Mary Morten

When I think about diversity, a term that often can be overused—and in 2009, still undervalued—I can’t help but call to mind the place where I learned about all the incredible differences that made up my formal introduction to the world of philanthropy. It was done with constant attention to values of inclusion and accessibility.

I’ve had some of the most provocative and profound conversations with members of women’s funds.

Women’s funds are organizations focused on granting money to women and girls. I work with donors, staff and trustees from all types of foundations, nonprofits and commercial firms, but have concentrated a fair amount of work, both paid and volunteer, in women’s funds around this country. There’s a reason I keep going back.

Big Impact

Women’s funds are unmatched in terms of their size, reach and connections:

• 133 women's funds
• Six continents
• $50 million per year in global investment in women and girls
• $450 million in collective working assets
• Tens of thousands of donors, change makers and thought leaders—all with a shared passion for bringing women's ideas to the fore of global problem-solving

Their reach is broad and deep—broad enough to propel worldwide transformation and deep enough to engage and empower women on the ground. Together, they unite the money, ideas and actions to create lasting change for women and girls, their families and communities.

Women and girls hold unique solutions to challenges, such as poverty and problems with healthcare, education and the workforce. Women's funds infuse long-term financial investments into these innovative and effective solutions to age-old problems. They also share a vision of achieving long-term social change.

Women’s funds:

• Focus on “systemic” solutions—changes to the policies and systems that shape women's opportunities in society
• Invest in women who are poor and pushed to the margins—more than 80 percent of women's fund grants flow to women and girls with low or no income
• Consist of start-up and venture investors, kick-starting many new community organizations and projects
• Do not just give money; they build the leadership, skills and influence of their grantee partners
• Believe everyone can be a philanthropist, engaging diverse audiences in giving, leadership and decision-making
• Share a common focus on critical issues including combating poverty and violence, and improving access to healthcare and education

Diversity in Action

As someone who spent many developmental years in a women’s fund, I initially thought they all operated as we did at Chicago Foundation for Women—feeling strongly about and taking a stand on such issues as reproductive justice, LGBT rights, pay equity and antiviolence initiatives. As I started to serve as a Women’s Funding Network consultant (the international association for women’s funds) , I realized that the beauty of women’s funds is that while pushing the envelope, these funds meet donors where they are and hopefully bring them along to a new partnership with grant-making organizations and grantees.

The funds are primarily public foundations, although, there are a fair number of private or family foundations. All of these groups work along the continuum of human rights issues. The education and information provided to donors provides a wide range of topics and fascinating exchanges. Funds that come to mind when I think of the diversity of the work and its place in the world include Ms Foundation, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Sister Fund, Semillas in Mexico and Mama Cash in Amsterdam.

Great Potential

Women donors have an untapped giving potential with regard to charitable contributions. As women’s funds reach out to donors of all economic backgrounds, we have to encourage those who can give more to do so. And yes, there are still plenty of women who can give large sums of money to programs, initiatives and special projects that will affect the entire world. The Network is in the final stages of a $150 million campaign (Women Moving Millions) that promises to be just the beginning of creating lasting change in the life chances and opportunities of women and girls across the globe, with major reverberations for entire communities and countries.

Diversity in this world means really understanding and moving forward a broad spectrum of social justice issues. We cannot impart our culture and our experiences on other communities without engaging stakeholders in the work.

There’s a story we often tell in the women’s funding community. Most of us are probably familiar with the adage that if you give a person a fish, they will eat for the day, but if you teach a person to fish, they will eat for a lifetime.

In the world of women’s funds this is how we think: If you give a woman a fish, she will feed her family first and possibly go hungry. If you teach a woman to fish, she will feed her family first until the lake becomes polluted or her fishing rights are taken away. However, if you give women the resources and access to community capital, they will buy the lake, feed their families, keep the lake environmentally clean and have something to pass on for generations to come.

As a movement, we are about building sustainable community capital in order to support women and girls who are ready to buy the lake. Come on in—the water’s just fine.

Mary Morten is the president of the Morten Group, a consulting firm in Chicago that focuses on organizational and resource development and executive coaching. She is the former board chair and interim executive director of the Chicago Foundation for Women. Morten recently co-founded Executive Retreats, serial professional retreat experiences for women executive leaders.