What Women Want

“A woman wants to know what the outcome is going to be and the impact of her giving,” Woolbright notes. “Men, of course, can be effective philanthropists and donors. It’s simply understanding the difference.”

More likely to volunteer
Some 44 percent of adults surveyed by national nonprofit coalition Independent Sector for its study, “Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001,” volunteered with a formal organization in 2000. When it came to gender differences, women were more likely to have volunteered than were men (46 percent and 42 percent, respectively).

And according to the Center for Women’s Business Research, a nonprofit research and leadership development foundation, women who own businesses participate in volunteer activities at a significantly higher rate than the average adult and the average business owner in the United States. CWBR’s late 1990s report, “Giving Something Back: Volunteerism Among Women Business Owners in the U.S.,” says nearly eight in 10 women business owners spend time volunteering, and a majority encourage their employees to do so as well. What’s more, 65 percent of women who volunteer spend time helping a community-related charity. Other charities that women business owners volunteer for include education-related (35 percent), religious (28 percent), health- or disease-related (21 percent) and the arts (19 percent).

“Women have a desire to make a difference rather than preserving the status quo,” Hall says. “Women place high value on their involvement and the creative process to develop charitable solutions.”

Gifts from the heart
Many experienced fundraisers who cultivate large donations have found that male and female donors who are responsible for their own wealth are more likely to leverage their money for recognition and status. But incentive-based campaigns and rewards for giving might not be appropriate for most women contributors.

“Women will say, ‘Don’t spend your money on [a gift]. Put it toward the organization’” Woolbright says. “If you are going to recognize women at giving levels, it has to be something that’s personal and unique.”