The relationship between women and philanthropy has evolved significantly over the past 250 years.  Starting in the 1800s, women began aligning their philanthropy with their volunteering – a model that persists today. Early on, many women chose to donate their time to aiding soldiers and their families during times of war and disasters. Providing assistance to widows and children – especially the poor – began to grow in popularity in the 19^th Century and wealthy women were devoted volunteers and donors to these efforts. Typically, however, women’s giving was usually tied to their husbands’ or family’s wealth and was more about “charity” and meeting the needs of the “less fortunate” than addressing the sources of those inequities.

The 1960s brought a significant amount of change and activism around civil rights and anti-war ideologies, changing the face of engagement, volunteering and activism in profound ways. In the 1970s, a number of organizations developed for and by women emerged; organizations that also started to challenge the status quo. At the same time, women were moving into the workforce and sought higher education as a means to better their economic and intellectual standing. Their power to gather together and promote women’s issues and interests increased and their desire to fund their own movements was a powerful motivator.  As the late, great Audre Lorde said:  “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”  Being in control of their own resources was a critical piece of this model for change.

Women’s Philanthropy Today

Today, women own one-third of America’s private businesses and control more than 51 percent of the wealth in the United States. Among the nation’s top wealth holders, 43 percent are women, according to the Treasury Department.

No longer having to rely on spousal or familial resources, women with increased access to personal resources stepped into philanthropy with gusto. A recent study of women’s philanthropy found that women give 3.5 percent of their wealth compared to 1.8 percent for men and that single women are more likely to give to charity than single men. Women also tend to be the decision-makers in their family philanthropy (both individually and for family foundations).  Given this, it is probably not surprising that both married men and married women are more likely to donate than single men.

The Six Cs

But not only are women giving more… they bring a new giving paradigm to their philanthropy. Sondra Shaw-Hardy and Martha Taylor – gurus of women’s giving – developed the six “C”s as a way to summarize women’s motivations for giving. These characteristics of women’s giving have been fundamental to the way that women give as individual donors, and in the development and operation of women’s funds.

#1: Create: Women want to create new solutions to problems. They like to be entrepreneurial with their philanthropy.

#2: Change: Women want to use their money to change the community. They want their giving to make a difference. They’re less interested in providing unrestricted support to preserve the status quo of an organization or institution.

#3: Connect: Women prefer to see the human face their gift affects. They want to build a partnership with people connected with the project they fund.

#4: Commit: Women commit to organizations and institutions whose vision they share.  They often give to an organization for which they have volunteered.

#5: Collaborate: Women prefer to collaborate with others as part of a larger effort.  They seek to avoid duplication, competition and waste.

#6: Celebrate: Women want to celebrate their accomplishments, have fun together, and enjoy the deeper meaning and satisfaction of their philanthropy.

Sondra Shaw-Hardy says that this paradigm of women’s giving has had significant results that she sums up in three additional C’s:

Control: Women are taking control of their lives, their finances and their philanthropy.

Confidence: They have gained the confidence to become philanthropic leaders.

Courage: Women have the courage to challenge the old way of doing things and take risks with their giving to bring about change.

Ours is a rich history of giving, and one that has overcome many obstacles along the way, yet, what makes history useful, and not just an exercise in nostalgia, is how we use what we have learned to shape our future.

Today, we are in greater need of philanthropy than ever and most of us feel competing priorities about what needs our attention.  The truth is, we need many more of our resources –  our time, talent and especially our treasure –  to meet the needs abroad, and right here in our own backyard.  And like so many arenas, in philanthropy we are not fully leveraging the power and solutions that women bring to the table.  History has taught us not to underestimate the talent and resources that women can bring to the table.

Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals

It is estimated that $41* trillion in wealth will be transferred to Baby Boomers over the next forty-five years.  Women will stand to inherit 70 percent of this wealth. That translates to $28.7 TRILLION.  Think about what we could do if we could harness even a fraction of that wealth and put it in the hands of critical change-agents in our communities!

My colleague Donna wrote a blog post where she shared the recent return on investment from out Stepping Stones Initiative (our $270,000 investment yielded returns of $5.9 million!) and challenged us to see what we could do with the Macy’s million dollar makeover.  Taking that challenge one step further, I think about our foremothers who dared to have B.H.A.Gs – big, hairy, audacious goals – and I want us to set our sights even higher! $41 trillion…people!  Just imagine!

