Last Friday, March 8^th, was International Women’s Day, an event that started towards the beginning of the 20th century that continues to recognize the economic, political, cultural and other achievements of women from around the world.

Women also have an increasing impact in philanthropy. As noted in a January 2019 personal finance article from MarketWatch “Wealthy women are more likely to donate money and time to charity than their male counterparts… some 93% of high-net worth women gave money to charity last year, compared to 87% of their male counterparts, according to the 2018 U.S. Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy. Women were also more likely to volunteer their time: 56% did so, compared to 41% of men.”

As reported by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a 2010 survey showed that single women were more likely than single men to contribute to charities and that a 2011 survey showed that “…women spend more time than men on due diligence before making decisions about charitable giving and view giving as a collaborative, shared event. It also found that women expect a deeper level of communication with the organizations they support and place greater importance than men on hearing about the impact of their gift.”  Also, the Lily Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University produced a research study in 2016 that looks into how women’s role in decision making about giving has changed over time.

The lesson of women spending more time on due diligence in their contributions activity is one we highly admire and hope that men hear these wise giving words and follow the same path. Of course, we also encourage donors to visit Give.org to verify if the selected charities meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. 

Video of the Week

As part of our Building Trust Video Series, we are pleased to provide another look at a 2017 video featuring Laurie Windsor, the previous CEO of Women for Women International (a BBB Accredited Charity). This organization was founded twenty years ago to help the most marginalized of women in conflict affected countries to rebuild their lives.  The organization’s current CEO, Laurie Adams, heads a charity that conducts a 12-month training program that helps provide basic skills such as economic, literacy and knowledge of health and basic rights. 

Recent Reports

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:

• Everglades Foundation
• K9s for Warriors
• Wildlands Conservancy

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.

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance