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How Women Give: The Baby Boomers and Beyond

Female philanthropists are becoming heavy hitters in the charitable sector as their command of wealth grows in the United States and elsewhere.

In a report by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2005, 3.4 million, or 46.3 percent, of the nation’s top wealth holders were women in 2001. This represents a 36 percent increase from the prior reporting in 1998. The IRS defines top wealth holders as individuals with gross assets in excess of $675,000. These women had a combined net worth of US$6.291 trillion, an increase of nearly 50 percent from that reported in 1998.

And, because women are likely to outlive their husbands and inherit their wealth, in addition to gaining the inheritance from their parents, women are expected to eventually hold much of the US$41 trillion expected to pass from generation to generation over the next 50 years, says Andrea Pactor, director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in Indianapolis.

So what do female baby boomers expect from fundraisers? According to Margaret May Damen, CFP®, CLU, ChFC, CDFA, founder and president of the Institute for Women and Wealth in Palm City, Fla., women want to be able to connect their deeply held values to noticeable social change. She explains that baby boom women have succeeded in their careers and are now entering a phase of self-rediscovery. Women are ripping off the “masks” that were required in the workplace and are determining “what they want” to see changed in the world.

Damen taught a session at the AFP Central Florida Chapter’s Diversity in Philanthropy Conference on June 7, 2007, titled “Embrace Boom-Generation Women’s Idealism.” She said that women need to discover their passions for a cause “so that when detours come up in the form of solicitations for other good and noble causes, a woman can make confident, strategic decisions in her giving.”

Above all, Damen believes there is strong potential for growth in women’s giving, especially from those born between 1946 and 1964. Scholars and practitioners agree. However, harnessing this power for philanthropic purposes requires new ways of looking at women’s giving and how women are changing philanthropy.

A Different Kind of Giving

According to the WPI, women do have unique methods of giving. The Six C’s: Women’s Motivations for Giving, published by the institute, says female philanthropists are apt to collaborate in supporting a cause, they wish to form partnerships with the people who are connected to the cause and they want to see creative solutions to problems. They are opposed to simply preserving the status quo through unrestricted support, the report adds.

Is it surprising that women’s involvement in philanthropy is different than men’s? No, says Cynthia Schmae, chief operations officer of the Women’s Funding Network in San Francisco. Since women have different ways of communicating with their peers and getting involved in their communities, it is only natural that their methods of philanthropy would be different from the traditional means.

Even the ways that women and men hear about and learn to trust in a cause is different, Schmae explains. For example, if a woman sees a problem happening with her local school, she will likely get on the phone with her network and mobilize as a group. Women want to be asked directly, by someone they trust, to be a partner in a cause.

“The women’s funds that are members of the Women’s Funding Network model this approach, with a style of philanthropy that is horizontal and democratic, and where donors and community members have equal seats at the decision-making table,” Schmae explains.

A fundraiser, then, should approach female donors with opportunities to connect to a cause, to assemble with others and to get involved with more than just the pocketbook, Schmae says.

Changing Times

Kathleen McCarthy, Ph.D., director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, agrees that women are a force in the world of philanthropy, with more women creating foundations than ever before and many more women in the United States giving gifts of $50 million or more.

However, she argues that cultivating female donors is actually becoming more and more a matter of engaging women’s intellect and gearing “the ask” to methods formerly attributed to men’s giving.

McCarthy says that with women’s increased education levels and the economic inroads women have made since the 1960s, fundraisers should move past the idea that women have to connect emotionally to causes.

“I think that there has been a sea change in women’s giving, and it’s only going to be more pronounced with time,” McCarthy emphasizes. “The old idea was that women required a lot of cultivation, sometimes years. Now they are in a position to make a decision much more quickly than their mothers did.

"Methods of cultivation will have to change, particularly for the boomers and their daughters,” she adds. “A lot needs to be rethought. Young women are looking for something different, including networking opportunities and new ways of engaging intellectually, and not just emotionally.”

For Further Reading

The Transformative Power of Women’s Philanthropy: New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising by Martha A. Taylor and Sondra Shaw-Hardy (Jossey-Bass, 2006).

Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values on Paper, 2nd Edition, by Barry K. Baines, M.D., (Perseus Publishing, 2006).

Women’s Lives, Women’s Legacies, Passing Your Beliefs and Blessings to Future Generations by Rachael Freed (Fairview Press, 2003).

Inspired Philanthropy by Tracy Gary and Melissa Kohner (Jossey-Bass, 2002).

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Cutting to the Chase: Writing in the Online Age  

The new world of online applications, along with the need to grab people’s attention immediately, has forced fundraisers and grant seekers to write tighter and leaner proposals that get directly to the point.

