Growing up with access to wealth and/or philanthropic resources is often complicated for next-generation family members. Many have mixed feelings about the responsibilities of participating in family legacies, with uncertainty about a range of issues. 21/64 employs a three-pronged approach to help next-generation family members transform their feelings of responsibility into opportunity as well as to facilitate multigenerational understanding and collaboration.

Consult with families, foundations and federations in workshop settings and with uniquely developed tools to facilitate the process of multigenerational communication and cooperation.

Those who have already begun to involve next-generation family members in a business or foundation have probably experienced how that act of involvement changes the character of the enterprise. Incorporating the next generation does not simply mean expanding a static system; the very presence of the new participants requires the family to adapt.

Convene networks of peers, such as young funder groups, who explore their legacies, next-generation questions, and identities alongside young people with similar experiences.

At 21/64 we have learned that when working with the next generation, a peer group model is an effective forum in which next-generation and other family members can ask their own questions, explore values and identities, and develop skills and strategies.

Communicate through newsletters, research reports, and articles exploring ongoing multigenerational issues and offering emerging information for funders, founders of family businesses, and professionals working with multigenerational families.

At 21/64 we are optimistic about the future. If we invest in our children and invite them to bring their values, visions, interests and experiences to the table, multigenerational collaboration can succeed in family businesses and in philanthropy. We see this collaboration as an ongoing process that requires continued conversation and investigation.