Overlooked for hundreds of years for their planned gifts, it has only been in the past decade that women have gained attention in society as philanthropists in their own right. The competition for private support has now focused greater attention on targeting women as prospective planned giving and major gift donors. In this edition of Gift Planner's Digest," Dr. J. Michael Slinker provides a historical and contemporary perspective of women in philanthropy and discusses why women make charitable gifts. Information on marketing planned gifts to women highlights how women can make big differences in philanthropy due to their strong ties to charities.
by J. Michael Slinker, Ed.D.
Dr. J. Michael Slinker is a Senior Marketing and Communications Officer at Humboldt State University, California. He is a veteran practitioner in public relations and fund raising and has been recognized more than 30 times with national and regional awards including the John Grenzebach National Award for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy for Education from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the American Association for Fund-Raising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy. He is a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving and a Certified Fund-Raising Executive with more than 25 years experience in institutional advancement. Dr. Slinker can be reached at slinker@humboldt.edu
This paper was submitted by Dr. Slinker as his practicum in completion of the Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG) certificate at the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies, California State University Long Beach.
Women have made charitable planned gifts in America since the 1600s. But it has only been in the past two decades that women have gained attention in society as philanthropists in their own right. The competition for private support has now focused greater attention on targeting women and ethnic minorities as prospective planned giving and major gift donors.
Abigail Lippincott was one of the earliest women to establish a planned gift for her heirs. A widow "of Shrewsberry In ye County of Monmouth and Province of East Jersey [New Jersey]," she outlined her bequest on March 16, 1697 (Lippincott, p. 15). The bequest of property and money is noteworthy from two standpoints: First, most women prior to that time and up until the 1900s did not have estates that could be passed to heirs. Typically, men passed their estates to their male children with the expectation the child or children would look after their mother. Second, the Abigail Lippincott estate was quite sizable for its time, even for most men.
From the 1690s to the 1760s, Philadelphia's Society of Friends (Quakers) dedicated their lives to the concepts of philanthropy and humaneness. Women seized the ideas to gain "authority as preservers and protectors of Quaker spiritual capital" (Thatcher, 1995, p. 2).
Quaker men named their wives as executors of their estates and together created a system in which assets were used for both testation and spiritual ideals. Margaret Cook's will of 1712 was similar to the one of her late husband in that it conventionally distributed gifts to heirs. The will was also innovative from the standpoint that the eldest son did not receive a double share since distribution fully included gifts to her daughters and granddaughters (Thatcher, 1995).
Thatcher points out that while male members of Philadelphia's Society of Friends provided material and economic estate plans, women focused on spiritual benevolence and the building of community. By the 1750s Philadelphia Quakers had adopted philanthropic principles in a mix of their religious and business activities.
The Philadelphia Ladies Depository, founded in 1832, gave rise to the factors that enhanced the means of poverty-laden women. The depository merged with the Managers of the Philadelphia Exchange for Woman's Work in 1894 to take the next major step in changing attitudes toward the rights of women to seek financial security as well volunteerism by leisure-class women (Waters, 1994, pp. 1-2).
Successful English and Scottish philanthropic organizations became models for Americans in the 1800s, emphasizing self-help and training for poor individuals. By the 1830s volunteerism was flourishing among American women and men with a focus on community and church work (Waters, p. 42-43).
The National Women's Suffrage Association and the American Women's Suffrage Association made important impacts on post-Civil War women's philanthropy and merged to become the League of Women Voters in 1920 (Simari, p.23).
Susan Yohn notes that philanthropy among women was "one in which the act of giving became a badge of citizenship" ( p. 2) and "empowered women at a time when they were otherwise disenfranchised" (p. 7). "Engaging in philanthropy, giving to good causes, became an appropriate form of investment activity for women. Indeed, it became a mark of a woman's respectability" (p. 3).
Prominent women who are contemporary philanthropists include:
Other distinguished women philanthropists (Castle, 2001) include:
Sondra C. Shaw and Martha A. Taylor write in Reinventing Fundraising: Realizing the Potential of Women's Philanthropy (1995, p. 3):
"Whether they inherit, earn, or marry money, women are becoming a powerful financial force, and they are increasingly looking at money as a way to change society for the better."
Some women "have anxiety about being solicited for contributions to crackpot causes, fear of extortion and even of kidnapping" (Bates, 1989, p. 32). Philanthropic efforts of women continue to expand to the present-day. The current interest in women as donors can largely be traced to their acquisition and control of money, once the primary domain of men.
Christine Grumm, Executive Director of the Chicago Foundation for Women, notes that "men have understood for years their economic power to bring about change -- or maintain the status quo. Women have some real answers for problems facing our society, but there is not enough respect for their ideas. The reason is that we have not flexed our muscle enough in terms of money" (Hall, 1997, p. 22).
