With Labour Day behind us, families across the country are settling back into a familiar routine. Alarm clocks are ringing earlier, lunches are being packed and school is once again in session.

Yet some of the most important lessons a family shares, about responsibility, purpose and generosity, are learned outside the classroom. Philanthropy can be one of those classrooms, where every generation has the opportunity to be both a student and a teacher.

The return to school was not the only noteworthy occasion this month. September 5 marked the United Nations’ International Day of Charity, established to raise awareness of charitable efforts and encourage people around the world to help others. The date commemorates the anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death and recognizes her extraordinary humanitarian work.

Generosity is a recurring theme among the families and foundations we are fortunate to work with. It also takes many forms. Families can contribute financial resources, but they can also volunteer in their communities, mentor others, serve on boards, share professional expertise, introduce organizations to donors and partners, or lend their voices to causes that deserve greater attention.

We have a front-row seat to the benefits that intentional giving can create—not only for the organizations receiving support, but also for the families providing it. Philanthropy can bring family members together, create meaningful conversations and turn broadly stated values into concrete action.

The conversations often begin with some thought-provoking questions: What matters to us? Where can we make a meaningful difference? What do we want our family’s generosity to represent?

These questions can be easier for families to discuss than many other aspects of wealth. Conversations about investments, ownership and inheritance can quickly become technical or uncomfortable. Philanthropy offers a more accessible entry point. Every family member can contribute a perspective without first needing to understand capital markets, tax planning or complex estate structures.

These discussions will often reveal common interests, but they may also expose genuine differences. One family member may be drawn to education or healthcare, while another prioritizes poverty and homelessness, mental health, the environment, arts and culture, or international development. That is not a weakness in the process. A thoughtful family approach can preserve shared values while leaving room for individual interests and new priorities to emerge.

Over time, these conversations can form the foundation of a multigenerational giving strategy. Families can agree on the causes they wish to support together, how decisions will be made, who will participate and how the process should evolve as leadership passes from one generation to the next.

There are several ways to put this intention into practice. Families can donate directly to charities, establish a private foundation or use a donor-advised fund. The appropriate structure depends on the family’s objectives, desired level of involvement and willingness to assume ongoing administrative responsibilities.

At Sagard Wealth, we established the GH Charitable Foundation around a central question: Can we help families give more intentionally while enabling those intentions to pass from one generation to the next?

GH Charitable Foundation provides families with a simple and flexible way to organize their giving. Families can contribute cash or securities, receive a charitable donation receipt and recommend distributions to eligible charities over time. The contributed assets are professionally managed by Sagard Wealth in accordance with the Foundation’s investment policy.

One of the most practical advantages is that the structure separates the decision to give from the pressure to decide immediately where every dollar should go. A family can make its charitable commitment today and then take the time to develop priorities, involve other generations and identify the organizations it wants to support.

As a donor-advised fund, GH Charitable Foundation can provide many of the benefits families seek from a private foundation without requiring them to establish and administer one themselves. The structure handles the administration; the family can remain focused on its purpose and impact.

The structure, however, is ultimately only a tool. The most important work is deciding what a family wants its generosity to mean.

When approached with intention, philanthropy can do more than support worthy causes. It can educate future generations, strengthen family relationships and turn deeply held values into visible action. Its impact can extend far beyond a single donation and, with care, from one generation to the next.