On Sept 6, Diane M. Gedeon-Martin will discuss how fundraisers and charities can write strong, active, effective prose—using fewer words—in her Audioconference, “Writing Tight: Secrets to Successful Online Proposals.”

Gedeon-Martin is the president of The Write Source LLC, a grant-seeking management firm in Glastonbury, Conn. Since 1993, her company has assisted more than 170 nonprofit organizations achieve their short- and long-term grant-seeking goals. Because of her expertise in the field, she is a frequent workshop presenter and guest speaker at regional, national and international conferences, including the annual AFP International Conference on Fundraising.

While her presentation will focus on online grant proposals, her advice and guidance can be applied to almost any type of fundraising communications. “The workshop is for anyone who wants to improve the way they communicate in this era of constant news, increased distractions and shortened attention spans,” Gedeon-Martin explains. “Fundraisers are in the communications business, and if we can’t communicate effectively in the way people want these days, our organizations are going to lose.”

Same Applications, Less Text

In the case of online grant applications, short and to the point aren’t just preferred, they’re essential. The biggest change between paper and online applications is the amount of space and text charities have to work with, according to Gedeon-Martin.

In the past, a funder using a paper grant application typically would have allowed a charity two pages to write a needs statement. Many online funders are now limiting needs statements to 2,000 characters, or about 500 words. (To put this in perspective, this article is 704 words.) The same is true of program descriptions. Previously, charities might have had up to three pages to discuss the services they would offer, Now they have perhaps 2,000 characters, plus an additional 1,000 to state their objective and goals.

“The components of the application are still the same,” Gedeon-Martin says. “Charities just have a lot less text to work with, and that can be problematic if they aren’t used to writing in a certain way. Grant applications now have to remove the fluff and get to the bare bones, and that’s true of almost any communication that’s directed toward a funder or donor these days.”

Corporations and Government Leading the Way

So far, online applications are predominantly found in the corporate sector. About 80 percent of online grant applications are found through corporate granting processes. While most corporate online applications are similar to traditional submissions, some are now requesting details about the publicity and recognition they will receive. “That’s a new requirement and is forcing grant writers to develop publicity plants, something that most haven’t done before,” says Gedeon-Martin.

At the same time, online grant applications are popular with the federal government as well. More than 75 percent of U.S. federal government grant applications are now online, according to Gedeon-Martin.

She expects community and private foundations to follow along in the future, although at a much slower pace. “It’s a question of technology and control,” Gedeon-Martin says. “Only about 10 percent of all U.S. funders, including corporations, have websites, and many of them want to retain control over who applies. This way they know they’ll be receiving good applications from organizations that meet basic criteria. They don’t necessarily want to open up an online site and let anyone start submitting applications.”

Many funders now require a letter of intent from organizations to begin the granting process. If the letter of intent is well received, then applicants might be given a password to go to the funder’s website and submit an online application.

“It’s a new world of grant seeking, with organization feeling their way and doing their own thing,” Gedeon-Martin explains. “Fundraisers are going to have to adjust both their processes and their writing to make sure they’re taking full advantage of granting opportunities.”

“Writing Tight: Secrets to Successful Online Proposals” can help ensure you are taking full advantage of grant opportunities and writing the most effective communications possible. To register online for this Audioconference, go to (http://eventplus.ilinc.com/client/index.php?cmpId=54)

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Finding the Right Match: Nonprofit Board Speed Dating  

Speed dating isn’t just for the romantically inclined anymore. Nonprofits can now use a similar service to find the right board members for their organizations.

Every few months, Pittsburgh-based Boards-by-Design, a program of the Nonprofit Leadership Institute through Duquesne University, brings 20 individuals together at a downtown restaurant for food and drinks. The individuals aren’t there to get know each other, however, but rather to meet representatives from 20 different Pittsburgh-area nonprofits.

Each nonprofit gets to spend five minutes with each person, discussing its mission, programs, board and other aspects of the organization. At the end of the evening, Boards-by-Design tallies the responses from both individuals and nonprofits and matches up prospective board members with the organizations that best suit their interests, abilities and experience.

“The response has been overwhelming,” says Allison Jones, director of Boards-by-Design. “The first time we held the event, we came away with over 160 matches, with numerous individuals matching up with several organizations. Since then, it’s become a very popular event with both board members and nonprofits.”

