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Philanthropic Advisors share how 21/64 training helps us assist families with giving.

As you likely know, talking about money with family isn’t always easy, even when it’s related to giving to causes one cares about. It’s often easier to simply avoid the conversation.

That’s why it can be beneficial to have a trusted thought partner trained in exploring how values, interests and family dynamics might play into one’s giving plan and vision.

When you trust us to work with your clients, you are trusting the deep experience that every one of our philanthropic advisors has with families to support their giving. This experience is augmented by the 21/64 approach. This dynamic organization offers training, conferences and tools tailored to helping advisors better work with multigenerational families around philanthropy.

How 21/64 Training Helps Guide Conversations

The name 21/64 stems from its multigenerational approach to family collaboration. ‘21’ symbolizes the time when young people come of age, while ‘64’ represents the age people typically think about their legacies. 21/64 training and resources assist the Foundation team in guiding multigenerational families to the best ways to work together as they explore topics around giving.

“The 21/64 training has helped me have different and deeper conversations with fund advisors,” said former Director of Philanthropic Services Rebecca Stibbe. “For example, I ask more questions about their families and how fund advisors have engaged or would like to engage them in giving.”

At the Foundation, philanthropic advisors often hear from fund advisors that they want to involve their children in giving or want to develop generosity in their grandchildren but aren’t sure how to do that.

Working with each family is different, based on how family members want to be engaged in giving. 21/64 training provides philanthropic advisors with facilitation skills to help guide multigenerational family conversations. In addition, 21/64 offers resources and tools to help families accomplish their goals, like motivational value cards to help people think about what drives their decision-making and discussion prompts related to how people think about money based on what they learned growing up.

21/64 trainings and resources not only provide philanthropic advisors with the skills needed to talk to donors and their families, but the resources also empower donors to have open conversations with their families, not just about money, but about their values as well.

“ The 21/64 approach offered me tools and skills to move from basic transactions to meaningful interactions with fundholders and potential fundholders when it comes to thinking about their families and philanthropy.”

Heidi Tieszen

Our philanthropic advisors know there is a level of vulnerability attached to conversations about money, which is why in addition to using 21/64 resources, they can recommend articles, books, and Foundation tools like our donor toolkit, depending on what is best suited to each family and situation.

“The 21/64 approach offered me tools and skills to move from basic transactions to meaningful interactions with fundholders and potential fundholders when it comes to thinking about their families and philanthropy, as well as the roles they play in their philanthropic legacy,” said Philanthropic Advisor Heidi Tieszen.

The 21/64 certification is just one of the ways that the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation equips its philanthropic advisors to work with families on their philanthropic journey.

Contact our Philanthropic Services team to learn more about how we can share our specialized expertise in multigenerational giving with you and your clients.

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