Women in Philanthropy: Giving From the Heart

What would you do if you had billions of dollars to give away?  The world has been watching closely as some well-known billionaire women answer exactly that question. The public nature of their giving is historically remarkable. Women have always played key roles in philanthropy, but until recently, their work has been done in the background.

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In the U.S., women have long done most of the volunteer work that charitable organizations rely upon to fulfill their missions. From rolling bandages for soldiers during our nation’s wars to staffing (without pay) the new, philanthropy funded public libraries; serving our schools through parent-teacher associations; and of course, supporting the establishment of hospitals like Overlake through our early Auxiliaries; women have performed vital work to benefit our communities. Even now, the majority of volunteer work across the globe is done by women.

In terms of women’s charitable giving, it’s not just the billionaires making an impact. Women overall are more likely to give, and give more, than men. For example, according to philanthropy scholars, holding factors like income and wealth constant, about 51% of single women indicated they would give to charity, compared with 41% of single men.

Other Ways Women Are Giving 

• Women give money and volunteer time in response to crises. Women also perform advocacy services, such as giving personal testimony to support a cause.
• Giving circles, in which donors pool and decide together how to allocate money to charitable causes, are dominated by women and have grown significantly in recent decades.
• Researchers found that women give more online.

In one example, about two-thirds of the money raised through the annual Giving Tuesday event (on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) is donated by women. Women are giving more than ever before, in part because they now have more money to give. The total wealth owned by women around the world has more than doubled since 2010. And while some of those women are very wealthy, the vast majority of women making charitable gifts are “ordinary” people who care about the causes they support.

In a survey conducted by a financial services company, nearly nine out of ten women agreed with the statement, “I wish I could be doing more to create positive social change.” Similarly, 80% of women said that charitable giving “helps me live a life that reflects my values.” Those concerns lead 57% of women who make charitable gifts to support healthcare organizations, like Overlake. Most of them don’t get feature articles in major media outlets like the billionaires do, but they get the satisfaction of making a positive impact on the health and well-being of their communities.

To learn more about making an impact on your community by supporting Overlake, visit overlakehospital.org/giving.

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