Our history is indeed our strength.  It has taught us so much and prepared us for this moment.  How we step into it is up to all of us.  Let’s do our foremothers proud!

*In the interest of transparency, this was the number quoted before the recession, I am not sure what the impact of the economic downturn has been on this estimate.

Nicole Cozier is the Philanthropic Education Officer at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Tags: women, philanthropy, charity, nonprofit, giving

– Nearly 13 percent of D.C. households are struggling with hunger, reports our Grantee Partner DC Hunger Solutions.  4.5 percent of residents are living in households that have “very low food security.”

– In her latest column, The Washington Post’s Petula Dvorak takes a look at two pieces of big news in the District this week: the announcement that Wal-Mart would be opening four stores in D.C. and Council member Marion Barry’s proposal to limit TANF benefits to five years for local residents.

– The Washington Post also reports that many of the 500 people who applied for positions at D.C.’s new IHOP were overqualified for the positions. A large number had also been looking for work for more than six months.

– Carol Trawick has been named 2010 Philanthropist of the Year by the Community Foundation of Montgomery County.  The organization chose Trawick because of her work with more than 90 nonprofits in the county through the foundation she and her late husband started, reports The Washington Post.

Tags: dc, hunger, solutions, food, marion barry, wal-mart, welfare, tanf, ihop, jobs, employment, carol trawick, montgomery county

I have been a professional fundraiser for over 20 years.  I work with non-profit organizations to help them build stronger, more effective fundraising programs.  I love raising money for causes in which I  believe.

When you come down to it, fundraising is about two things: passion and relationships.  In order to be a part of an organization, to give your hard-earned money, you must feel passionate about the cause.  And with that passion, you will develop a relationship to the organization, both with the people doing the work and others who, like you, support the organization because of their passion.  These relationships grow and mushroom over time, bringing more people into the organization’s sphere, thereby bolstering its fundraising abilities.

Like most people, I have a few causes to which I am dedicated.  However, working in the non-profit world and not being a person who comes from wealth, I have a very limited ability to give money in sums that I think will make a real difference.  While I believe in the axiom that every dime counts, I also am a realist and understand that it takes large sums of money from a few dedicated philanthropists to achieve the change we are looking for.

As such, I have never considered myself a philanthropist.  Until now.

On October 14^th, I attended Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s annual Leadership Luncheon. I have attended many of their luncheons since they were founded, including the very first event The Women’s Foundation held a decade ago at which they made their first set of grants to a group of small but effective non-profit organizations helping women and girls in our community.

I have always wanted to be a part of The Foundation, but didn’t know how I could fit in.

Today, Washington Area Women’s Foundation is a giant in the philanthropy community of Washington, DC.  Last year, they gave more than a million dollars in grants to a wide range of organizations, and they sustain a number of programs to engage their donors in their work.  They don’t subscribe to the outdated belief that grant making should be conducted behind closed doors with a few members of a prestigious board making the decisions.  The Women’s Foundation truly believes that philanthropy should be a community project, and invites women from all sectors and strata of our community to participate.

Sitting at my host’s table at the luncheon, listening to one of The Foundation’s Grantee Partners offer a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of how the support of The Women’s Foundation made a difference to one individual, who has subsequently made a difference in the lives of the 1100 individuals sitting in that room, I realized the power of partnership.  The speaker was building a relationship with each one of us listening to her story, and she was compelling the large majority of us to pick up an envelope and give.

I was hooked.  It was the first time in my 20 year+ career as a fundraiser that I felt like I was truly sitting on the other side of the ask, and that someone really needed my help.  It was relationship-building writ large.  But it was also relationship building writ small.

Because I sat there and joined Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s 1K Club.  I am going to give $1,000 over two years so that I can be a part of this work and this movement to help women and girls in our community.  I have worked for many organizations that have focused on women’s issues; now I am going to give back to one as a donor and a volunteer.  I want to be someone who can make a difference.

I want to be a philanthropist.  And Washington Area Women’s Foundation believes that that’s just what I can be.

Karen Paul-Stern is the principal of KPS Development.

Please click here to learn more about the 1K Club.

