Despite overwhelming evidence of women’s growing presence in philanthropy, few organizations are actively working to cultivate female donors. Nonprofits that fail to do so are losing out on significant potential revenue.
The stakes are high, as Virginia Merkel, an Indianapolis philanthropist and volunteer fundraiser for the American Red Cross, told The Chronicle last year: “If you don’t engage those women, somebody else is going to take their money.”
To increase contributions from women, nonprofits must adopt a thoughtful strategy that recognizes that women increasingly are the main drivers of household giving decisions, and that their giving methods differ from those of men.
Women give based on personal experience. They need regular communication, they want to know the impact of their gifts, and, above all, they want to develop a relationship with your organization over time.
A Commitment to Change
To develop a successful women’s-giving program, nonprofits must adapt to the changing face of philanthropy. This means a willingness to examine and perhaps redefine your organization’s fundraising philosophies and metrics.
To begin with, consider questions such as:
- Are your current fundraising tactics transactional, or do they foster relationships?
- Do you reward fundraisers for building relationships or simply for hitting numeric goals?
- Do your leaders, board members, and volunteers understand their role in your fundraising success?
- Can you provide timely, ongoing communication about the value of gifts, offer meaningful activities for women to get involved, and convey the real impact of women’s gifts through stories and data?
Integration, Not Separation
Many nonprofit leaders may wonder: How can we afford to add a women-focused program? To be truly successful, a female-focused strategy should be integrated into your fundraising, not viewed as separate from other development programs.
This does not have to mean big investments, additional staffing, or organizational restructuring — unless, of course, that’s the route you prefer. A female-focused philanthropic strategy can be as simple as taking the following steps:
- Integrate concepts proven by research into staff education and existing programs.
- Audit your communication materials to ensure women are well represented in photographs, stories, gift recognition, and news.
- Manage your database so you have the ability to acknowledge and report on a woman’s gift individually, and by household.
Your approach could be as extensive as establishing a named program with staff, a mission, and a strategy that inspires women to give and get involved. Or, you could choose any of several options that fall in between, such as:
- Conducting research on female donor prospects and measuring women’s gifts separately in your fundraising analytics.
- Reorganizing board(s) and/or executive leadership teams to ensure women are well represented.
- Establishing volunteer committees with female members to attract other women as supporters.
No Involvement Means No Investment
Before receiving big gifts from women, your nonprofit must inspire women. To do so, it’s essential to recognize what social-marketing strategist Ted Rubin termed “return on relationship,” which he defines as “the value (both perceived and real) that will accrue over time through loyalty, recommendations, and sharing.” You’ll fall short of full success if you only seek a return on investment, which begins and ends with dollars and cents.
Strategies that give woman an opportunity to identify personal passions, empower them to pursue those passions, and allow them to see the impact of their gifts are key for developing enduring and valuable relationships. In short, you must understand the needs of female donors and offer opportunities for meaningful involvement in your work.
Six Simple Ways to Foster Stronger Relationships With Women
Thoughtful, often simple actions, not grandiose gestures, make the most positive impact.
- Properly address letters and envelopes. Communications from nonprofits are often addressed by default to husbands. Inaccurate addressees may be recognized by both a female donor and her spouse as a sign of disrespect or carelessness.
- Make it personal. Are your thank-you notes easily confused with a utility bill? Relevant, personal notes go a long way with most women in building an enduring relationship.
- Make it handwritten. If a female donor receives recognition from a nonprofit or business in the community, acknowledge it with a handwritten note. Send birthday and holiday cards using mail, not email, with real, not electronic, signatures.
- Offer mission-related programs for like-minded women. This can build enthusiasm that translates into increased individual giving and inspires women to invite friends and associates to get involved.
- Create a warm environment. Welcome women with a wide range of ages, experiences, capacities, and interests.
- Show impact. Offer tangible opportunities that demonstrate how a donor’s dollars are spent and convey the impact of her gift. In other words, put a “face” on her philanthropy.
The Bottom Line
Every nonprofit should understand that the traditional strategies and practices of donor prospecting, cultivation, and stewardship are no longer “one size fits all.” Many of the industry standards were established when households, finances, and decision making were male-centric.
Evaluate your fundraising practices to determine what you can do to take advantage of women’s growing philanthropic impact. If you do nothing, you’re leaving money on the table for other nonprofits to collect.
Michele Rebeor is a consultant who works with nonprofits to maximize the power of women in philanthropy.