WASHINGTON — If your mom says “you shouldn’t have” on Sunday when you hand her flowers, remind her that she likely influenced your generous ways.
When it comes to giving, 17 percent of 1,000 adults surveyed said their mothers had the most impact on their giving tendencies, according to a recent poll commissioned by Thrivent Financial-Kiplinger Survey of Family Finances.
Who could possibly beat out mom as an influence on giving? No, not dad. Moms were more than three times as likely as pops to influence the way we give. Faith communities was checked off the most, at 22 percent.
“When it comes to shaping our giving attitudes, who better to provide guidance than faith communities and moms?” said Thrivent Financial Director Patrick Egan in a statement. “Our survey suggests that both groups have opportunities to offer personal, powerful examples of selfless giving that shape our lives.”
In addition to mom, dad and faith communities, participants could also select from spouse, friends and extended family.
Age was one of a clear factor in the determining who influences personal giving.. Thirty-four percent of adults ages 18-24 and 21 percent of those ages 25-34 picked mom. Almost one-third of seniors, however, went with their religion when it came to choosing who affects their generosity most.
Just make sure to make mom proud when it comes to how to choose to help others, Egan advises.
“Follow your heart, but do your homework,” Egan offered. “Be smart about your giving. There may be options to give in a tax-wise manner that not only benefit the recipient but you as the giver as well.”