Congratulations Ellen Remmer

I recently wrote about the launch of a women’s foundation in Dublin, Ireland and had no idea that Ellen Remmer, a friend and champion of women’s philanthropy, was a speaker until seeing a report in a Dublin newspaper article  about the meeting and Ellen’s presence.

Along with the president of Ireland, Mary McAleese who also spoke, who could be a better advocate for women’s philanthropy and women’s issues than Ellen. She is the president and CEO of The Philanthropy Institute (TPI) in Boston and active in her family’s foundation that supports helping disadvantaged girls take charge of their lives. 

Ellen has always been a strong supporter of women and philanthropy and has advanced it in her own competent and confident way; both quietly and effectively. She also serves on the Council of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

In an interview conducted while Ellen was in Dublin, she said that regardless of which charities or causes one supports, she is adamant that it’s not just those with money who can make a difference.

‘‘Money is a powerful tool and gives you a place at the table and allows you the flexibility to do things, but the thing I have learned is that it is about deciding you are empowered to be able to change things.

‘It is just easier if you have money, but in fact, we all can play that role. Money is just a tool, but just giving money without the rest of the package is not going to be very powerful.

‘That’s part of what strategic philanthropy is - you are getting smarter and smarter about an issue, you know the right people to bring into it and that’s how you get the leverage."

You can read more about Ellen on her blog. 

The Power of the Purse and Vera Bradley

Until now this blog has been about The Power of the Purse meaning the power women have to give philanthropically from their increased earnings and control of wealth.  But what about the power of women’s spending?  With women making 80 percent of the nation’s purchases, what does the Power of the Purse represent in the consumer market?  What should it represent?

When making our purchases as the world’s largest economy (yes, author Tom Peters did say women were the world’s largest economy), I think we should ask these six questions that I call:

Six Spending Requirements From the Power of My Purse:

1.        How many women are on the corporation’s board?

2.        What charitable efforts does the company support?

3.        What does the corporation do to help women and girls?

4.        How is the corporation working to increase women’s roles in management and corporate executives?

5.        Does the company have a plan for increasing diversity?

6.        How is the corporation collaborating with others to further philanthropy?

Women's Power of the Purse is enormous.  Just as in our philanthropy, we can have an incredible impact on the corporate world; helping them see our way of thinking and living as the best way. 

One company that does just that is Vera Bradley.  Begun in 1982 in their basements by Patricia Miller and her friend Barbara Bradley Baekgaard (shown above), and named for Barbara's mother who died of breast cancer, Vera Bradley Designs is now a global empire.  In 1998, a Vera Bradley Foundation was established which created the Vera Bradley Center for Breast Cancer research and its Chair in Oncology. www.verabradley.org.  So in fact, Vera Bradley represents both sides of the Power of the Purse: philanthropy and corporate awareness. 

I personally buy Vera Bradley purses because they’re pretty, not terribly expensive and the company passes the Six Spending Requirements: 

§  4 of six board members are women

§  the company supports research for breast cancer research

§  this research helps women and girls

§  Vera Bradley is very supportive of diversity  

§  although I couldn’t find what the company specifically does to increase women’s roles in management and as corporate executives, more than 60 percent of their staff are women  

§  Vera Bradley has joined forces with both Aetna and MassMutual to battle breast cancer  

A score of 5.5 out of 6 is enough for me to proudly carry my Vera Bradley bag(s) because I know my “power of the purse” counts.  And I can also spot others in airports and on the street whom I know feel the same way about Vera Bradley and what it represents to us as women: caring and giving.

"Women, Wealth & Giving"

Recently, I spent the day reading Margaret May Damen and Niki Nicastro McCuistion’s  new book, Women Wealth and Giving: the Virtuous Legacy of the Boom Generation.”  Margaret May had given me the book in January with a sweet inscription inside and I had looked at various parts of it but never actually read it from beginning to end.  My impressions as I reflect on it today are that I am so sorry I missed being a boomer, and that anyone who cares about women and philanthropy should have this book. 

