Women Take the Lead in Giving

A recent article on The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that women are taking a more prominent role in charitable giving for their household.

The study, sponsored by Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, found that 80 percent of the respondents to their survey were married and the majority of the men who responsed said that their spouse was the primary influencer in charitable-giving decisions for their household. Women who participated in the study tended to name a wider range of influencers in their giving decisions including family members, friends, and co-workers. Almost half the women surveyed felt strongly about involving their children in philanthropy compared to 39% of the men.

High Income Women's Giving Habits

The survey also focused in on higher-income women and found that this particular group were more likely (than other survey respondents) to make public gifts to charity, to use more complicated financial structures to make gifts, and to turn to financial advisors when making charitable contributions.

Also according to the report, high-income women were more likely than other survey participants to donate to health and science-related causes and to make additional gifts to charity in response to increasing needs and difficult economic times.

The study found that the average charitable giver (male and female) surveyed donated 6 percent of gross household income in 2008 with a vast majority giving up to 10 percent. They also consider charitable giving as a part of their overall financial plan.

But Who Is a Philanthropist, Really?

An interesting finding in the study is that the respondents defined a philanthropist as someone who donates at least $100,000 a year or more. At a time when we're working to educate and create more awareness of the power of individual giving, this perception is a telling factor in why many people don't realize their personal power to give at any amount. Philanthropy doesn't require a minimum dollar amount. A philanthropist can be anyone giving any amount of money, time or attention to an important issue, cause or organization.

NOTE: The survey was conducted online by Chrysalis Research of Kirkland, Wash., and Research Data Technology of Woburn, Mass., from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, 2009. It included 1,003 respondents who donated at least $1,000 in 2007.

You can read the entire article here and view the press release here.