“The expression of a different philanthropic interest is a balancing act for the next generation,” Ms. Goldseker said. “How do they honor their legacy and deal with what they see as the needs of today?”

That the younger generation might not share the older generation’s ideas about giving, that they might want to focus on different causes makes perfect sense, said Michael Moody, who holds the Frey Foundation Chair for Family Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich. After all, they grew up at a different time in a different world. “The emergence of environmentalism in the ’60s, civil rights and the women’s movement meant that the younger generation was more interested in giving to them rather than to the Junior League,” he said.

Geography also plays a role. If, for example, the foundation is focused on the local community “and the family is far-flung, it will be hard to get the next generation engaged,” said Professor Moody, an author, with Ms. Goldseker, of the book “Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionizing Giving,” expected in October.

It could also come down to that most basic of explanations: different strokes for different folks.

“Individuals have different interests, and individuals within families have different interests,” said Tracy Mack Parker, chief executive of the Philanthropy Workshop. “Sometimes, the younger generation steps up early and wants to get involved and do research and put in the time. It can also be the case the younger generation is too busy raising families and building their own careers, and it’s a challenge for the first generation to respectfully get the younger generation involved and participating.”

“What we try to do,” she said, “is to encourage families to identify certain core values that could cut across all the philanthropic work they do and come up with a vision for a world they want to see.”

Unfortunately, in some instances, there’s a dominant wealth creator “who is confident that he or she knows where the money should go and isn’t questioning it very much,” Ms. Parker said. “If members of the next generation with different ideas feel they’re butting up against a wall, they’ll work on their own giving rather than participating in the family giving.”

In a growing trend, those strong-minded wealth creators may decide to spend the foundation’s resources in their lifetime so they can see the impact while they’re alive.