Women's Philanthropic Leadership

At the recent Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference in San Diego (where Martha Taylor was awarded the Professional Fundraiser of the Year) Martha and I presented a program, “Moving Women’s Philanthropic Leadership Forward.” 

We were able to “coattail” onto Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, urging women to step up and in and be leaders.  But we went straight to the source: the organizations and institutions to show them why it is important to have women in leadership positions.  Martha and I developed:

Six Compelling Reasons to Bring Women to the Board Table

1.     Financial capital

Over 50% of the nation’s wealth is currently held by women

2.     Values

Family, peace, a better world, compassion, and social justice

3.     Intellectual capital

Women outnumber men in college and with advanced degrees

4.     Leadership styles

Collaboration, relational

5.     Altruism

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute research indicates that women are more altruistic than men.

6.     Spouse and friends

In nearly 90 percent of high net worth households, women are either the sole decision maker or an equal partner in decisions about charitable giving.  Women like to give collectively, with other women.

Bring women to the table: it makes (sense/cents) and “it pays.”