Women's Management and Women's Philanthropy

Debra L. Lee, chairwoman and chief executive of the BET Networks

Is there a connection between the ways women manage in the corporate world and the ways women give philanthropically?  My colleague, Martha Taylor and I have always believed there is.  Research going back to Sally Helgesen's 1990 book, The Female Advantage, talks about why more women and needed in the corporate world because of their special qualities such as non-hierarchical, collaboration, listening skills and yes, even nurturing.

In the Sunday, March 28, 2010 New York Times, these same skills were listed by Debra Lee in an interview in the Business Section titled, "Sometimes You Have to Say 'My,' Not 'Our'" written by Adam Bryant.  Ms. Lee is very open about what she went through going from general counsel to C.O.O. and describes what most of us have found when doing so, "It can be lonely at the top."

But more than that, Lee talks about the differences between how women and men lead and says,  "...women listen more, are more consensus builders and less dictators, and more compassionate."  She adds that not all women or men are the same--haven't we all had bad and good experiences with both? But she points out there are, "...general differences, and we need more women as C.E.O.'s to prove that their way to manage is O.K.  Just what we think about women and philanthropy.  We need more women to show that their way of giving is not only OK, but "the way" of giving.

Women, Documentaries and Philanthropy

Sheila Johnson at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival

While doing research for a recent presentation in Baltimore about the 6 C's of women's giving motivations plus 3, I used philanthropist Sheila Johnson as an example of the 9th C - Courage.  Sheila's courage resulted in a 2008 documentary, A Powerful Noise, about three women who were reaching across old ethnic divides to heal post-war tensions in order to create jobs for women in her community.  The documentary features a Vietnamese AIDS activist, a girl’s advocate from Mali, and a woman in Bosnia-Herzegovina.


Sheila said she made this documentary because, "People tend to ignore something unless they see that it's going on with their own eyes.  I really believe documentaries are going to be the new wave of the future because I think we’re in a transition phase in terms of technology. Well-told stories are powerful because they bring action.

In the past, I spent a lot of time going up to Capitol Hill, trying to convince congressmen and senators to pass legislation to alleviate global poverty. I have no doubt that if we simply went up there and showed them this film on global poverty, their reaction would be, “Okay. This is a no-brainer. Let’s pass the bill.” The link is http://www.apowerfulnoise.org/

Then earlier this week, Jacki Zehner's blog, Purse Pundit, mentions a documentary made by Abigail Disney called Pray the Devil Back to Hell that chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. 


How exciting that women have not only the courage, but the capital and confidence to get into this medium and take their causes very public.  


Stories have always played an important part in women's lives and taking them to the big screen is a wonderful idea.  There has to be a connection between women making documentaries and Kathryn Bigelow's academy award for the Hurt Locker.  I found the movie quite disturbing but that was the idea behind it.  War is hell.  And it surely seemed that it was filmed like a documentary.  Now, let's make sure that smaller but equally important films like Abigail and Sheila's are shown locally as well as nationally.  
The link to Pray the Devil is http://www.praythedevilbacktohell.com/v3/
  

Women and Men: Investing and Giving

An article in The New York Times Sunday, March 14, 2010 issue caught my attention.  It was titled, "How Men's Overconfidence Hurts Them as Investors," and reminded me of the oft-mentioned question, "What if the Lehman Brothers Had Been the Lehman Sisters?"  Would the Lehman sisters have been such risk takers as to have helped cause the recent downturn in our economy?

According to John Ameriks, head of Vanguard Investment Counseling and Research and a co-author of a recent study by Vanguard, "Male investors, as a group, appear to be overconfident." Perhaps in the uncertain market of the past few years, greater caution might have been advantageous.

The Vanguard study went on to conclude that during the recent financial crisis, men were more likely than women to trade--and to do so at the wrong times.  In another study in 2001 titled, "Boys Will Be Boys: Gender, Overconfidence and Common Stock Investment," more than 35,000 households and their investing behavior were analyzed and men traded stocks nearly 50 percent more often than women.  The Times article written by Jeff Somer, says this added trading drove up the men's costs and lowered their returns.  "Numerous studies show that men are more prone to make this particular mistake than women," says Somer.

