Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow
I remember presenting about women’s philanthropy at a general fundraising conference in 2012. I felt deflated after the session ended. First – there were only 20 people in the room set for 75, when other tracks had people spilling out the doors. This was an analog version of Facebook “likes” and my topic clearly wasn’t […]
Trust is Critical for Women’s Philanthropy
Of the five trends that the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) shared for 2022 and beyond, one jumped out at me: Trust-based philanthropy. Jeannie Sager, WPI Director, noted that based on their research, Trust is a 6th T and should be added to the five that represent the holistic approach taken by many women philanthropists. It […]
Celebrating and Reflecting on Women’s Philanthropy
As 2022 begins, I have a special gift for you. It’s not something you can find in stores or online. Nor is it a gift you’ll want to return. Rather, after more than 25 years of working in and growing women’s philanthropy, I want to give you a state of the field. I write not […]
Focus groups accelerate women’s giving
Why did Tufts University conduct 9 focus groups of women stakeholders this year, while Bowdoin College did 5 early this summer, Furman University did 6 last year and Elon University is about to conduct 4 this fall? They know the power of deeply listening to women’s feedback to learn what resonates with all those who […]
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 […]
Deep Listening Will Grow Women’s Support
The second of six key principles that make women’s philanthropy work is “Women’s Input is Key.” Furman University (a mid-sized liberal arts university in South Carolina) took this to heart and has had extraordinary early results. They invited 21 accomplished women for an initial conversation about growing women’s support for Furman and have since increased […]
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 […]
What Is Uniquely Mine to Do?
I’m deeply worried and feeling overwhelmed. The COVID-19 variants keeps me second guessing any in-person visits, the fires, heat and flooding underscore that climate change affects us all but particularly those most impoverished, and the chasms in our economic recovery continue to affect women, especially women of color, more severely and disproportionately. How do I, […]
As Women Surge in Leadership and Philanthropy, Are They Among Your Top Fundraising Priorities?
With the election drawn to a close, it is undeniable that women were pivotal in this critical moment in our democracy. We now have the first woman, and a woman of color, for the second highest position in our country. The Ms. Foundation put together a list of historic victories for women on the local, state and national level. […]