Giving Compass' Take:

• Joyce Gannon explains how the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County’s Visionaries program is working to get young people engaged in philanthropy. 

• Found can funders work to build interest and involvement in philanthropy in the next generation? Who is already involved in giving in your area? 

• Learn about a college course in global giving. 

Nearly a decade ago, Michael Quatrini and several friends spearheaded a program in Westmoreland County to motivate people in their 20s, 30s and 40s to get involved in giving back to their community.

The aim wasn’t to raise big sums of money.

They wanted to “rebrand philanthropy so it doesn’t sound like an old people’s thing,” said Mr. Quatrini, a 37-year-old attorney who grew up in Latrobe and now lives in Point Breeze.

He and others behind the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County’s Visionaries program wanted people in the early- and mid-stages of their careers to realize something: “You don’t have to be a billionaire to be a philanthropist.”

In the last six years, the initiative has raised about $36,000 for arts, education and human services groups.

Members donate $1,000 annually and raise more money through an annual party to which other young professionals are invited to pay $20 apiece to hear pitches from several nonprofits and vote on which will benefit.

“We didn’t want to scare people by asking for a $10,000 donation,” said Mr. Quatrini.

The pitch event now attracts 100-plus attendees each year.

“This is how small-dollar philanthropy can work,” said Mr. Quatrini.

Read the full article about seeding philanthropy by Joyce Gannon at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.