One can only wonder what might have happened during the economic downturn at our institutions and organizations if there were more women on boards, financial committees and as advisors? What would endowments and investments have looked like if more women had seats at the tables?  Would there have been a better return with women involved?

You may ask, what does all this have to do with philanthropy?  Well, we know that it takes more time for women than men to make a decision about giving.  But once she's given, she remains loyal, just as when she invests.  Yes, there is a great deal of relationship between investing and philanthropy.  And gender makes a difference in both.  Most large financial firms understand this and have been focusing on those differences and on women in particular.  So too should non-profits.  Not only because women make up over half of the U.S. population and control over half of the money, but because it seems women are better investors as well.

Bolder Giving in Extraordinary Times

Anne Ellinger has created a discussion about women's philanthropy called "Women and Philanthropy--What do you Think?" on her interactive blog available at www.boldergiving.com.  After going to that page, look for the interactive site.  Anne started the column with comments about the course sponsored last week by the Women's Philanthropy Institute and the New York Times Knowledge Network, "Women and Philanthropy: The Time is Now."  I have entered some comments as has Margaret May Damen, author of Women, Wealth and Giving. The course forum moderated by Lisa Witter was extremely interesting and her questions and the panel answers very revealing and often not before discussed.   Do check out the site and add your own comments about either the course or women's philanthropy generally.

Cyber Talk and Women's Philanthropy

Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz is the dynamo behind the Howard County Women's Giving Circle in Columbia, Maryland.  She's also a Gen X'r and knows all about ways to approach women using the Internet.  A couple of weeks ago the Circle celebrated its 9th birthday with a Power of the Purse celebration event.  It was attended by over 200 women and they do know how to celebrate.  I was fortunate to be the keynote speaker but the real focus was on what the Circle had accomplished in its nine years and the difference it has made in the community.  Buffy has described all that was done to make this event a success and agreed to share it with everyone at:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs083/1011061323680/archive/1103173478784.html

The event featured purses created by local artists to represent the 6 C's + 3 of women's giving: Create, change, commit, connect, collaborate and celebrate plus control, confidence and courage.  

"Philanthropy as an Expression of Feminism: Aligning a Traditionally Masculine Concept with a Decidedly Feminist Ideal"

I met Betsy Duncan Diehl two weeks ago at a Power of the Purse event in Columbia, Maryland.  She came up after my presentation and introduced herself and told me about the paper she is writing to complete her Master of Arts in the Humanities degree.  I was fascinated by the topic as well as the writer.

Before me stood this lovely, statuesque young woman who could have been a model in addition to the director of annual giving at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.

Betsy plans to have the paper completed sometime next month and said she would be happy to share it with you.  Her email address is: diehl@hood.edu.  But I just couldn't resist including the final section of her proposal to show how exciting her research will be for all of us interested in this important topic of women and philanthropy.

"I will use my concluding section of my research paper to reiterate the parallels discovered between philanthropy and feminism and explain the significance of this pairing in terms of professional fund raising. I will offer suggestions and recommendations as to how this research can translate into devising a more targeted and successful approach to engaging female donors with philanthropic organizations in a mutually beneficial partnership. I expect to discover that viewing philanthropy as an expression of feminism is not only beneficial to women, but rather beneficial to society at large due to the possibility of engaging a broader segment of the population in an activity that was once reserved for an elite group of patriarchal benefactors."

Women and Philanthropy: The Time is Now

I was honored to take part in the course sponsored on by the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University and the New York Times Knowledge Network last week.  It was an incredible journey from the earliest beginnings of women's philanthropy to the present and featured scores of interviews with women philanthropists and practitioners.

Some of the featured speakers were Jennifer Buffett, Jacki Zehner, Ellen Remmer, Barbara Dopkin, Sara Gould, Deborah Tannen and so many, many others who shared their wisdom as well as their doubts, their theories and their practices, but most of all, their joy of philanthropy.

