Archive for August, 2009
Lisa Belkin writes in the August 23rd New York Times Magazine about the Power of the Purse.
She notes that philanthropy among women isn’t new and that it is growing. More women are controlling more wealth than ever before and of those in the wealthiest tier of the country, 43% are women.
Belkin notes that women are giving differently than men and how they have given in the past. They are more likely to use their wealth to to social change work – direct and systematic impact.
What’s inspiring about the piece is that in these tough economic times efforts like Women Moving Millions are exceeding funding raising goals (original goal was $150 million and they have exceed their goal by $30 million.)
Highlights on how women and men differ in giving include:
1. Women are less likely to want their name on things and more likely…
If you read The She Spot you know of our admiration for Stonyfield Farms and their smarts around marketing to women. Gary Hirshberg, their CE-Yo, gets the need to be real with their customers.
This morning I reached into the refrigerator for my morning dose of organic Stonyfield yogurt. Lately, I’ve been addicted to their new “greek” yogurt product “Oikos” so I hadn’t noticed that Stonyfield had switched packaging on their other yogurts. As I picked up the new container (full-fat vanilla with cream on the top) I noticed a beautiful picture of green pastures, happy cows and a beautiful Vermont landscape with a note stating it was a photo a family farm from Waybury, VT.
Inside, on the top protective seal, I read “GET REAL: Why the new look? With all the artificial ingredients around, we thought we’d show you just how real our food is….
Why Women Want More Donor Recognition and How Online Games Can Be Good for Your NGO’s Fundraising
Forbes.com just released a column by Betsy Brill about how women are taking the lead in philanthropy.
Ms. Brill writes that a Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund survey found that women donors were more likely to be public about their gifts than their male counterparts.
Is it because women need their horns tooted more than men? Most likely not. She notes that women probably want to share to inspire others and “imbue a philanthropic spirit.”
We write in The She Spot that women are twice as likely to pass on information than men and that women like to share things with their communities. They may see announcing their gift as a call to action to friends. If NGOs can help tastefully assist these gift announcements they may see a multiplier effect with the initial gift.
She also noted the importance for women to have their children continue their philanthropic…
A new study out by SheConnected, “The Power of Social Networking For Women Research Study” shows how women use social networking sites. It’s important to note that these women were recruited from social networking sites so the numbers are skewed but still informative.
Some highlights include:
- 59% are are visiting sites multiple times per day.
- Facebook was the most popular social network among these users, with 83% belonging to the site.
- 55% were on Twitter.
- 93% said that control over their own privacy settings were very important.
- 71% said using social networks to network professional was very important and 62% said to stay up-to-date with friends.
More women use social networking than men and if your organization doesn’t understand the trends and strategies on how to maximize them you’re missing out on a key audience.
Women make more of the charitable decision making at home (Source: http://bit.ly/OP2t8) and wealthy women give away nearly twice as much as of their wealth as their male counterparts (Source: http://bit.ly/hSZNL). For the non-profit sector these women are a must get.
In a new post today on Media Post’s Engage Mom blog Tiffany Jonas suggest that affluent women expect more online. According to Jonas wealth women are turned off by Web sites that are sloppy and disorganized. She suggest design with a clean “high-end” design. She sites Vera Wangs Web site as a good “art level” example.
Not all NGOs want or can afford “high art” but they can take Jonas’ advice and make beautiful, yet functional sites. Chen and I argue in the She Spot that women, in particular, are looking for Web sites that reflect real people and excude authenticity. Here are some good…
Females aged between 35 and 49 are the fastest-growing group within social networks and blogging sites, according to recent research by Neilson.
Libby Chivers of SEO Optimise gives the following tips to marketing to women online:
1. Women enjoy socializing online more than men. Chivers suggests that confrontational forum debates are out and supportive social networking is in. She suggests allowing users to personalize their platforms, encourage the sharing of ideas and support and create a space for off-topic chat.
Don’t be afraid to have your site not be 100% about your mission. The goal is to foster community. Remember, when you connect women to each other you deepen your own brand.
2. Attract women with attractive Web design. Men tend to appreciate functionality in websites. Women want that too but they also want colorful, attractive and textured sites.
3. Grow your user generation content. Women trust each other…
About this blog
Lisa Chen and Lisa Witter
are the authors of The She Spot: Why Women are the Market for Changing the World and How to
Reach Them. They are also both
senior strategists at Fenton Communications, the nation’s largest public
interest communications firm. [