Girls and Boys Charitable Giving

If you haven’t already seen the new research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) on Charitable Giving by Girls and Boys, do order it.  It is another in the excellent Women Give series.

The report includes ways to raise children to be more charitable and gets to the question: “Is philanthropy taught or caught?”

I was surprised to find that talking to children about charity has a greater impact on children’s giving than role modeling alone, and that it is equally effective regardless of the child’s gender, race and age.

As a co-founder with Martha Taylor of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, it is extremely heartening to see the research and programmatic results of the Institute moving to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.  WPI is now part of the new Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the report was made in partnership with the United Nations Foundation.  I highly recommend it and the other Women Give reports as well and particularly congratulate Debra Mesch, Professor and Director of WPI and Andrea Pactor, Associate Director.  They have been the heart and soul of WPI as well as the engine and tracks.  Bravo!

Why Aren't Women Paid as Much as Men?

An article in the October3, 2013 Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that women are rare in the ranks of top-earning nonprofit CEO’s.  Why is that?  Sheryl Sandberg of Lean In would no doubt say that women aren’t demanding more; they aren’t speaking up. 

I think it’s also because women who are in the non-profit sector are there because they care deeply about the cause, be it an international organization such as United Way, a small community organization, or a university.  In the same article, Brian Gallagher, CEO of United Way says, “Research shows women are more inclined to advocate for their beliefs…to make a difference.” I believe it is difficult in most cases to feel that way about a corporate career.  The for-profit sector is quite different.  The product may not be a person’s passion, but it is their paycheck. 

My granddaughter got a very high paying corporate job right out of college.  She likes the job OK, she says but is looking forward to the day when she can work in the non-profit rather than for-profit sector and for something she really cares about.  Of course at a much lower salary. 

When writing our last book, Women and Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World, I interviewed a top executive with a major corporation.  She was all for the idea of making lots of money in the corporate sector so she could give it away. Not such a bad idea. 

I’m not saying that it’s right women aren’t making top dollars as CEO’s of nonprofits compared to men.  But I do think our gender and our values play a part in the equation.   Ultimately, the solution is for society to recognize the worth of those values.