The Future of Giving: Family, Values and Environmental Impact

Written by Communications at MASECO

Tor Flonaes, Senior Wealth Manager and Partner at MASECO, recently hosted an engaging roundtable on philanthropy and family giving, joined by Ashling Cashmore, Head of Impact and Advisory at Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), and Amy Ross, Senior Advisor at CAF. Together, they explored how strategic giving can strengthen family bonds, foster shared purpose, and align financial strategy with personal values.

Understanding the Role of Family Giving

The discussion began with the idea that philanthropy has a role not only in financial planning but also in the life of a family. When integrated into estate planning, giving can help capture and transfer the values that define a family, ensuring future generations understand both where wealth came from and what it represents. For many first-generation wealth holders, there is often concern that financial security might distance younger family members from the values that helped create it. Philanthropy can provide an antidote by offering families a shared purpose and encouraging empathy and responsibility across generations. It can create a neutral space where family members can collaborate on common goals. Although there is no universal model for family philanthropy, successful approaches tend to prioritise open conversations about ideals, motivations and ambitions. Whether inspired by a family business, personal experiences or a collective passion, taking time to articulate a shared vision and evolve this as needed helps ensure that giving remains both meaningful and enduring.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” – Ashling Cashmore, Head of Impact and Advisory at Charities Aid Foundation

Engaging the Next Generation

One of the main points that emerged was the importance of bringing younger family members into the process early on. By participating actively rather than observing from the sidelines, they can begin building confidence and understanding around financial and impact‑related decisions. Simple frameworks, such as allocating wealth between saving, spending and giving, can help instil perspective and responsibility. Families often build on this by encouraging the next generation to research charitable partners, present ideas at family discussions, getting actively involved with charitable work and/or overseeing a portion of the giving budget themselves. Engaging the younger generation in this way can also help address a wider concern of our time, namely that many young people feel anxious about global challenges and sometimes about their privileged position. Philanthropy may offer them a sense of agency and purpose, showing that meaningful change is within reach.

Navigating Structure and Power

Every family must find its own approach to decision making. Some prefer to keep discussions within the immediate family, while others extend participation to a broader circle. Although philanthropic structures often begin with senior family members, lasting engagement depends on empowering younger voices and sharing responsibility. One example shared during the discussion involved a family that meets annually to review its charitable work and set goals for the year ahead. By combining reflection with planning, they have turned giving into a living family tradition that evolves over time.

When Challenges Arise

Every family dynamic carries its complexities, and family philanthropy is no exception. Differences in culture, geography and communication styles can all create tension. Genuine cohesion requires regular dialogue, patience and a willingness to keep adjusting. True collaboration grows through continued engagement rather than a single decision.

Case Study: Finding Focus in Environmental Philanthropy

“The thing that really stood out to her was something that was incredibly personal and really spoke to her values, her experiences, her heritage really, and it put a smile on all of our faces, realising what a personal journey this was for her.” – Amy Ross, Senior Advisor at Charities Aid Foundation

A case study shared during the roundtable illustrated how a clear and structured process can turn uncertainty into purposeful action. The client, an experienced philanthropist with a long‑standing commitment to migration and homelessness charities, wished to expand her giving to environmental causes but felt unsure where to begin. The sheer scale and complexity of climate and ecological challenges made the prospect daunting. As a first step, the advisory team at the Charities Aid Foundation undertook targeted research, using the United Nations’ “Triple Planetary Crisis” framework, which groups environmental issues into three interlinked areas: pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. This structure brought clarity to a vast subject and revealed how climate impacts are distributed unevenly around the world. The initial phase was designed to build a robust evidence base, deepen the client’s understanding of the sector and, importantly, leave room for personal inspiration to guide the direction of her giving.

As a French woman passionate about food provenance and quality, the client was particularly struck by a Le Monde article on the environmental impact of global food systems. Among a body of research including a detailed environmental report, the theme of food systems reform resonated most with her values, background and experience. This focus was strengthened by a WWF and Zoological Society of London report calling for plant‑based diets, stronger environmental policy and sustainable farming practices. From there, she developed a strategy that combined top‑down policy and advocacy, grassroots support for agroecological farming in francophone West Africa and system‑level collaborations connecting organisations across sectors. Her plan maintained a meaningful footprint in France and contributed to European policy advocacy. By coupling personal connection with an evidence‑based approach, she created a strategy that was both emotionally resonant and analytically sound.

This experience reinforced the idea that even in broad and complex causes, personal connection can guide effective decision making. Using established frameworks helps structure thinking, while engagement across charities, funders and researchers provides clarity on where support is most needed. Evidence offers a foundation, but it is values that bring giving to life. For this client, an initially daunting global challenge evolved into a hopeful, future‑oriented commitment. Despite its urgency, environmental philanthropy remains disproportionately underfunded as a share of global philanthropic capital.

Looking Ahead

At MASECO, we believe that wealth can provide a foundation for purpose as well as prosperity. Through our relationships with organisations such as the Charities Aid Foundation, we help families explore how philanthropy can form part of their broader wealth planning. By introducing clients to experienced partners and supporting thoughtful discussions, we enable them to align their financial strategy with their values, engage younger generations and contribute meaningfully to the causes that matter most to them.

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