New York, United States, October 10, 2018
GPC Next Generation Workshop with Sharna Goldseker
“The pressing questions, the enduring questions I started with many years ago largely remain the same -about identity, values, how to contribute to the world as well as about family and legacy.”
– Sharna Goldseker, 21/64
Next Gen GPC members, experts, and staff convened in New York for the GPC Next Generation Workshop at Synergos Headquarters on October 10, 2018. Participants gathered for an engaging discussion with GPC Member Marvin Israelow and Next Gen expert Sharna Goldseker, founder of 21/64. This interactive gathering of the GPC Next Generation network tackled issues surrounding family legacy and intergenerational dynamics.
Resources
Welcome and Framing Remarks
Henri van Eeghen and Marieke Spence of the Global Philanthropists Circle, Synergos
“One of the big challenges that organizations have is how to really connect with the younger generation… I would love to extend an invitation from Synergos to the Next Gen in our networks to explore with us how we can all work more closely together.”
– Henri van Eegen, Synergos CEO and GPC Member
Conversation on Legacy with Sharna Goldseker and Marvin Israelow
Sharna Goldseker, 21/64; Marvin Israelow, GPC Member
Sharna Goldseker is the Executive Director of 21/64 and an expert in next generation engagement and multigenerational advising for philanthropy. During the session, Sharna discussed how many inheritors of philanthropic legacy, herself included, are left paralyzed by the philanthropic responsibility. To overcome this initial stagnation, next generation philanthropists must grapple with questions of identity and legacy in order to discover their own agency.
“The family is an organism, a living system. Anything that causes change is interrupting the system and families that want to integrate the next generation. Into the family philanthropy ideally learn not to resist change, but instead to be open to it and to grow.” – Sharna Goldseker, 21/64
- Sharna Goldseker, 21/64
Marvin Israelow, GPC Member and Board Member of 21/64, worked as an organizational development consultant for 30 years at the Exxon Corporation and his own firm before retiring. Marvin discussed how his Grandparents instilled him with a philanthropic mindset by reminding him he has an obligation to past, present, and future family members, and he has since passed on this message to his three sons. His story illuminated the power of strong family bonds in engaging next generation philanthropists.
“We’re part of something that’s bigger than us and that we have obligations to those who come before us and those who come after us.”
- Marvin Israelow, GPC Member
Picture Your Legacy: Interactive Exercise
Sharna Goldseker, 21/64
Sharna Goldseker facilitated an interactive exercise focused on family legacy. Utilizing a wide range of imagery from 21/64’s Picture Your Legacy card decks, participants broke out into small groups to discuss their personal vision of family legacy and how to effectively achieve their goals in their philanthropic journey.