I urge all of you to consider signing up for the course online by contacting Andrea Pactor at the Women's Philanthropy Institute.  It is by far the most comprehensive treatment of this incredible subject and well worth the small amount of money it costs.  Not only are there videos of speakers being interviewed by Lisa Witter, but a thorough syllabus and online activities as well.  Congratulations to all involved, especially Debra Mesch, Executive Director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute and Associate Director, Andrea Pactor.  It's a "Wow!"

Women and Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World

By Sondra Shaw-Hardy and Martha Taylor
With Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz

(Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint)

Coming to book stores this fall.

Excerpted from the preface:

Women and philanthropy, women’s philanthropy: how the meaning of those words has changed. When one of us, Martha Taylor, began talking about the subject in 1988, people often looked confused. Some even said that “women and philanthropy” was an oxymoron. Many others believed philanthropy was strictly associated with men because it was men who had the money. If women gave at all, it was to what their husbands or their families gave. So they said. From both her academic and practical perspectives, Martha knew that something was wrong with this philanthropic picture. Were women not giving? If so, why was that?

            She began asking questions: Why weren’t women giving to their universities in the same numbers they were represented as students and alumna? Why were so many more men than women in positions of leadership within advancement? Why were so few buildings, programs and scholarships named after women? Why were schools of liberal arts, education, human ecology, social services and nursing not being funded to the same degree as business, engineering and athletics? Martha asked co-author Sondra Shaw-Hardy, a fundraising colleague in Madison, Wisconsin, to help her learn more. Together we set out to find answers.

            We interviewed hundreds of women philanthropists and development officers throughout the country, conducted numerous focus groups and presented to scores of community and national organizations and institutions. The result, at the urging of Martha’s mother, Esther Hougen Taylor, was our first book, Reinventing Fundraising: Realizing the Potential of Women’s Philanthropy, published in 1995 by Jossey-Bass.

The Bold New Philanthropy

Philanthropy has changed a great deal in the last two decades. Even a few years ago, scarcely anyone was talking about passion, values, vision and responsibility. Now those terms and usage are commonplace. Now they mean women’s philanthropy. In effect, women’s philanthropy has led the way and “reinvented” fundraising.

            But some still don’t understand that “women’s philanthropy” is no contradiction in terms. Too often women are still not taken seriously as philanthropists; and when they are, the ways women are approached to give don’t take into account how women give and what they care about.

            We felt called upon to address these continuing issues, to spread an understanding that women now make up more than half the population and are perhaps the largest of their donor constituencies. We feel there’s a need to update the concepts of fundraising that best appeal to women and will lead to the creation of more women philanthropic leaders.

            Add to this that most nonprofit computer systems are designed to credit only one donor—the man. And finally, women’s philanthropy has not yet become a mainstream term meaning, “shaping a better world.”

            We also turned up other topics that people also wanted explored:

What is behind the women’s philanthropy movement?

In what ways have women changed philanthropy?

Has women’s philanthropy brought about social change? In what ways?

How can women donors’ loyalty be maintained after a gift has been made?

What ethnic and cultural differences are important in women’s giving? How are younger generations of women giving?

How can non-profit institutions develop more women donors and what does that mean to their future?

Are women accepting the power of their new status as philanthropic leaders?

How should women be encouraged to become philanthropic leaders and to encourage others to become leaders as well?

What might the world look like if women’s philanthropy was the accepted way for everyone to give?

            Once again we set out after answers, approaching colleagues in the field, many of whom were working with women donors, developing different approaches and programs and eager to share their results.

            Women philanthropists themselves were also extremely forthcoming. They talked to us about the joy they received from giving and the responsibility they felt to give to their communities, nation and the world. They shared stories quite different from ones we heard in the 1990s.

            This time around, women were anxious to lead the way in philanthropy and to educate, inspire and encourage others as well. They were happy to be recognized for their gifts—to be role models for others. They had become bold about their philanthropy, not only in terms of large gifts but in daring, dauntless and audacious efforts to make a better world.           

