Report Analyzes Philanthropy Trends Over Two Decades Through a Gender Lens

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy released Women Give 2024: 20 Years of Gender & Giving Trends, a comprehensive study exploring how women’s philanthropy has evolved in response to societal and economic changes—including the COVID-19 pandemic. While the report highlights women’s resilience in giving, it also reveals how the pandemic reversed long-standing trends in philanthropy, presenting new challenges for women donors and the organizations they support.

Based on data from the Philanthropy Panel Study—the largest longitudinal study of philanthropy in the U.S.—Women Give 2024 analyzes giving patterns among women and men from 2000 to 2020, including the “declining donors” phenomenon, a steady decrease since the Great Recession in the share of U.S. households that participate in charitable giving. The Women Give 2024 findings underscore the importance of understanding how societal shifts and economic instability impact men’s and women’s giving differently, providing nonprofit leaders with actionable insights to re-engage donors in a rapidly changing landscape.

Key Findings Include:

• Resilience in Giving: While the “declining donors” phenomenon is true for both men and women from 2000 to 2020, the decline started later and was less pronounced for single women compared to single men.
• Adaptability During Crisis: While the average dollar amount given by donor households has been relatively steady between 2000 and 2020, single women’s giving increased overall and to secular causes during the COVID-19 period, compared to single men.
• Pandemic-Era Shifts: Single women’s giving participation declined during COVID-19, but their average giving amounts increased. This indicates that women’s giving rates were more resilient prior to COVID-19, and that their giving during 2020 reversed a long trend of single women’s giving declining at a less severe rate compared to single men.
• Economic Challenges: Women who lost earnings during the COVID-19 pandemic were less likely to give to charity, appearing less resilient in their giving than single men or married couples who lost earnings during the pandemic.

A Changing Philanthropic Landscape
The study situates its findings within the broader context of societal shifts, including delayed marriage, declining birth rates, and the growing importance of women’s incomes to family economic stability. These trends, coupled with the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women, have reshaped how women engage in philanthropy.

“Women donors demonstrate extraordinary resilience and adaptability, even in the face of unprecedented challenges,” said Jacqueline Ackerman, Interim Director of WPI and lead author of the report. “Women’s giving not only supports immediate needs but also addresses systemic issues, making them key drivers of the future of philanthropy.”

Implications for Nonprofits and Policymakers
The report identifies practical strategies for nonprofits to both strengthen connections and re-engage women donors post-pandemic, such as creating opportunities for meaningful involvement, emphasizing transparency, and recognizing nontraditional forms of giving like mutual aid. It also underscores the importance of addressing systemic barriers—such as economic instability and childcare challenges—that prevent women from fully participating in philanthropy.

“By studying women’s philanthropy over time, we gain important insights into how economic shifts and external pressures can impact giving behavior. This knowledge enables organizations to build deeper relationships with women donors,” said Una Osili, Ph.D., associate dean for research and international programs at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

By understanding and leveraging the unique behaviors and preferences of women donors, nonprofits and other stakeholders can build a more inclusive and resilient charitable giving environment.

Expanding the Conversation on Women’s Philanthropy
This report is part of WPI’s ongoing commitment to advancing research on women’s philanthropy.

Each year, WPI releases the latest in a series of Women Give reports, exploring unique questions about various factors that shape gender-based giving patterns—including age, religion, income, marital status and more—in order to increase understanding about how gender influences philanthropy.

Download the "Women Give 2024: 20 Years of Gender & Giving Trends" report here.

Source: The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

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