A lot is being written about millennials. Some things are negative and some are positive. Every piece seems to agree that there are key differences between millennials and earlier generations, and they are rooted in major societal changes.

Millennials (born 1981-1995 ) are the first internet natives. They came of age during the financial crisis and are consequently less confident about the future. They have a stronger sense of personal and global awareness, yet they have greater political apathy when it comes to national politics. This is first generation of Americans to be less affluent than their parents.

These differences impact their decisions, including where to work, whom to buy from, how to balance work and life, and how to engage with philanthropy.  And since there are more millennials than any other generation—millennials have surpassed boomers as the largest generation—their decisions impact the rest of us, too.

Read the full article about millennials and family foundations by Mark C. Callaway at ncfp.org.