Mar 05, 2025
International Women’s Day is a time to recognize the achievements of women worldwide—including their growing leadership and influence in philanthropy.
Saturday, March 8th, is International Women’s Day, “global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” It has been observed since the early 1900s and has grown in popularity over the years due to increased public attention about women’s equality issues.
Women have a significant role in philanthropy. In December 2024, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute of the Lilly Family School for Philanthropy, released a report “20 Years of Gender and Giving Trends.” As noted in this publication, “Trust has emerged as a critical factor influencing giving behaviors, especially among younger donors. Women are more likely than men to factor trust and transparency into their giving decisions. They are also more likely to give to local or grassroots organizations where they can see the direct impact of their contributions.” One of the key findings in their research was that “While the ‘declining donors’ phenomenon is true for both men and women from 2000-2020, the decline started later and was less pronounced for single women, compared to single men.” Further, “While the average amount given by donor households has been relatively steady over 2000-2020, single women’s giving increased overall and to secular causes during the COVID-19 period, compared to single men.”
So, in a number of ways, women can lead the way to greater giving. Our own 2019 Donor Trust Report found that women are more likely than men to rate the importance of trust before giving as essential (with 72% of women as compared to 67% of men).
One way to honor International Women’s Day is to support BBB Accredited Charities, which have been verified to meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability on Give.org.
This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features Kate Schecter, Ph.D., President & CEO, World Neighbors (a BBB Accredited Charity), which works in 14 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The organization focuses on training and educating communities to find lasting solutions to the issues of hunger, poverty, and disease through programs that contribute to improving the social, economic, and physical resources available to and controlled by the community.
We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to give.org/charity-inquiry if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.
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