How Women Lead in Philanthropy

“We are all more capable than we could ever imagine or admit to. We need to make sure that we are using that power now, and not waiting for a different time or when we’re more ready. We’re ready now. We need to do.” ~ Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg

When my husband, Russ Berrie, died in 2002 my philanthropic journey took a lonely turn. The gift of that harrowing loss was life-saving as it gave me the opportunity to embark on a lifelong learning journey that I could never have imagined.

Finding my voice as a woman in philanthropy, discovering other women who shared the wisdom of experience with me, learning by doing how philanthropy expresses who you are in how you give, taught me leadership lessons that no philanthropy guru could ever impart.

Rebecca Gratz painted by Thomas Sully, 1831

The landscape in relation to women and philanthropy is shifting. While women today own one-third of America's private businesses and control more than 51% of the wealth in the United States, the perception exists that "women don’t give big donations" and "women have to ask their husbands before they can give money."

Research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis disproves these myths, showing that in almost every income bracket women give more than men. Data from the 2010 Women Give study reveals that American households headed by single females give 57% more than those headed by single males. Women give more to charity, on average, than men do — in some income groups, almost twice as much.

Considering that women today already own 43% of stock portfolios with values over $50,000, and 45% of investments in other markets, the real tipping point will come when 70% of women inherit $41 trillion of the intergenerational wealth transfers tomorrow. As more women live longer, make more money, and likely inherit twice - from parents and/or partners - this shift in financial resources will alter the landscape of wealth and giving globally.

"Whether they inherit, earn, or marry money, women are becoming a powerful financial force, and they are increasingly looking at money as a way to change society for the better" (Shaw and Taylor, 1992).

Gender matters in philanthropy, which is why understanding the growing influence of women in philanthropy and how their giving differs is a timely strategic consideration. Studies show that women donate differently than men, preferring to focus more on empathy and care than on advantages such as tax benefits. Men tend to direct money to one institution, usually an alma mater - whereas women are more likely to spread wealth around by contributing to different causes. Men also tend to be less actively involved while women are activists who get personally involved as volunteer leaders on boards of nonprofits.

The influence of women on nonprofits has also increased, through the participation of women professionals managing such organizations. According to the Council on Foundations, half of foundation CEO positions were held by women in 1997. Women also held 68% of program officer positions and 93% of support staff positions in foundations. As the nonprofit sectors growth becomes increasingly important in U.S. economy the need for these qualified professionals will increase.

The presence of women in top philanthropic and nonprofit leadership positions will increase awareness of issues related to women and girls, and direct more corporate giving programs to address gender-related issues, women's funds, political groups, and organizations.

As women assume greater control of their own resources and make increasingly larger philanthropic gifts, women donors will also expect more involvement and greater effectiveness from organizations they fund.

Even in countries where women live in repressive societies, women have transcended gender and cultural barriers to become catalysts for change.

Throughout the ages, women have contributed quietly to the greater good with acts of generosity that are still visible today.

While traveling through Fez in Morocco, I visited the biggest oldest surviving madrasa (school) in the world. Founded in 859 A.D. by Fatima al-Fihre, the educated daughter of a wealthy merchant who came as part of a large migration from the town of Qayrawan in Tunisia,. The University of al-Qarawiyyin is the oldest existing continually operating and first degree awarding educational institution in the world, recognized by UNESCO and the Guinness World Records as the oldest university in the world.

This unique institution was a leading spiritual and educational center in the Muslim world. Founded by a woman and open to men and women, Al-Qarawiyyin embodied the rich religious and scholarly heritage of Muslim al-Andalus, the peak of Islamic culture in the medieval age. It offered courses on theology, jurisprudence, philosophy, mathematics, astrology, astronomy and languages, along with Quranic studies.

Products of this famous madrasa were renowned scholars who influenced the intellectual and academic history of the medieval Islamic period - philosopher Averroes, geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi and physician, doctor and philosopher, Maimonides, one of the most influential figures in medieval Jewish philosophy.

This magnificent madrasa is a testament to the vision of a woman who vowed to spend her wealth to build an institution worthy of her community and her faith.

Her similarly endowed sister, Mariam, sponsored the Al-Andalus mosque in Fes, two women who were part of a tradition of Muslim women founding mosques. Their philanthropy contributed to the flourishing of medieval culture and learning, a gift that continues to bear fruit today.

In the early days of America, an active Jewish American woman, Rebecca Gratz, established the Female Association for the Relief of Women and Children in Reduced Circumstances for women with families suffering after the American Revolutionary War. This was in 1801 and she was 20 years old.

A pioneer in Jewish charitable work and a religious educator, Gratz established the first independent Jewish women’s charitable society, the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, which provided food, fuel, shelter, and services like an employment bureau and traveler’s aid for local Jews. She wanted to demonstrate that Jewish women equaled Christian women in religious piety, then considered a mark of civility.

In 1838, Rebecca gathered women belonging to her congregation to form the Hebrew Sunday School, the country’s first non-synagogal Jewish charity offering a Jewish education. For the first time in Jewish history, women led a religious school for both boys and girls. The Sunday School format, utilizing women teacher volunteers, proved so successful that other congregations adopted it. By the end of the nineteenth century, over four thousand American children who received a formal Jewish education did so in a Sunday school.

In the 1850s, Jewish immigrants did not have enough foster homes for children. Gratz responded to the need by founding the Philadelphia Orphan Asylum, the first Jewish Foster Home in Philadelphia.

A well-educated woman for her day, Rebecca Gratz believed in American religious freedom, pursuing the rights of Jews to be treated as equals, both as citizens and as pious individuals, under the United States Constitution. By the end of her life, this remarkably generous woman was believed to be the prototype for the character of Rebecca of York in Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe, the first favorable depiction of a Jew in English fiction.

While women's philanthropy was seldom recorded in history, today's female philanthropists are visibly at the forefront of giving in this country. Melinda Gates and Priscilla Chan are notable for modeling how giving reflects their personal journey as women, mothers and equal partners.

Philanthropy is not about money. It is the fullest, richest, most meaningful expression of who we are. We don't need millions to make our mark in this world. Who we are shapes our responses to issues that move us into creating the world we want.