Kaplan and Hayes (1993, p. 5) maintain that contemporary women do not necessarily give because of their gender, psychology, or culture. Giving for women and men is correlated with a person's view of their financial ability to give, knowing and valuing a charitable organization, and if the individual was asked to make a gift.
Women who make charitable gifts value a participatory relationship with the organization to which they contribute, while men desire recognition and status. At the same time, there has long been a correlation between giving and volunteering among both women and men -- the more active the volunteer, the more charitable giving that occurs (Kaplan and Hayes, 1993, pp. 7-8).
When it comes to making bequests, significantly more women become charitable donors than men. Figures from the Internal Revenue Service (1992) indicate that 59 percent of the women filing estate tax returns in 1992 made a charitable bequest in comparison to 41 percent of the male decedents. According to Kaplan and Hayes (1993, p. 9), such giving is more likely a result of men leaving their estates to their wives. In turn, the wives make charitable bequests. Among individuals making bequests, women generally give the same percentage of their net worth despite the size of their estates.
More women than men earn undergraduate and graduate degrees (The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac, 1997, p. 23) and education is highly correlated with income.
Joseph R. Mixer (1993, p. 14) notes there are three categories of internal motivations and two categories of external influences that are factors in why people give:
Internal motivations include personal factors -- acceptance or self-esteem, achievement, cognitive interest, growth, guilt reduction or avoidance, meaning or purpose of life, spirituality, immortality, personal gain or benefit, and survival. Social factors for giving are status, affiliation, group endeavor, power, family, altruism, and interdependence.
External factors that influence people to give are personal, recognition and social rewards. Additional stimuli for giving include human needs, vision, personal request, private initiative, efficiency and effectiveness, and tax deductions.
Situations that determine why people give include peer pressure, personal involvement, planning and decision making, networks, family involvement, culture role identity, tradition, and disposable income.
To be effective as a philanthropist does not require wealth, but a desire to make a difference by utilizing the strength in numbers of others for a common good. The personal rewards women receive from their philanthropic deeds include altruism, "a sense of self-empowerment, and the reward of feeling part of a larger community -- an association that can improve the present and influence the future" (Shaw and Taylor, 1995, p. 85-86).
Shaw and Taylor (1995) also assert that there are six motivations women have for making a charitable gift:
Appealing to women's emotions in soliciting gifts is only one half of the equation for success. Women desire details -- organizational facts, a clear philanthropic mission, assurance that money is going assist people the organization serves and not high overhead, and a thorough understanding of the programmatic process -- of the organizations they support (Shaw and Taylor, 1995, pp. 96-97). Providing such information creates an understanding that donated funds will be used for their intended purpose. Women also typically want to assist local organizations in order for them to see how their contributions are being used and if the funds truly make a difference.
Shaw and Taylor (1995, p. 98) assert that women invest in charitable organizations in a similar manner to their investments in financial markets and securities. They make four assumptions:
Development professionals can enhance the prospect of charitable contributions from women by focusing on the following (Shaw and Taylor, 1995, p. 102):
Focus groups for the University of California at Los Angeles' Women and Philanthropy Program resulted in the following findings (University of California at Los Angeles, 1992):
Factors frequently cited that do not lead to charitable gifts include a lack of interest or higher priorities by the individual, a lack of belief or commitment in the charitable cause or policies, charitable need has not been demonstrated, financial inability to give, too many mailings, and the wrong person asking for the gift (Mixer, 1993, p. 29-30).
When communicating with women donors, it is important to personalize the solicitation and build rapport by finding out their interests and their tie to the charity. Development professionals should be sure to maintain good eye contact and listen attentively. Women do not respond well to peer pressure in making gifts or being asked to match the giving level of another donor. They more enthusiastically respond to appeals where they are asked to join with others to help make a difference in the charity. Like all donors, it is important to acknowledge the gifts that women make and ensure that donors they know their contributions are being used in an accountable fashion (Shaw and Taylor, 1995, p. 120).
Financial planning is essential for women since about 90 percent will, "at some point in their lives, be solely responsible for their finances" (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association/College Retirement Equities Fund, 1997, p. 6).
Mark J. Welch (1996) views estate planning as a "lifelong process in which you evaluate your situation and plan for the future." It is a process whereby an individual considers a range of financial, legal, emotional, and logistical issues.
While married couples tend to save more money than single households, single women in particular face the prospect of not having adequate funds for their retirement years. Women compose 75 percent of the elderly with incomes below poverty levels, but 80 percent of widows in poverty were not poor before their husbands died (Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association/College Retirement Equities Fund, 1997, p. 8).
Women are encouraged to educate themselves financially, taking advantage of seminars on investing, estate planning, and basic financial planning. Marlys Harris (Money Online, 1997) advocates reviewing options with a financial planner to ensure individuals save enough during their careers, taking advantage of employer and individual savings plans, and utilize multiple investments. Harris advises women to become a partner in making financial decisions with their spouse.
