The Six Principles that Make Women’s Philanthropy Work.
Six principles have emerged to describe successful women’s philanthropy.
Many different women’s philanthropy models are achieving their goals quickly when they follow these principles. They are fundamental tenets that serve as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior.
The six key principles below are what I have observed to hold true across all thriving models.
The 6 key principles to successful
women’s philanthropy
The 6 key principles to successful women’s philanthropy
1. Pause before a reset.
Successful organizations resist the urge to jump in and instead pause first to learn. They review industry research and their own donor data and find out how their practices are not resonating with donors. They can then see new opportunities that were right in front of them all along.
2. Women’s input is key.
3. Women bring more than money.
4. Leadership involvement is pivotal.
Successful organizations have leadership involvement that fundamentally alters the path and scope of success. Organizational decisionmakers control the vision, the strategic priorities, and the ability to move resources that allow for real transformation and big outcomes.
5. Starting reveals the path forward.
Successful organizations realize that they are creating something new with few precedents so they start with a first initiative. They know that the success of their first women’s philanthropy focus then opens up awareness of other areas where women’s support will help the mission flourish.
6. The work is evolutionary.
Integrate and apply these six principles, and you will see success.
“Kathleen was a terrific resource and asset to us as we launched our planning for William & Mary’s Women & Philanthropy initiative. She was instrumental in guiding us through the planning and research stage and then helped us to formulate our strategic plan based on our findings and goals. The real test has been over time. The plan she helped us to create did not sit on a shelf. It has guided our work and resulted in outcomes far beyond what we thought we could achieve. We consider her a vital partner in the success of our work to date.”
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