Click to read this short piece discussing involving the next gen in family governance, as published in Impact! online magazine on September 5, 2023, also a brief video clip.

Involving the Next Gen in Family Governance

Last updated: July 8, 2026

The opportunity to mentor the next generation is critical. Give them an opportunity to be heard, to voice their feelings, and to participate in the family meetings, even before they’re of age.

When they are teenagers, they can be invited to attend family meetings or family council meetings as advisory board members. Consider offering them a role, a seat at the table, so that they have a voice, even if they may not necessarily have a vote. Welcome them at the table and give them an opportunity to watch, to learn, to listen, and to speak.

Because ultimately, if they are not engaged in the process of developing how the family’s governance process works, how can you expect them to be governed by it?

I’m a big believer in participatory government and asking the questions of the next generation that give them an opportunity to use their voice and to be heard. Maybe they will come up with a suggestion that someone else hadn’t yet thought of, because they provide diverse views and experiences from a different generation.

So by all means, give them a seat at the table, give them a voice, even if perhaps they’re too young to have a vote. Form a Junior Advisory Council of those younger cousins and invite them in, because otherwise, if you wait too late, they will become disengaged. And then the families come to me and say, “What do I do? My kids aren’t engaged in our family’s governance process.“

It is never too late to start. The ideal time to start was yesterday, but you can’t start yesterday. So start today.

One practical technique which I’ve employed with some families is creating an endowment to cover travel expenses to allow all the extended family members to attend the annual gathering, or to cover the upkeep of the family vacation compound. Creating an endowed fund with the specific purpose of endowing the family’s ongoing activities is a wonderful way to de-stress that annual family meeting or other family activities.