Tags: karen paul-stern, philanthropy, 1k club, giving, women

– Today, the National Economic Council released the report Jobs and Economic Security for America’s Women. The report “lays out the economic landscape facing women today and details some of the many ways the Administration is committed to making sure the government is working for all Americans and especially American women.”

– Women give significantly more to charity than men, according to a new study from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The study says factors to women’s growing generosity may include: more women are working and their incomes have grown and the percentage of women who earn more than their husbands is about 26 percent.

– Five refurbished parking meters in downtown Silver Spring will give Montgomery County residents another opportunity to help the homeless in their community.  Donations to the meters will go to Shepherd’s Table, a nonprofit homeless center, The Washington Post reports. Advocates for the homeless warn, however, that the meters shouldn’t be expected to replace panhandling.

Tags: women, philanthropy, economy, homeless

– A new Century Foundation report finds that sending students from low-income families to schools in wealthier neighborhoods may be better for student performance. The report, “Housing Policy is School Policy,” looks at Montgomery County’s inclusionary zoning rule, which says that housing developers have to set aside units for public housing.

– Early voting begins today in D.C.  For details on how District resident can cast their ballots before November 2nd, please click here.

– A new Early Childhood Center in Alexandria will give preschoolers a chance to go to class in the same building where they’ll be in Kindergarten and first grade.  The center is being offered by the public school system in Alexandria and is supposed to eliminate the achievement gap that some students face when they enter Kindergarten.  Click here for details.

– The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that there was an 11 percent drop last year in donations to the country’s biggest charities.  It was the worst decline the Chronicle has reported since it began ranking the 400 organizations that raise the most from private sources.

– What role does “culture” play in poverty?  According to The New York Times, some “scholars are… conceding that culture and persistent poverty are enmeshed.”  It’s an idea that has provoked emotional debate in the past.

Tags: women, girls, low, income, education, preschool, school, montgomery, county, alexandria, d.c., early, voting, charity, donatin, philanthropy, poverty

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. For the week ending 9/10/2010: Meet “Girlzilla,” the robot created by a group of young women in New York.  Plus, an initiative by one women’s fund to raise money and awareness.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

·An initiative by the Cincinnati’s Women Fund, 1,000 Women Strong, aims to raise $240,000 in order to create awareness of women’s issues as well as award grants to local women and girls facing homelessness and domestic abuse, as reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

·The New York Times interviews a group of young teens about their robot “Girlzilla,” a project sponsored by the Lower East Side Girls Club, which teaches entrepreneurial and technical skills to girls from low-income families.

·The Times-Picayune profiles Keeshler Pittman, who, in honor of her mother’s dedication to helping the homeless, has opened the New Life Women’s Center to assist abused women and their children.

·Patrick and Libby White, two residents at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, have started a program to educate the homeless on health issues at Gateway 180, the largest 24-hour emergency shelter for single women and families in Missouri, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

– Tune in to the Kojo Nnamdi Show this afternoon to hear Capital Area Asset Builders’ (a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner) Savings Program Director discuss economic security during the “Great Recession.”  Emily Appel will be on WAMU 88.5 at around 1 p.m.

– Deans from local private high schools will get together in October to discuss a crackdown on relationship violence after one former prep school student was allegedly killed by another.  The meeting is in response to the May beating death of 22-year-old University of Virginia student Yeardley Love.  Her former boyfriend has been charged with her murder.

– 40 billionaires have committed to the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half of their money to charitable causes.  Can those of us who aren’t billionaires follow their examples?  Philanthropic Capital Advisors’ Stephanie Risa Stein says “charitable giving is a basic value for everyone, not only for the wealthy….”

Tags: recession, capital, area, asset, builders, philanthropy, domestic, violence, yeardley, love

– Should nonprofits focus on selling goods to generate revenue in addition to bringing in charitable gifts?  While some say this is the model will work, Simone Joyaux at The Nonprofit Quarterly warns that there’s a big difference between a customer and a philanthropist.

– The Department of Health and Human Services will provide $25 million more to help states buy medications for people with HIV and AIDS.  Waiting lists for the medications have reached record levels due to the large number of Americans without health insurance right now.  Advocates for these patients say the $25 million will not be enough.

– Washington D.C.’s blood supply is critically low.  Because of the shortage, the D.C. Council is considering legislation that would allow 16-year-olds to donate blood with parental permission.  Click here for more.