It seems we all like to relate to something in which we see ourselves and the details in this book about being a boomer are not only profound, but they are vastly entertaining as well.   For instance they write, "In the 1960s, we knew we could not trust anyone over 30, yet as the flower children who had issued that warning found careers, got married, and raised children or chose alternate lifestyles, we assimilated into the very system we had rebelled against.” 

I am always looking for new phrases and quotes to use when speaking, as well as new subjects or ways or expressing old ideas, and they are all are bountiful in this book.  A plethora of sources were used and I highlighted and turned down dozens of pages to use in future speeches and writing.  Being a wealth planner, Margaret May has included an abundant number of invaluable exercises, centering around women finding their values and turning those values into philanthropy.

Although I do not know Niki well, I first met Margaret May several years ago in Indianapolis at a women and philanthropy symposium put on by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.  Over the years we would occasionally run into one another at various meetings and conferences and then during the last couple of years, we often exchanged thoughts about writing a book--the discipline required, the long days and nights, the loneliness, and the joy of finishing.  Her book was published in January and ours will be out in September.  We have been assured by our shared publishers that the books will be marketed together. 

Our books do share the same topic: women and philanthropy, but are quite different in the information contained and genuinely enhance and complement one another.  I am proud to be Margaret May’s friend and colleague and extremely proud of her contributions to this amazing movement of women and philanthropy.  Bravo Margaret May!

Dining For Women & Marsha Wallace

I first met Marsha in 2008 in Washington D.C. when we on a panel for the Giving Circles Network at the National Press Club.  Her energy, enthusiasm and vision for Dining for Women (DFW) was contagious.  So much so that she has grown the organization from one dinner in 2003 with 20 women attending and $750 raised, to $285,000 raised in 2009 from over 3,000 women in 160 chapters throughout the United States. 

Dining for Women vows to “change the world, one dinner at a time.”  These potluck dinners are held at women’s homes and the women donate what they would have spent for dinner at a restaurant.  The money is then distributed to non-profits in developing countries.  Marsha says that most of the members are already giving in their own communities and diversifying their philanthropy through DFW.

In the booklet, Women’s Giving Circles: Reflections from the Founders I wrote last year for the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, I included Marsha and her great story that combines Marsha with a woman from Ethiopia, Oprah Winfrey and the Today Show.  You can find the booklet (look for page 23) under research on the Women’s Philanthropy Institute website: http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/womensphilanthropyinstitute/.

When asked why DFW give only to women and girls internationally, Marsha points out what Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide states, 

"The oppression of women worldwide is the human rights cause of our time. And their liberation could help solve many of the world's problems, from poverty to child mortality to terrorism." 


Check out the Dining for Women website at www.diningforwomen.com and do consider starting a chapter in your city.  DFW also sponsors trips to places they have made grants and recently returned from Kenya where they visited one of the nonprofits they had funded.

Philanthropy, Feminism and the Ford Foundation

A month or so ago I mentioned meeting a wonderful young woman who was writing her thesis on "Philanthropy as an Expression of Feminism" for Hood College in Maryland.  Yesterday I heard from Betsy Diehl that her thesis had not only been accepted but she had received an A from her graduate school committee.  I asked Betsy to write a summary of her thesis and I am proud to include it in this blog.  Should you want to contact Betsy directly, her email address is diehl@hood.edu and I know she would be delighted to share the entire thesis with you.  It is a very different twist on women and philanthropy and quite frankly, one I had never considered.  I'm sure you will find it extremely interesting as well.
From Betsy:

"My research arose from what I have observed over the years as a professional college fundraiser – the fact that some people, particularly women, do not give simply because they do not consider themselves to be philanthropists. I began to suspect that people who felt this way were basing their views on a stereotypical image of philanthropy that has persisted since the days of Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller; i.e., that philanthropy is a masculine pursuit associated with power, money and ego. For those who identify with feminist values, such an interpretation renders philanthropy to be problematic. As a result, those who might otherwise be involved in efforts towards social reform and community uplift choose not to participate in what they perceive to be an oppressive, power-based practice.

