This guide is designed to support Youth Advisory Council (YAC) advisors in leading a youth philanthropy council. It can also be a resource for anyone engaged in the youth philanthropy atmosphere as a tool for sparking ideas and additional learning.

Each section of this guide is set up in a way that you can read through one topic and gain an understanding of that content without needing to pull from other sections. You may find it helpful to read through multiple, but each section can be seen as independent of another.

It should be noted that this guide is a fluid document that is routinely updated as the needs and environments of YACs change and grow.

This comprehensive document from the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) is a collaborative effort that includes both YAC and YACer perspectives, Michigan Community Foundations Youth Project (MCFYP) and Learning to Give leadership and resources, with CMF staff support led by the 2022 Russell G. Mawby youth philanthropy intern Laken Chapin.