Women’s Philanthropy Can Feel Messy – but It Works!

“Messy.” In my work of women’s philanthropy, lately this is the word that keeps coming up over and over again, so I know there is a deeper idea emerging. I saw this happen with the word “grapple,” and now fundraisers echo that word back to me when they are dealing with challenging issues. So, I’m […]

Significant Resources Grow from Women’s Philanthropy

I recently caught up with a well-known fundraising consultant who has been in business for three decades or more. He asked about my work with women’s philanthropy. When I mentioned the significant increase in the number of organizations wanting to learn how to grow support from women, he quickly dismissed the efforts and said: I […]

The Fifth Principle grows donations and engagement in surprising ways

In early 2006, right after an unprecedented response to Hurricane Katrina, a change in leadership, and deep budget concerns, the chair of the American Red Cross Board, Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, proposed a bold idea to begin an annual women’s giving program with an ask of $10,000 per year. This proposal was met with incredulity – how […]

The Power of
Leadership Champions

The President of a large Midwest state university recently called his Vice President of Advancement. “Tell me more about our focus on women’s philanthropy. It sure has our Board chair excited.” It turns out that the Board chair had cornered the President at a meeting and was sharing his enthusiasm about the potential of engaging […]

The Principles of Successful Women’s Philanthropy

The New York Times has called it: Women are changing the philanthropy game. They have always been givers, but now women’s influence as philanthropists is being given its rightful place in the national discourse. Thanks to extensive research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, and the growing volume of examples of impactful women’s philanthropy, fundraisers no […]

A Broader Definition of Philanthropy by Women

My husband and I just moved to a new home.  Crazy, eh, considering this chaotic time and worries about Covid-19?  With lots of planning and tons of support, we survived and in fact are thriving in our new home and community. Throughout the upheaval, I observed that I was acting as the quintessential woman philanthropist. […]

A Fun Way To Raise Awareness of Women’s Preferences in Your Organization

As awareness about women’s philanthropic power grows, many fundraising professionals know that it’s time to pay attention to women — or miss out on critical support. But one team member can’t do it alone. Success relies on engagement by all parts of the organization, including leadership. How can you build awareness within your team, leadership, […]

What Do Women See When They Look At Your Organization?

Imagine the following scenario: A woman just heard about your organization for the first time. Perhaps a friend mentioned your work to her, or a piece from your recent marketing campaign made an impression. Your mission intrigues her. She wants to know more and – maybe – get involved. Like most of us these days, […]

AFP Reports on Engaging Women Donors

To unlock the full potential of women’s philanthropy, fundraisers must understand how gender shapes giving behavior. Women and men give differently, and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) has developed research that explores unique questions about the factors that shape gender-based giving patterns – including age, religion, income, marital status, and more. “Fundraisers who adapt their practices to […]

How To Change The Unconscious Stories You Are Telling About Women in Philanthropy

In my last post, we unpacked the story that “women are harder” to fundraise from. Working with women donors can feel hard because our fundraising best practices don’t always work. Why? Because these approaches were created in the male-centric fundraising landscape of the 1950s and 1960s. Women aren’t harder, just different in how they prefer […]