The International Association for Financial Planning (1997) urges individuals to:
In a personal interview, philanthropist and national chair of the development campaign for Drake University, Maddie Glazer (1992) points out that:
"Since women have become empowered, especially in the last decade, and taken their place in the leadership of our institutions and organizations, the groups they serve have changed the way they view and interact with women. Old fundraising methods are no longer successful with women who want to be involved, informed, and remained connected to a project."
Corporate America has begun communicating with women by targeting "female values and attitudes" in an effort to be more inclusive (Shaw, 1993, p. 24). Corporations have made efforts to "portray the many roles and responsibilities of women" and "acknowledge the importance of knowing how women see themselves" (Shaw, 1993, p.25).
In Reinventing Fundraising: Realizing the Potential of Women's Philanthropy (Shaw and Taylor, 1995, p. 135), the authors urge development professionals to monitor contemporary communication methods used by commercial advertisers to incorporate women's values into programs. Material must accurately present a variety of realistic images of women.
Kaye Ferguson-Patton (1993, p. 61) believes women are the target group of the 1990s and beyond, and the "challenge is how to reach them most effectively." By regularly studying the women's audience, development professionals learn who their prospects really are, the best methods of communicating with them, and what messages will encourage continual giving (p. 63).
The process of converting women into committed major or planned gift donors involves getting the donor to see that she shares experiences and values with the development officer. It also involves the donor viewing the development officer as a person with whom she can sympathize (Cohen, 1996, p. 1).
Rosalie Simari, in her study Philanthropy and Higher Education: Women as Donors, notes that important factors influencing alumnae support include a desire to help the next generation of students, loyalty to the institution, a feeling that they wanted to repay the institution for their education, university mail received, and a sense of obligation (p. 69).
Simari also discovered that women's priorities for charitable support to colleges included scholarships, the library, campus general fund, construction of new buildings and renovation, women's athletics, and the institutional endowment (p. 94).
A planned gift will probably be the most significant gift a donor will ever make to a charitable organization. It is necessary to learn as much about the prospective donor and her viewpoints as possible. Topics to engage women in planned giving philanthropy include the following (Shaw, 1995, pp. 147-148):
In The Seven Faces of Philanthropy, Prince and File (1994, p.175) point out that increased participation by an individual with a charitable organization leads to increased involvement, a greater willingness to recommend the charity to others, and more frequent and/or larger gifts.
To assist women in being more comfortable about charitable giving, development professionals should communicate that most charitable organizations adhere to a donor bill of rights like the one adopted by institutional members of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (2001) below:
"Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
American women have clearly demonstrated their interest in philanthropy since the 1600s when they focused on spiritual compassion and enhancing society. Those values continue to flourish as more women engage in philanthropic activities as a volunteers, donors, and fund raisers. Such charitable feelings should be encouraged in order to maximize interest and commitment.
Women have come to appreciate that their money is a powerful tool to make the world a better place and that charitable giving is a viable method to leverage that tool. Concomitantly, women desire to play an active role in the charities to which they contribute. From that dual relationship, they feel a part of the community as a whole, are empowered to improve the present and the future, and enjoy a personal sense of charitable self-esteem.
Planned giving options must be communicated in ways that manifest the values of women philanthropists and avoid the pitfalls of some gift solicitation techniques used with men. As such, charitable organizations must directly include women in the cultivation and solicitation process in order to demonstrate they truly want women to make gifts. Women want clear organizational facts regarding a charity's mission and want to see evidence that the gifts they make go for the purpose intended and are making a difference.
It is important to understand that women base their philanthropic interests on a lifetime of acquired values they will actively strive to transcend into positive change. Development professionals must get to know what motivates their women prospects and link the charity's values with those of the donor in a personal manner. It is essential to demonstrate to women that they can make a difference through a direct participatory role with the charity and that a long-term commitment is welcome.
Charitable organizations must encourage women to educate themselves financially, play an active role in their finances, and support causes that represent their own worthwhile principles. Prospective women donors should be asked to give at the same rate as men and then credited with their own gifts.
Women must be persuaded to openly discuss their philanthropy with other women. Such discussions promote charitable giving at all levels and leads to empowered participation by women donors.
Women can make a big difference in philanthropy since they develop a strong tie to the charity they support. In most cases, charities have not utilized women to their potential in developing major or planned gifts. Women want to be perceived as individuals whose charity extends beyond their money. If they know how much they mean to the charity and what a difference their contact makes, then that ownership relation grows. It is contagious -- more women catch on and participate.
Overall, women develop a strong bond to the organizations they support and like to feel they can derive nourishment from the charities they have helped sustain. Planned gifts from women create a lasting tie to the charity.
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