntary citizen action for the common good in their classrooms, lives and communities (behavior).
LTG’s initial accomplishment was defining K-12 philanthropy education and developing academic standards with measurable learning benchmarks. These standards and benchmarks define what young people should know about philanthropy and be able to do through service.
The Philanthropy Themes Framework and Learning Benchmarks were developed in 1997 by Learning to Give using a Delphi process. National and International scholars and experts in the field of philanthropic studies, the nonprofit/civil society sector, and civic engagement were asked “What should high school graduates know and be able to do related to philanthropy, service, volunteerism and the nonprofit/civil society sector?” The initial information was gathered from the experts, categorized and sent back to them for comment and revision. A group of 40 classroom teachers, from diverse backgrounds, were than given the information and the task of organizing, clarify, and writing articulated learning benchmarks across the K-12 grade span (Elementary School, Middle School and High School Benchmarks).
LTG developed in tandem with service-learning instructional strategies because many of the founders of LTG were also early advocates, funders, and leaders of the service-learning movement. The International Philanthropy Curriculum Standards, and the Learning to Give Lessons that teach the benchmarks, were specifically designed to meet the need for intentionally teaching the world’s youth the philanthropic traditions and beliefs of a civil society.
