Originally published in the Huffington Post (October 28, 2010):

If you were to do a “man on the street” survey in the United States asking the question, “Who is the first person that comes to mind when I say the word ‘philanthropist’?” the vast majority would likely respond with Gates, Buffet or Soros, if they’re able come up with anyone at all. If a prominent local landmark is named after a philanthropist, they might come up with a different name, but odds are that person is man too.

If you do a Google search for the word “philanthropist” the first several pages are dominated by male entries; Wikipedia lists no women in its “modern philanthropists” section.

The United States is known for its philanthropic culture and giving spirit. Natural disasters trigger an outpouring of cash donations. The earthquakes in Haiti, for example, resulted in $1.3 billion raised by U.S.-based…

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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…

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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…

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Philanthropic Support for Women, Girls Increasing, Report Finds

June 23, 2009

Foundation giving specifically meant to benefit women and girls has surpassed the rate of overall foundation giving in recent years, which has helped the funds become more influential within philanthropy, a new report from the Foundation Center and the Women’s Funding Network.

Funded in part by the Wallace Foundation, the report, Accelerat ing Change for Women and Girls: The Role of Women’s Funds, found that  between 1990 and 2006 the nation’s private and community foundations increased their giving for activities targeting women and girls by 223 percent — from an estimated $412.1 million to nearly $2.1 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars — compared to an increase in overall giving of 177 percent. Although such growth bodes well for the future, the study noted that foundation giving
targeting women and girls remains a small…

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Women Take the Lead in Couples’ Charitable-Giving Decisions

Chronicle of Philanthropy

May 19, 2009

By Paula Wasley

Women are taking an increasingly prominent role in determining their household’s charitable giving, with high-income women in particular more likely to seek financial advice and use sophisticated methods when making donations, according to a new study sponsored by Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund.

An online survey of 1,000 adults who had given $1,000 or more to charity in 2007 — half of whom had donated $5,000 or more — found that more women than men act as their household’s primary decision maker in determining how much to donate to charity and which causes to support.

Among participants in the survey — 80 percent of whom were married — the majority of male respondents named their spouse as the primary influencer in charitable-giving decisions, while women in the…

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