Tags: washington, dc, women, girls, hiv, aids, medications, blood, supply, low, donate, philanthropy, nonprofit

When giving back to the community, many people feel great about what they do. They’re very proud of themselves and believe it will come back to them. However, when seeing a homeless man or woman, some people debate on whether they should give that person money.

Why think twice?

I’ve heard people say, “all homeless people do when someone gives them money is spend it on drugs or alcohol.” I believe that isn’t true because when I see someone actually giving that homeless person money, he/she does not stick around to see where the money goes. So how can you tell?

Statistics show that many people become homeless for various reasons, such as lack of affordable housing, physical disability, and/or mental illness. So why does it have to be all about drugs and alcohol? The National Coalition for the Homeless states that only 30% of people in America become homeless from substance abuse.

A homeless person is judged just from the way he/she looks. When I’m out with my friends and they see a homeless man or woman, their first reaction to that homeless person is that he/she was a drug addict or alcoholic. Every fourth Sunday at my church, we go out, feed the homeless, and get to know their stories. From talking to some of the homeless people, many of them were high school drop-outs or their family didn’t care for them. So how can you judge someone you don’t know? Homeless people require long-term support, rather than condemnations.

Homeless people want to live ordinary lives like everyone else. They want a nutritious meal. They want a comfortable place to lay their heads every night. So why not give them money to support those needs? Some people may choose to give money directly to a homeless person. Others might feel more comfortable giving to a nonprofit that they know will provide the long-term support people need. Still other people may prefer a combination of both.

I asked Michael Stoops, director of community organizing at the National Coalition for the Homeless, whether or not it’s bad to give money directly to someone who asks for it. He told me that giving is a personal decision – it’s all about what you feel comfortable with, and he sometimes gives money to people on the street.

I intern at Washington Area Women’s Foundation, which helps women and girls thrive through philanthropy. We have a list of Grantee Partners that help many different types of people. Some help the homeless because there’s a great need for those services among women. Studies have shown that out of the population of single, homeless adults, 25 percent are women. Women make up 65 percent of the population of homeless adults with children. To help these families out, The Women’s Foundation collaborates with a non-profit organization that’s called SOME (So Others Might Eat). “So Others Might Eat” is the only interfaith, community-based organization in the District of Columbia that offers a comprehensive, holistic approach to caring for the homeless and extremely poor citizens of our city.

Great organizations like SOME encourage me to donate to nonprofits. However, it can be difficult to say “no” when someone in need approaches me on the street, especially now that I know the major causes of homelessness. In the future, I plan on doing both: supporting nonprofits that can help in the long-term, but also helping people who are just trying to figure out where their next meal will come from.

What do you think? Do you feel comfortable giving money to people on the street? Please leave a comment below.

Photo credit: Ed Yourdon via Creative Commons

Freedonia is an intern at Washington Area Women’s Foundation who enjoys writing blogs and hopes to write many more.

Tags: women, girls, assistance, Washington Area Women's Foundation, Freedonia Dolberry, homeless, donating, charity, shelter, drugs, alcohol, substance abuse, mental illness, physical disability, housing, community, give back, National Caolition for the Homeless, high school, drop out, support, nonprofit, Michael Stoops, So Others Might Eat, Grantee Partners, poor, DC

In today’s rundown: Solutions for the high cost of child care.  |  Promising new legislation that will invest in community colleges.  |  The impact of women’s philanthropy.

– For some local parents, the cost of quality child care can account for up to 60 percent of their annual incomes.  While subsidies do exist to help offset the costs, they’re often not enough.  Hyesook Chung, executive director of D.C. Action for Children talks about options.  Click here to listen to what she has to say.

– President Obama spoke to students at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria where Jill Biden teaches English.  The president was there to discuss new legislation that will revamp the federal student loan program and invest billions of dollars into community colleges around the country.  Click here for details.

– The Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner Borromeo Housing Inc. is featured in this video story about women’s philanthropy and its impact worldwide.  Borromeo Housing operates Elizabeth House, the program featured in the piece.  Elizabeth House is an education-first residential program for homeless adolescent mothers.

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below.  Or join us at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

Photo credit: Editor B via Creative Commons

Tags: washington, maryland, virginia, child, care, costs, women, girls, children, subsidies, northern virginia community college, women moving millions, borromeo housing, elizabeth house, homeless, teen, mothers