            Much of what we record in Women and Philanthropy will become the norm for all future fundraising. Women’s philanthropy has reinvented fundraising and will continue to do so.

A Tour of the Book

Many, many topics bear on women’s philanthropy—values, passion, compassion, ideals, socialization, generation, gender and experience among them. Appreciating this is important to understanding how best to engage women as donors. We recommend reading Women and Philanthropy in its entirety, starting at the beginning. The chapters group themselves into four general themes: gender differences and potential, how women give and their motivations, reaching women donors and the impact of women’s philanthropy.

            Each chapter includes examples of women philanthropists and their giving  motivations, ways to apply the knowledge gained from each section and concludes with “Takeaways” summarizing the chapter material. 

Acknowledging the Differences: Chapters 1 and 2 —Why women’s philanthropy is different and its importance to the future of nonprofits. 

 Chapter One describes gender differences in women and men’s actions, giving and communicating. Reasons for these differences are discussed as well as strategies to address and recognize these special traits and their importance and benefit to nonprofits.

            Chapter Two documents women’s potential for giving and reviews the expansion of women in the workplace, their economic gains, increased career choices and educational achievements. This chapter describes how women have taken control of their finances and consequently their lives. It identifies the new woman philanthropist, how much she is giving and where. Chapter Two concludes with how one university invested in women and changed the culture of giving at the institution. 

The How’s and Why’s of Women’s Philanthropy: Chapters 3 through 5 —How women give, what women want, and their characteristics are as donors.

Chapter Three looks at the modern women’s philanthropy movement and the media’s role in creating and shaping it. Stereotypes of women’s giving are detailed with ideas for overcoming any barriers that may still exist. 

            Chapter Four describes the motivations of women givers using the core 6 Cs: create, change, commit, connect, collaborate and celebrate, as well as the 3 new Cs that have resulted from women’s philanthropy: control, confidence and courage. It also suggests how to incorporate the Cs into development efforts.

            Chapter Five features items issues that impact women’s giving, including life stages and life styles, with a particular emphasis on generation. Through stories and case studies from each generation, readers will learn how to approach women “of a certain age.”

Building Bridges to the Other Half: Chapters 6 through 9 — strategies to involve more women in philanthropic leadership and build life long relationships and loyalties.

Chapter Six contains important information about how to assess an organization’s readiness to better engage women donors: development office strategies; successful methods to reach women through the annual fund, major gifts, planned giving and other fundraising programs; and prospecting for women donors.  

            Chapter Seven describes the qualities that women bring to philanthropy and how those qualities can benefit nonprofits.  The importance and benefits of including women in nonprofit leadership positions are contained in the chapter as well as suggestions for developing women leaders and philanthropists.

            Chapter Eight is all about women’s philanthropic program development. The focus is on women’s philanthropic initiatives in higher education and giving circles.  Explanations are provided of how the philosophies and characteristics of these programs are applicable to all other nonprofits as well.

            Chapter Nine examines the five stages of women’s philanthropic journey and how women view nonprofits at each stage. A particular focus of the chapter is on donor education. A complete syllabus is provided using “best practices” and showing how best to present this new financial and philanthropic program to women.

The Future of Philanthropy: Chapters 10 and 11 — the impact and future of the women’s philanthropy movement.

Chapter Ten looks at how bold women are elevating philanthropy to new levels.  Special attention is on women’s funds and increasing diversity in women’s philanthropy.  New iterations of women’s giving are described as well as how they occurred: the women, the cause and the result.

            Chapter Eleven addresses the need to institutionalize women’s philanthropy and speculates about how the world might look if women working together and with nonprofits used their particular traits, power and philanthropy to address the bracing issues of today. 

Who Will Want to Read Women and Philanthropy

The book is intended for all those wanting to know more about philanthropy. It will appeal to all genders, races and diverse communities. It will be of particular interest to development officers, philanthropists, volunteer fundraisers, staff and board members of nonprofit organizations, foundations and corporate executives, fundraising consultants, women’s organizations, computer software firms, marketers, politicians and government officials, educators and anyone interested in the status, roles, responsibility and power of women in American society.