I asked some people the other day if they knew the significance of Nov.15. They looked at me and shook their heads indicating it wasn’t ringing a bell (that’s a clue).

Nov. 15 was National Philanthropy Day (NPD), and it was celebrated by more than 50,000 people across the country. NPD celebrates the daily contributions individuals and organizations across the world make to countless causes and missions.

It’s quite a contrast to the messages of hyper-consumption that advertisers overwhelm us with at this time of year. I’m talking about the "if you just buy one more thing you too can be eternally happy" messages. At the risk of pointing out the obvious, let me say that children are particularly susceptible to this bombardment.

According to a recent Harris Interactive poll of youth marketers (the people that sell stuff to your children), 91% believe kids are being pitched to in ways they don’t even notice. Not exactly a comforting statistic if you’re trying to minimize the consumer expectations of your child.

In the spirit of NPD, let me offer a quick suggestion for helping your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew learn the art of gratitude. It’s a simple, yet powerful idea that a family from Philadelphia shared with me.

This holiday season reduce the gifts you give them by one and in its place give a Share Check. Here’s how it works: open your checkbook, fill in all the data (date, dollar amount, memo section share check) and sign it. Leave the pay to the order of line blank. Then put it in an envelope and give it to the young person with the following instruction:

“This share check is my way of helping you think about the needs of others. Please give it to a cause or an organization that you care about.”

There are 80 million young people under the age of 25 in America. If just 10 percent of them received a share check for $20 that would mean $160 million directed to charities by young people. WOW!

A Share Check is an excellent tool for nurturing the spirit of generosity in a young person. Try it, they’ll like it!

How will a share check help young people develop a sense of gratitude?

After you list some ideas, think about other events during the year where you can use a share check to nurture the spirit of generosity. Here are a couple of ideas to help get you started: birthdays and back-to-school shopping.

The Money Talks question is designed to build on the Share-Save-Spend tip for the week and can be used as a springboard for additional conversations with family and friends.

According to the same Harris Interactive poll of youth marketers, 61% believe advertising to children starts too young and a majority believes kids can’t make intelligent purchase decisions before age 12.

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