In The Vanishing American Donor we warned of the danger of not investing – time, money and skill—in reaching beyond an organizations usual comfort zone to understand, communicate with and attract donors in “new” markets.

Without question one of the most under-appreciated group of donors for all too many organizations are women—particularly women of color.

Women are both a powerful and growing force for growth in giving.  So, why in the world do so many organizations stick to “best practices” of 40 years ago when a greater proportion of donors were men?

Maybe because too many nonprofits are led by out-of-touch white men… maybe because changing old habits and processes takes too much thought and work…or maybe because too many fundraisers simply don’t grasp the immense opportunity before them.

This post isn’t intended to provide a ‘how to’ guide on fundraising directed at women.  Rather, we’re providing summaries and links to a few articles and studies that are well worth your time in gaining a bit more insight into gender and race in fundraising.

In  Gender, Race and Fundraising Myths we noted some key research findings on gender and race summarized by Una Osili, Associate Dean for Research and International Programs at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

• Women and people of color are more likely to give informally or work outside or alongside formal or institutional philanthropy. One issue may be theoverall lack of racial and gender diversity in the leadership of philanthropic organizations, and the programs they support.
• Minority donors are less likely to be approached by fundraisers: one study showed that Hispanic donors are highly interested in charitable giving,but are less likely than others to be approached by fundraisers
• One in five African Americans woulddonate to more organizations if they were asked more often. [ Emphasis added.]

Una’s observations come from the first-ever study to explore the intersection of race, giving and gender. This should be a topic of concern to all fundraisers and you’ll want to read the full study Women Give 2019: Gender and Giving Across Communities of Color

Key findings:

• A donor’s race does not have a significant effect on the amount given to charity, when taking income and other factors into account. When factors known to affect giving (such as wealth, income, and education) are taken into consideration, and giving is measured as a percentage of income, race does not appear to affect the amounts that households donate.
• Overall gender differences in giving appear consistent across racial groups. For all groups, single women are more likely than single men to give to charity; married and cohabiting couples are more likely than either single men or single women to give to charity.
• Formal volunteering shows greater racial and ethnic gaps. Communities of color appear to be less engaged in formal volunteering. Other research has shown that informal volunteering rates (giving time, but not via a formal program or organization) are higher in communities of color.

[ NOTE: For those curious about gender differences in giving during the pandemic Lilly’s Women’s Philanthropy Institute has published a study Covid 19, Generosity and Gender that we found fascinating in terms of both “who” and “how” women gave.  ]

Many fundraisers are woefully ignorant about the role of African American women when it comes to giving. That’s why I strongly recommend an article that appeared last week in Nonprofit Quarterly  titled Black Women in Philanthropy: The Art of Everyday Giving as Activism by Ophelia Akanjo. Here’s a sample of the informative and personal treat that’s in store for you:

“For many of these Black women givers, as I like to refer to them, it seems as though philanthropy did not necessarily start as a way to majestically flaunt their wealth. As a matter of fact, many of them are not and were not wealthy. Instead, it started as a way to meet the real needs of people they knew in their everyday lives—neighbors, family members, the church, and social causes, among others. They viewed philanthropy as an act of giving—a way to help. Considering the disenfranchised history of African Americans, for instance, we are reminded that quite often, if they didn’t find ways to raise funds in support of community-related causes, the government would not support them. One of the things these forthcoming black philanthropists do very well is take the performance out of philanthropy and instead make it a way of life in a form that is accessible and understandable to others around them.”

The article contains a real bonus:  “Mini-Profiles” of a cohort of Black women givers – both contemporary and historic.  I consider this piece—along with its annotated bibliography– a must read.

Roger

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