Women's Philanthropic Prowress

Martha Taylor and Sondra at our AFP book signing

Four sessions about Women and Philanthropy were held at the annual conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals last week.  Martha and I were there presenting as was the Women's Philanthropy Institute and authors, Margaret May Damen and Nicki McCuistion.  We also had a book signing.

But another session was brought to our attention by Holly Hall (we were delighted she attended our session) from the Chronicle of Philanthropy which she wrote up in the March 22 issue under the headline, "Women Are Becoming Better Prospects for Fundraisers."  The session was conducted by Susan U. Raymond, a New York economist and executive vice president of Changing Our World, a fund-raising consulting company.

Among the data Ms. Raymond presented was:

• Wealth controlled by women in the US and Canada will grow 30 percent by 2014.
• Women now control more than 50 percent of the wealth in Denmark, Finland, France, German, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
• Forty-one percent of all American businesses are owned by women.
• One in 11 American women owns her own business and if these firms were a country, they would be right behind Germany in size. 

As we have always said, women have the money and the intent, they just need to be asked.

AFP Recognizes The Importance of Women's Philanthropy

Three education sessions about one women's philanthropy in one day! That's what's happening at the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP} International Conference on March 22 in Chicago's McCormick Place.  Obviously the topic is resonating internationally, as it should.

From 8 to 9, will be a session titled, "A Case Study in Global Women's Philanthropy in the 21st Century," put on by the Center on Philanthropy and Lions Club International.

At 9:15 Martha Taylor and I will do a session, "Women, Money and Philanthropy" and following that, Margaret May Damen and Niki Nicastro McCuistion will talk about the boomer generation of women in their session, "Women, Wealth and Giving."

Closing the conference that day is President Bill Clinton.  What a day!