Bringing Charities and Board Members Face-to-Face

Boards-by-Design works with about 250 nonprofits in the Pittsburgh area and has a databank of more than 1,500 individuals who want to serve on the board of a nonprofit. The work of matching board members with nonprofits is mostly done behind the scenes with phone calls to organizations and individuals and can be quite time consuming. So Jones and her staff came up with an idea to bring the two groups together, allowing matches to be made much more quickly.

The program is very popular with smaller, less-known organizations and those nonprofits whose causes aren’t always the most popular, according to Jones. “It’s a great way to put a public face on less popular causes and educate people about their missions and programs,” says Jones. “Some nonprofits may not seem that appealing on paper, but people get very interested when they talk to someone face-to-face.”

Participants do not know what individuals or organizations they will be speaking with until the evening of the event. “We’ve found that a few people tended to leave early if they knew there were organizations participating they didn’t think they were interested in,” says Jones. Participants are now required to stay for the entire event.

Preparation Leads to Diversity, Inspiration

While the speed-dating events require considerable preparation, Boards-by-Design has developed systems to streamline the planning. Invitations are sent out to their clients, and nonprofits and individuals sign up on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants receive forms at the beginning of the evening to write down their preferences and comments. After the event, those forms are collected and cross-checked; by the end of the evening, both individuals and organizations walk away with a list of potential matches. All the follow-up is up to the participants.

The event also displays the wide diversity of nonprofit organizations in the Pittsburgh area. “Some nights, we’ll have an arts organization, a Roman Catholic diocese, a gay and lesbian film society and Planned Parenthood, all together for the event,” Jones says. “Even participants who didn’t match with many of the organizations have said how inspiring it is to see the wide variety of charities serving the community, and that’s very positive.”

As for the name of the event, Jones admits there was a little trepidation about calling it speed dating, but nearly all of the comments have been very positive. “Every now and then we’ll get a caller wondering why they got this speed-dating invitation and ask to be removed from the list,” she says. “But usually they just haven’t read the entire email. The title certainly draws people’s attention, and that’s what we want.”

Beyond Board Members

Nonprofit board speed-dating events are now popping up in cities across North America In addition, the concept now is being applied to other aspects of nonprofit operations as well.

For example, at the Paul Clarke Nonprofit Resource Center in Fort Wayne, Ind., a similar speed-dating event occurs with foundations and nonprofits, giving charities the opportunity to meet face-to-face with funders in the community.

Have an opinion on this type of recruitment event? Found a board member through speed dating and want to tell your story? Email comments to paffairs@afpnet.org.

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Member Benefit: Fundraising and Nonprofit Literature  

A major benefit of membership in the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is the ability to share and obtain knowledge through the association’s extensive and ever-expanding library of books and Ready Reference booklets—all available at your fingertips.

AFP partners with Wiley, a leading publisher for the scientific, technical, medical and nonprofit fields, to offer its members discounted rates on cutting-edge literature on fundraising. New titles are constantly added to the AFP Fund Development Series, which includes the popular book series, Nonprofit Essentials.

AFP members brainstorm the content of the books, review proposals and author the publications. The AFP Publishing Advisory Committee has conducted 13 book proposal reviews so far in 2007 and expects to have at least four new books published and available for the 45th AFP International Conference on Fundraising in San Diego in March 2008.

Three new AFP Fund Development Series books were celebrated with book signings during the AFP International Conference in Dallas this past March:

• Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion Into Action by Gail A. Perry, CFRE
• The Fundraising Feasibility Study: It’s Not About the Money by Martin L. Novom, CFRE
• Nonprofit Essentials: The Development Plan by Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE

With the addition of the latest release, Developing Fundraising Policies and Procedures, the AFP Ready Reference series now contains nine titles, with one French and five Spanish translations. (The most recent is Logrando lo Máximo de Tu Evento Especial.) New titles on other fundraising topics are in development, as well as translations of existing titles.

Visit the AFP Bookstore (/about/) to learn more about the latest offerings from AFP’s Fund Development Series; for information on the Ready Reference series and to order books, go to the AFP website (wwww.afpnet.org), click on Resource Center and then Audioconferences.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for publication or if you have ideas for new book topics, please contact Jan Alfieri at AFP international headquarters at jalfieri@afpnet.org or (800) 666-3863, ext. 458.

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Planned Giving Research Grants Available to AFP Members  

The AFP Research Council is offering grants up to $10,000 for research projects related to planned giving through the Legacy Leaders Planned Giving Research Grant program.

The deadline for submitting grants is Sept. 1, and preference will be given to research focused on Canada or the United States, regardless of where the researcher is based.

