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 […]

It’s Time to Question Fundraising “Best Practices”

When you started your nonprofit career, you probably heard things like: “If you want a major gift, make sure you mention who else is giving what.” “Competition and recognition work; identify who wants to lead the campaign and give the top gift.” “Access to leadership will incentivize donors.” “This is how you ask for an […]

The “Traditional” Donor Life Cycle May Not Apply to Women

In your work as a fundraiser, you may use the term “donor life cycle.” This model charts the path of a donor through several sequential phases of engagement and giving to causes they care about: first gift, occasional gifts, consistent annual gifts, major or stretch gifts, leadership role and accompanying giving, and finally, a planned […]

We Won’t Raise More Money Unless We Stop Acting Like All Donors Are White Men

Worrisome trends are emerging in U.S. philanthropy. Although overall charitable giving is growing, the share of Americans who give is declining, and the incidence of giving is down in most every age group. This giving gap opened because of complex reasons, but one thing is clear: We are seeing fewer Americans give because we are applying the […]

Watch Kathleen Loehr’s Interview About Women’s Philanthropy

I was excited when Barett Christensen of Bentz Whaley Flessner asked me to be a guest on the BWF LIVE Fundraising show on Facebook. If you didn’t get a chance to tune in, you can watch the entire interview below. Bentz Whaley Flessner is a wonderful organization that aims to transform philanthropy by collaborating with […]