Through extensive research, however, I discovered a provocative truth: that philanthropy and feminism are not only aligned, but that philanthropy, in its purest form, may in fact be considered a powerful expression of feminism.

To come to this revelation, I eradicated the stereotypes and whittled down philanthropy and feminism to their cores. In doing so, three key congruent features were revealed. First is the shared desire for social reform. In addition, both recognize the need to challenge and change the existing system in order to fix problems. Finally, there is the overarching requirement of inclusive collaboration between those who are involved in the funding, designing and implementing social reform activities along with those who are directly affected by those efforts.

To test this thesis, I conducted a case study of one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world, the Ford Foundation. This study reveals some significant, and perhaps surprising, truths about using philanthropy to promote feminist objectives. While the Ford Foundation since its inception has been committed to upholding “democratic” values, it has, probably unintentionally, gravitated towards a feminist approach to fulfilling its mission, particularly since the 1970s.

This paper illuminates the fact that understanding philanthropy as a vehicle for expressing feminist objectives has important implications. First, fundraisers may have greater success attracting female donors to their causes if women are comfortable identifying with philanthropy. Additionally, women may have increased opportunities to exercise greater influence on the areas of society that are touched and shaped by philanthropy. Finally, viewing philanthropy as a means to achieve feminist objectives is likely to resonate with the next generation who seek to “be part of something” in order to make a difference in society and the world a better place for all."

Betsy Diehl

Director of Annual Giving

Hood College

Frederick, MD 

How Much is Enough?

Jacki Zehner

A couple of weeks ago, one of my co-author's of Women and Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World, Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, sent a quick question asking what I would recommend for reading for a diverse group of high worth women who have formed an informal discussion group about the topic of philanthropy.  The women want to have a discussion on "how much is enough" - both to have and to give.  Here is an excerpt from our new book about this topic.
     "As for how much money is enough, Linda Basch, president of the National Council for Research on Women says, "For women it's not just the thrill of making money, it's the social purposes that the money can be used for.  What we've seen with some women in our research about women in fund management is that they have a sense of when they've made enough and they cash out."
     Basch points to Jacki Zehner as an example.  In 1996 Zehner was the youngest woman and the first female trader to be invited into the partnership of Goldman Sachs.  After leaving the firm in 2002 at the age of 35, and having done well, she is now committed to doing good through her philanthropy concerning the economic empowerment of women."
I sent Buffy's question out to some friends and the following represent their replies.  

From Anne Ellinger and Bolder Giving

• Download (or order hard-copy) the Bolder Giving Workbook, which has quite a bit about "How Much Is Enough?".  Also, look through the "inspiring stories" section of www.boldergiving.org, especially those with "simplicity" as the motivation.
• More Than Money:  Scroll down the archives to issue #4 "How Much Is Enough?"
• Vicki Robin's website, book, online articles and teleclasses: Your Money or Your Life.
• Kathy LeMay's new book, The Generosity Plan.  
• Kevin and Hannah Salwens book, The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back. 

Jacki Zehner from The Purse Pundit blog recommended:

• Kathy LeMay's new book, The Generosity Plan. 
• Tracy Gary's books, Inspired Legacies. 

Others that I would recommend:

• Margaret May Damen and Niki McCuistion, Women, Wealth and Giving: The Virtuous Legacy of the Boom Generation.
• Lynn Twist's, The Soul of Money.
• Charles W. Collier, Wealth in Families.
• Joanna Krotz, The Guide to Intelligent Giving: Make a Difference in the World--and in Your Own Life.
• Douglas M. Lawson, Give to Live: How Giving Can Change Your Life.
• An older but very wise book is the late Claude Rosenberg, Jr's Wealthy and Wise, How You and America can get the Most our of Your Giving.
• And finally, one that is sure to elicit ideas and dialogue is Amy A. Kass' book, The Perfect Gift: The Philanthropic Imagination in Poetry and Prose.

