The Power of Woman in Major Gift Asks

Firstly, the motivation of why wealthy women give is different. A recent study at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy showed that women are far more likely than rich men to make charitable donations as a way to honour the legacy of someone they care about or to serve as an example to young people. About a third of affluent women make donations to burnish someone else’s image, while only 16% of men do, the study found. And more than 43% of women said they give to set an example for young people, but only a quarter of the men said the same.

The researchers found other differences—and some similarities—between the sexes:

• About 65% of the women said they volunteer for the organizations they support; only half of the men did. And 78% of the women said they were motivated to support charities as a way to help their community, compared with 62% of the men.

• The majority of both men and women said they supported the same causes year after year, but men were slightly more loyal than women: 68% said that they did so, while 60% of the women did.

• Large numbers of both groups—60% of women and 56% of men—said their biggest gifts went to provide general operating support. The next biggest recipients were specific programs, with 41% of women saying they earmarked gifts for a specific effort and 35% of men doing so.

But even more interestingly, the study contradicted a “popular belief that men predominantly control philanthropic dollars within a household”.  It noted that women are the sole decision maker  or an equal partner in giving decisions for three out of four wealthy couples in the survey. The conclusion? Women should be at the table when it comes to key ask decisions. A second study we have seen that supports the power of women in the major-gift decision-making. This has influenced how we approach analysis of donor data and something we are now encouraging fundraisers to be very cognisant of in their ask-approaches.