Some possible topics for research that the AFP Research Council has discussed include:

• Fundraising investment required to yield planned giving results (an update of Norman Fink and Howard C. Metzler, The Costs and Benefits of Deferred Giving, 1982)
• Marketing planned giving theory and practice. Looking at planned giving from the donor’s perspective. What do planned giving donors need and want in their planning process? What techniques are most effective and why?
• Creative models for planned giving (e.g., collaborative efforts by multiple nonprofits that do not have resources to develop their own planned giving programs or documentation of Leave a Legacy community-based planned giving results).
• What does a planned giving professional look like? What are best practices for planned giving professionals as they perform their job function?
• How do planned giving vehicle types (types/amounts) vary by the wealth of the donor? What are the reasons why donors pick particular vehicles?

Projects are selected from among grant proposal letters submitted to the Research Council. The grants committee of the AFP Research Council reviews these submissions and makes recommendations. The AFP Research Council authorizes the grants.

The Grant Proposal

For full consideration, a grant proposal letter will:

• 1. Define the research need, rationale, goals and objectives.
• 2. Include a review of the literature related to the proposed research.
• 3. Describe the research methods to be used.
• 4. If applicable, estimate the size of the sample to be studied.
• 5. Outline the anticipated benefits of the study and quantify them if possible
• 6. Specify the time frame for the project (usually a 6- to 24-month period) and note whether this is part of a larger research project for which funds are being sought from other funders.
• 7. Indicate the particular project costs that the grant will support and note whether the reseacher would be able to conduct this research if awarded partial funding of project costs.
• 8. Include a letter from a cooperating nonprofit organization executive documenting permission of the nonprofit to carry out the project. General letters of endorsement are neither required nor desired.
• 9. Include the investigator’s resume.
• 10. Show how the project supports the goals of the AFP Research Council.
• 11. Include a plan for dissemination of research results.

The researcher should be willing to share research results with AFP members by preparing a complete analysis of the research methods and outcomes for possible publication as an article in Advancing Philanthropy and/or in an online publication. Legacy Leaders will have the right to reprint research results and to incorporate the research in teaching materials. Any other publication derived from the research project should note the grant support from the AFP Research Council and Legacy Leaders.

Grant awards are made in two equal payments, the first upon receipt of the grantee’s signed letter of agreement and the second upon receipt of the final written report for the project.

Send proposal letters to Cathlene Williams, Ph.D., CAE, AFP Research Program, Association of Fundraising Professionals, 4300 Wilson Blvd., Ste. 300, Arlington, VA 22203; email cwilliams@afpnet.org; phone 703/519-8469.

Legacy Leaders is the oldest continuous provider of integrated mail and phone planned giving services in the world. With offices in Toronto and Philadelphia, Legacy Leaders has worked with more than 100 organizations since 1995, including universities and colleges, hospitals and health charities, religious organizations and environmental, social welfare and overseas groups.

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Member Motion/Accolades: August 2007  

AFP members are always accepting new challenges and exciting career opportunities, as well as receiving accolades for their commitment and service. Here are some job announcements, appointments, promotions and recognitions for August 2007.

Laura Allen has been promoted to vice president of development for Centerstone in Nashville, Tenn. She was previously director of development with the organization.

Ellen H. Arnold, CFRE, is now a principal with The Franklin Consulting Group in East Berlin, Pa. She served previously as vice president of institutional advancement at The Brethren Home Foundation in New Oxford, Pa.

Chad Barger, CFRE, has accepted the position of regional development director with Easter Seals Central Pennsylvania in York, Pa. He was formerly the director of development for the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey, Pa.

John Collins has accepted the position of president and CEO of The Centre for the Arts in Boca Raton, Fla. He served previously as the vice president for external relations at Eckard Youth Alternatives in Clearwater, Fla.

Yves C. L. Gadler, CFRE, has been named vice president, major and planned gifts, for St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation in Toronto. He was formerly the vice president for advancement and chief development officer for WWF–Canada in Toronto.

Maria Gitin, CFRE, principal of Maria Gitin & Associates in Capitola, Calif., has expanded her consulting group to include new associates Samuel Torres Jr., attorney and experienced trainer, and Jeanne S. Hanks, MSW, budget analyst and program developer.

Angela Moretti Goddard has been named manager of donor relations for Centerstone in Nashville, Tenn. She served previously as director of marketing for Mastrapasqua Asset Management in Nashville.

Angela Henstra has been promoted to annual funds coordinator/alumni and parent relations at The Boston Conservatory in Boston. She was formerly the development associate for the organization.

Leigh Horsley has been promoted to director of development at Heartspring in Wichita, Kan. She was previously the development associate for annual giving at the organization.

