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Observations about women as donors

February 12, 1997; Canadian FundRaiser

Nearly a quarter of women taxpayers earn more than their spouse, according to 1993 Revenue Canada statistics. Additionally, 50,830 women registered incomes of $100,000 or more during that year. The statistics about women's income are nothing new, but they echo a need to revisit our views about women as philanthropists.

Far from showing up at their husband's corporate gala and making pies for the church bake sale, more women are making significant gifts to charity on their own. There is also a growing body of research which suggests that their reasons for and methods of giving are markedly different than those of their male counterparts.

During a panel discussion about women as donors at last year's NSFRE Fund Raising Congress, John Bouza, Betsy Clarke and Doris Smith offered these tips for targeting women donors:

1. Women like to be agents for change. They prefer to support innovative programmes rather than the status quo. Women generally are used to putting the needs of others ahead of their own.

2. Women retain a personal interest in how their donation is used; they expect the charity to be accountable to them for how their money is being spent. They want to have some control over their donation.

3. Women see their gift as a step in an ongoing relationship with the charity. They feel they have established a personal connection and want the charity to keep it alive through shared information.

4. Women take a long time to decide before making what for them might be a significant gift. They may give only after having been involved first as a volunteer, be it on a committee or as a member of the board.

5. Women may not wish to appear to give more than their peer group. Older women are sometimes diffident about public recognition because it will make them stand out from the group. On the other hand, younger women may expect public recognition. Women like private, personal recognition.

6. Women like to feel they belong to a group, a team which is making the world a better place. This may explain why women like to work on special events.

7. Women are more likely than men to make a donation when there is a crisis to be solved.

8. Women's giving is often dependent on their age group. Older women may defer giving decisions to their husbands or accountants. Women who have earned their money will have fewer problems deciding on their own about making a major commitment.

9. Women are apt to make smaller donations than men - this may reflect the "bake sale" mentality that still prevails in Canada.

10. Women do not like to make pledges. They may have to be re-solicited annually. They are uncomfortable in debt; this will also mean that they will fulfill their commitment by the end of a campaign.

11. Women will give more readily when solicited by a woman. Alumnae of women's colleges give more to their alma mater than alumnae of co-ed schools, or all alumni of co-ed schools.

12. Women do not like to be told how much they should give.

13. Women give from the heart.

From material presented by John Bouza, Betsy Clarke, Doris Smith and the panel on women's giving, NSFRE Fundraising Congress, Toronto, November 1996.

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