October 21, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes
A study released today showing that women give more often and more generously than men jibes with the experience of many nonprofits, fund raisers say.
World Vision, the international group with headquarters in Federal Way, Wash., says that among the 885,000 Americans who sponsor a child through the charity, three out of four are female.
While the charity says it actively seeks out men and women, as well as young people and others, women do seem particularly interested in helping tackle critical problems like world poverty.
“We’ve seen the power of women,” says Lana Reda, World Vision’s vice president for product and donor management, in a statement. “Not only are they incredibly generous but they also seek a personal connection. When we can offer a meaningful experience along with an opportunity to give, we’ve seen that women really respond.”
Women of Vision, a volunteer-run ministry that supports World Vision, says it has tripled its number of volunteers in the past two years.
“In particular, women are seeing the impact they can have in the lives of women and girls in need through innovative programs including shelters for sexually exploited girls, small-business loans for women, and maternal-health programs,” says Cynthia Breilh, national director of Women of Vision, in a statement.
Jewish federations, too, are benefiting from women donors.
“Women give based on who’s receiving. Men give based on who’s asking,” said Beth Mann, an associate vice president of development at Jewish Federations of North America.
The umbrella group for more than 150 Jewish federations tracks giving by women in the Lions of Judah, a group of women who give at least $5,000 in unrestricted money annually. Currently the group numbers 17,000, about 2,000 more than in 2006.
Two years ago, during the height of the recession, at the Lions of Judah’s biannual meeting, some 900 women raised $16-million, or 13 percent more than at the previous year’s meeting.