Betsey Kamm has been named director of marketing and development for The Nord Center in Lorain, Ohio. She was formerly the executive director of the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Vincent Law has earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential, becoming the first person in China to receive the credential. He is development director for WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) Asia in Hong Kong.

David J. Madson, ACFRE, is now senior director of development for California State University, Easy Bay, in Hayward, Calif. He served previously as director of development, library and graduate division, for the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco.

Dawn B. Martin has been named executive director of the Halifax Educational Foundation in South Boston, Va. Previously, she was director of major gifts and corporate relations at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va.

Dawn Miller has earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential. She is senior consultant for Zielinski Companies in St. Louis, Mo.

Glenn Miller is now serving as vice president of institutional advancement for Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. He served previously as vice president for major and planned gifts at the Eastern Division of the American Cancer Society in New Brunswick, N.J.

Randi Nordeen, CFRE, has been named vice president, resource development, for the Metropolitan Group and will be based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. She was formerly with the Centre for Population and Development Activities in Washington, D.C.

Sheri Ramirez has accepted a position with the Tucson Zoological Society in Tucson, Ariz., to help lead a capital campaign. She was previously with San Miguel High School, which she helped found, in Tucson.

Cheryl Reynolds has been named major gift officer of donor relations and stewardship in the Office of Development at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Previously, she was the manager/specialist of external foundation relations at the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Dallas.

Joni Robertson has joined Devereux Treatment Network of Texas, based in League City, Texas, as senior development specialist. She previously served as director of major gifts for SEARCH Homeless Project in Houston.

Steve Suskin is now director of development for Children Inc., in Covington, Ky. He was formerly director of development for Matthew 25: Ministries in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Phylis Tranotti is now serving as director of development for Fellowship Village in Basking Ridge, N.J. She was previously program coordinator for Church World Service in Rocky Hill, N.J.

Amy Walton has earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential. She serves as development director for Jewish Family Service in Dallas.

Brian Winslow is the new director of development for Community Health & Hospice in Laconia, N.H. Most recently, he was with the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk, Maine.

To be listed in Member Motion, you must be a current AFP member. Simply send your current AND new job information (including city and state/province), or information about the accolade or award received, to paffairs@afpnet.org. Please include the phrase “member motion” in the subject line.

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AFP Partners With The New York Times On Annual “Giving” Section

The New York Times will be releasing “Giving,” its annual special supplement covering philanthropy, on Nov. 12, which feature articles about charities, foundation and charitable recipients. For more information or to reserve an ad, contact Alyson Kanney at (212) 556-8407. Color reservations close Oct. 22.

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AFP Audioconference: Writing Tight: Preparing Successful Online Grant Applications (Sept. 6, 2007)

Online grant applications are the way of the future! How do you convey your case for support when your need statement and project description can only be 2,000 characters in length?  Writing tight and to the point and still getting the attention of the grant reviewer has never been more crucial. This session provides an outline to use to prepare clear, concise, comprehensive and competitive proposals. The techniques discussed will help you in crafting successful paper and paperless proposal narratives, including those to the different levels of government as well as foundation and corporations.

The topics covered include:

• The new age of submitting grant proposals
• Strategically positioning your case for support
• Tips to write clearly, concisely, comprehensively, and competitively

About the Presenter:

Diane Gedeon-Martin is the President of The Write Source, LLC, a grantseeking management firm. Since 1993, her company has assisted over 170 nonprofit organizations in 18 states and the District of Columbia achieve their short and long-term grantseeking goals. She has an extensive and impressive client list that includes the National Kidney Foundation national office and several of its affiliates, Harbor-UCLA Research and Education Institute, the Morton Arboretum in Chicago, and the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk. She is member of the faculty for The Fund Raising School at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Previously, she was an adjunct faculty member for the Essentials of Fundraising program at Wayne State University in Detroit. Because of her expertise in the field, she is a frequent workshop presenter and guest speaker at regional, national and international conferences including the annual AFP International Conference.

Participation in a live session or use of an audio recording of the program qualifies for 1.5 points toward CFRE education requirements

Target Audience:

This session is designed for mid-level to advanced grantseekers

The Audioconference will be held at:

• 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern
• 12:00-1:30 p.m. Central
• 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mountain
• 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pacific
• 9:00-10:30 a.m. Alaska
• 8:00-9:30 a.m. Hawaii

Fees

• US$145 per member site
• US$195 per nonmember site

To register

• PHONE: Call iLinc Communications at 800-651-7916 and please have your credit card information ready
• ONLINE: Register online using iLinc Communications' online registration form (http://eventplus.ilinc.com/client/index.php?cmpId=54)

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