I surely hope that this list sparks more of these discussions among both women and men of all ages and wages and that you will add more to the list as well.  Perhaps if more of these discussions had gone on, there would be no reason for like limiting CEO pay or financial reform bills.  

I don't mean to leave anyone out but it does seem that athletes, music and film stars do have philanthropic role models but not so corporate executives.  Perhaps they don't get the same kind of attention with their philanthropy as a Bono, Madonna, Magic Johnson or Brad Pitt.  But perhaps it's also time for them to let us know what they are doing to make the world a better place.  Not just through their corporate contributions, but through their personal gifts as well.  Thank you Jacki Zehner for taking the time to step back and think through the question of how much is enough, and then becoming a strong philanthropist.  

Mary McAleese, President of Ireland: Flying With Two Wings

Ireland’s President, Mary McAleese used a rather unique analogy comparing the current economic crisis to being given a bird with two wings and insisting on flying it with one.  Speaking at a Women and Philanthropy symposium in Dublin April 14^th, McAleese said the current economic situation was “pretty much testosterone driven.”   

A “toxic amalgam of cultural norms, stereotypes, laws and attitudes” has excluded women from many spheres over generations and “pulling it apart is still a major work in progress.  We are only at the beginning,” she said.  Wow!  And she’s been president of Ireland since 1997 where, when she was a little girl she was told by a priest that she couldn’t be a lawyer because she was a girl.  She showed him.  Not only did she get her law degree, in 1975 she was appointed Professor of Law at Trinity College. 

Now, I do understand her getting a law degree.  What I don’t understand is that she’s the second woman president Ireland has had (she succeeded the first one and that too was a first in the world, ever).  But Ireland has only had eight presidents.  Conclusion: we are so far behind in the United States.

But back to the subject of women and philanthropy.  The event called “Realizing the Power and Potential of Women in Philanthropy,” was hosted by the Community Foundation of Ireland (CFI) and Philanthropy Ireland.  A new philanthropic Women’s Fund for Ireland was launched at the event and the CFI pledged one hundred thousand pounds to begin the fund.  Another wonderful spread of women’s philanthropy world-wide.

Again, referring to a bird using both its wings, i.e. resources. instead of just one of them, McAleese says, if the “special constituency of private philanthropy by women flourishes, Ireland will flourish.” I take the meaning to be, if women's philanthropy becomes half of all philanthropy in Ireland (which it currently is not), the country will flourish.  Just as others have said in different ways, when women have and give their half, the world will be a better one.

I was also intrigued with the fact that McAleese grew up a Catholic in Northern Ireland in an area that was mostly Protestant.  She first hand saw battles in her neighborhood where her father’s store was hit with machine gun fire and a bomb left for him (instead it killed a young mother).  Not surprisingly, peace is of utmost importance to her.  She encourages “creating a new culture of consensus,” “reconciliation of all classes and creeds,” and quotes her grandmother as teaching her very early to be “respectful of the uniqueness of each person.”

But perhaps the most interesting part of my learning more about McAleese was her take on women’s leadership.  In an interview she gave in 1999, she said women have an advantage because we come to problems conceptually, “quite different from men.”  She believes that women can “seedbed” and aren’t particularly worried about being around for the “full flowering” of their solutions.  This she attributes to the fact that women have been out of the traditional mainstream and have had to look in the nooks and crannies and find ways through very difficult spaces.  This “has been the gift of women to the world,” she says.

An amazing woman who represents the very essence of women's philanthropy as she, "uses the present moment to craft the kind of future I want for my children and for my life.”