Women and Philanthropy:An Untapped Resource

Big Brothers Big SistersMid-Large Agency Alliance CEO Networking & Learning Meeting

Revving up your fundraising engines to win big for the kids!October 5, 2011

Debra Mesch, Ph.D.Professor and Director

Women’s Philanthropy InstituteBoard Member, BBBS of Central Indiana

Center on Philanthropy at Indiana Universitywpiinfo@iupui.edu

Women’s Philanthropy Institute

MISSION: to further the understanding of women’s philanthropy through research, education, and knowledge dissemination

WOMEN GIVE 2010: www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/womengive

Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University550 W. North Street, Suite 301

Indianapolis, IN 46202317-278-8990 wpiinfo@iupui.edu

Giving CirclesWomen’s FundsInitiatives in nonprofitsInitiatives on campus

Women are important to fundraisers.

are keyto philanthropy

in the21st century

WOMEN

EDUCATION

More education

More advanced degrees

For the first time ever, more Ph.D.s than men in 2008-09

Education > spouse increased from 20 to 28 percent

INCOME

Number of women in workforce increased from 29 to 59 percent from 1950 to 2007

Wives whose earnings > husbands’ increased 18 percentage points, from 4 to 22 percent from 1970 to 2007

Changing Role of Women in America

As of 2004, 43% of nation’s top 2.7 million wealth holders were women.

Assets of these nearly 1.2 million women were valued at $4.6 trillion, or about 42% of the total wealth.

35% of the women in this group were ages 50-65.

Women Hold Wealth

Boomers matter!

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RESEARCH MATTERS

Gender matters in philanthropy.

Men and women havedifferent philanthropic interests,

different motivations, anddifferent philanthropic patterns.

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Frameworks for MOTIVATIONS

Altruism – the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

• Differs between men and women• Women socialized differently than men

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MOTIVATIONS – Empathy & Caring

EMPATHY

•Concerned feelings for those less fortunate•Feeling protective towards others who are taken advantage of•Feeling pity for others who are treated unfairly

CARING

•Willing to help others•Assisting people in trouble•Looking after others or being concerned about others

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MOTIVATIONS –Empathy and Caring RESULTS

• Women scored significantly HIGHER than men on both motives.

• Women are significantly MORE LIKELY and GIVE HIGHER AMOUNTS to charity than comparable men—even when taking into account women’s higher empathy and care motives.

• NOTE: Research controls for factors that affect philanthropic behavior such as income, race, education, age, geographic region, marital status, # of children in the family, religious affiliation, and other factors

WOMEN GIVE 2010

For single headed households: • Impact of income on giving• Impact of marital status on giving

www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/womengive

WOMEN GIVE 2010: www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/womengive

WOMEN GIVE 2010Likelihood of Giving (Predicted Values)Linear Probability Model (COPPS 2007)

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

35.2%

60.1%

76.8% 81.7%

95.5%

27.5%

45.4%51.6%

57.2%

75.8%

Female Household Head Male Household Head

In every income group, female-headed households are MORE LIKELY TO GIVE to charity than male-headed households.

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WOMEN GIVE 2010Levels of Giving (predicted values)

(COPPS 2007)

In every income group except for one, women GIVE MORE than men.

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5

$540$701 $728 $733

$1,910

$281

$1,033

$373$505

$984

Female Household Head Male Household Head

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WOMEN GIVE 2010Likelihood of giving (predicted values)

Linear Probability Model (COPPS 2007)

Female headed households are MORE LIKELY TO GIVE than men in comparable households except for the widow/widower category.

Never Mar-ried Female

Divorced Female

Widowed Female

Never Married

Male

Divorced Male

Widowed Male

44.0%

55.6%

67.1%

40.1%45.7%

71.4%

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WOMEN GIVE 2010Levels of Giving (predicted values)

Amount given

Female headed households GIVE MORE than men in comparable households except for the widow/widower category.

Never Mar-ried Female

Divorced Female

Widowed Female

Never Married

Male

Divorced Male

Widowed Male

$783$641

$928

$498 $483

$1,820

35.9%

20.1%

23.4%

16.7%

10.5%8.7%

5.5% 5.6% 6.1% 5.1% 4.8%

25.2%

17.6%19.9%

12.1%

8.0%6.6% 5.6%

3.7%5.6%

3.3%4.9%

Female Household Head Male Household Head

[Religious Institutions, Combined purposes, help the Needy, Heath care/medical research, Education, Youth & family, Arts & culture, Community, Environmental, International, Other]

Likelihood of Giving by AreaPredicted Value

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Women Give 2010 Causes Women Support

Finding #2. The top five areas in which female-headed households are significantly more likely than their male counterparts to give are the international, community, religion, health care, and youth & family areas.

Percent by which females are more likely to give

Cause

55% International

51% Community

42% Religious Institutions

38% Health Care

32% Youth or Family

31% Education

18% Helping People in Need

14% Combined purposes

Among U.S. households in which donating couplesdecide how much to give and to what causes, who is the primary decision maker?

Sample: 2,971 households (married couples only) Husband decides: 12% Wife decides: 27% Jointly deciding couples: 50% Separately deciding couples: 11%

Who Decides?

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Factors That Positively Impact Household Giving

EducationReligious Attendance

IncomeWealth

Length of marriageNumber of children

• The egalitarian: Wives tend to spread their giving across a greater number of charitable activities.

• The strategist: Men tend to respond more to strategic concerns, such as tax advantages.

Do Wives & Husbands Think Differently About Giving?

What obstacles do you encounter working

with women donors?

Overcoming Barriers in Working with Women Donors

Barriers to Giving

INTERNAL– Women do not think of themselves as

philanthropists– Women are reluctant to talk about money.– Women do not feel ownership of the family

money.– Women are afraid of outliving their resources.– Women have just made money and feel it might

not be there tomorrow.– Women seek anonymity in their giving.

Barriers to Giving

EXTERNAL– Women may take longer to cultivate as donors.– There is little organizational commitment to

women as donors.– Fewer women are in major volunteer leadership

positions.– A different communication style is required when

working with women donors.– Women are not asked to give.

What will it take to create a community

of fully engaged, active women philanthropists?

WOMENare key to philanthropy in the 21st

century